When Ingrid Berkeley-Brown began her career in law enforcement 30 years ago, she wanted to be the best that she could could be and leave above the rank of constable.
Today the Guyana-native has risen far above that rank On January 29, she made history when she was promoted to Superintendent in Peel County, Ontario, making her the highest-ranking Black female police officer in Canada.
Berkeley-Brown was one of only two Black female recruits in a class of about 300 at the Ontario Police College in 1986, and the only Black female officer in Peel County after graduation. Her career choice is not surprising since she followed in the footsteps of her father, Cardwell Pellew, (deceased) who was a member of the Guyana Police Force.
One of 11 children, Berkeley-Brown migrated from Guyana in 1974 and completed high school at Sir Sandford Fleming in Toronto, before volunteering as a probation and parole officer. While helping young people find community service placements, she met retired Toronto cop Sid Young who suggested she consider a policing career. Five years after applying to several police services in the Greater Toronto Area and the Ontario Provincial Police, Peel made the call. Over the years, she has worked in the child abuse & sexual assault, media relations, diversity, crime prevention and uniformed patrol & investigative units.
In March 2013, Berkeley-Brown became the only Black female Police Inspectors in Peel County. Now 3 years later, she is one of only three female Superintendents in Peel County, and the highest-ranking Black female police officer in Canada..
“This is a very significant milestone,” Berkeley-Brown said. “There are 11 children and I am the only one in policing,” “I have worked hard to get to where I am and I certainly think I deserve this promotion. It’s a proud moment for me and my family.”
Berkeley-Brown hopes her milestone promotion will inspire Blacks and other minority women to pursue a career in policing and aspire to be senior officers. She also believes that..
“The key is to do everything you can to make yourself the best candidate for a position and that includes hard work, pursuing higher education and community involvement.”
Superintendent Ingrid Berkeley-Brown being presented with her new badge on 1/129/16
Remarried since 1989 to St. Lucian-born constable Joseph Berkeley who works in Peel’s Forensic Identification Services, Berkeley-Brown holds a Master’s in Leadership from the University of Guelph.
The mother of two and recipient of the Police Exemplary Service Medal and the United Achievers Club of Brampton Community Award is also the past president and current secretary of the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and an avid soccer player and marathon runner.
In her new role, Berkeley-Brown is the officer in charge of 21 Division overseeing 300 members.
Cloyette Harris-Stoute is a proud Guyanese nonprofit leader, tech enthusiast, and entrepreneur based in Queens, New York. She founded Guyanese Girls Rock Blog and Guyanese Girls Rock Foundation, Inc. and is Owner of Guyanese Girls Rock Apparels and Alliyette, a fine jewelry brand.
Silent Hearer by Marcia Shury | ISBN # 978-1-68118-826-3 | Tate Publishing “Silent Hearer” chronicles the story of Marcia S. Shury as her happy childhood was turned upside down due to the onset of a sudden partial hearing loss. The book details how she rose above the many obstacles and frustrations that she encountered in school, in her career and relationships as she resolved to live a normal life.
Sunday’s Child by Anne Lyken-Garner is the remarkably inspirational true story of a little girl struggling to rise above poverty, appalling living conditions, food lines, violence, abuse, mental anguish and political hardships. It shows how she picks out little glimmers of hope and love and uses them as positive anchors in her life. She draws on everything she has – just to survive. Readers, all of the events I’ve recorded in this book have happened…
Karen Godette, MD, is a board certified radiation oncologist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Godette practices general radiation oncology and specializes in breast and gynecological malignancies, prostate cancer and soft tissue sarcoma. Within these areas, her expertise is brachytherapy. Dr. Godette treats patients at Winship at Emory University Hospital Midtown where she has served as medical director since 2001. Winship Cancer Institute is Georgia’s…
Lisa Punch is a talented singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was born on September 4, 1992 in Guyana; the daughter of John Errol Punch and Nafieza Aiana Daniels and is the eldest of five siblings. Lisa spent the first few years of her life in Berbice before relocating to Georgetown. By age 11, she was performing across the country and appearing on local TV shows such as Talent Exclusive. At her alma mater, North Georgetown Secondary…
Before there was American Idol, there was Pat Cameron, who as host of the influential radio show, `On Show Young Guyana,` helped give recognition to the musical abilities of many young Guyanese. Pat was born on October 3, 1924 to Lilian Gertrude Christiani and Henry Perot Christiani. A Bishop’s High School graduate, she worked in the Guyana Civil Service and was trained as a Social Welfare Officer in Jamaica. She entered the world of broadcasting…
UK-based Guyanese Jurist Dale Simon, Chairperson of the United Kingdom Chapter of the Guyana Law Association (GLA) and Director of Equality and Diversity of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), has been awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 Queen’s New Year Honours List! Growing up in London’s East End, Dale overcame barriers such as racism and low expectations to excel as a Crown prosecutor. These experiences left her with a desire…
I was told by a friend that she wanted to plan a small reception for her mother’s 80th birthday; she wanted something very elegant. A Champagne Reception is ideal for this type of event. It is also perfect for small weddings or any other function, where the intention is to host a top notch classy event that has a small guest list. You will need three types of champagne: ‘Dry’ or ‘Extra Dry’ for cocktails …
Recent medical school graduate, Topaz Sampson, is very close to accomplishing her dream of practicing Medicine. A New Amsterdam native, Topaz was part of the graduating Class of 2015 at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, and is scheduled to begin residency training at Baylor College of Medicine. While in medical school Topaz was appointed 2014 President of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the oldest and largest student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns…
Name: Kiesha Nicole Benn Specialty: Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency: Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA Fellowship/Graduate school: Maternal Fetal Medicine, Second year Fellow at The University of Connecticut Health Center Medical School: SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY Undergraduate: City University of New York: Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, NY, NY. 1) When did you decide you wanted to become a Medical Doctor and what led to this decision? “I knew I wanted to…
Congratulations to Miss Nicolin Roberts on scoring Grade I (with Distinction) on her Math CXC Examination! Nicolin is 4th former at Central High School in Georgetown, Guyana, but sat for the exams at the 5th form level, earning all A’s in Knowledge, Comprehension and Reasoning. BRAVO Nicolin – You Rock!
Keisha Edwards has been designing from a very young age. As a child growing up in Guyana, she would sketch outfits and ask her mother to make them for her. Born on September 8th, 1986, Keisha grew up in North Ruimveldt and then moved to East Ruimveldt at the age of 7. One of 8 kids, Keisha treasures her friendship with her siblings, and still reminisces on her childhood and the good times they…
From Stabroek News Archive When she married David Granger, Sandra Chan-A-Sue knew she was going to be a military wife which meant her husband would be away from home a lot of the time. But what she did not know was that forty years down the line she would be married to a politician, still with the name of David Granger. “I did not believe him…” the then 62-year-old Sandra Granger told the Sunday Stabroek…
June Givanni is a pioneering international film curator who has considerable experience in film and broadcasting for over 30 years and she is regarded as a resource for African and African diaspora cinema. She was born in Guyana and grew up in the UK . The development of the Pan African Cinema Archive is based on her collections from years of working in the field of cinema. Her motivation for the archive is to make this…
Writing poetry and short stories since the tender age of 7 years old, aspiring music artist Danielle BlaiQ opens her private collection of heartfelt expression to the world in Based On A Love Story. Best described as ‘love at first sight for the heart and mind’, this collection of poetry unfolds revealing the beautiful imperfections found in a young woman on her journey to defining womanhood. Honored for her lyrical illustrations, bold reflections, and vulnerable…
The UK franchise of the Real Housewives is adding a fresh new face to the Cheshire version of the show. Model, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Lystra Adams, will make her reality TV debut when she joins returning cast members Dawn Ward, Ester Dohnalová, Hanna Kinsella, Lauren Simon, Nicole Sealey, Rachel Lugo, Seema Malhotra, and Tanya Bardsley for season 12 of the show. Born in Guyana, South America, Lystra originally moved to the UK at the age…
Thank you Cloyette Harris-Stoute YOU ROCK!!!
#blackhistory
Congratulations Ingrid! You rock!
Congratulations my dear , i am proud of you , and it’s an honour that we were childhood friends . God blessings P