CBC reporter Sherri Borden Colley to receive honorary degree from Halifax university

The University of King's College is awarding Sherri Borden Colley with an honorary doctorate this spring, acknowledging her quarter century of local reporting and her contributions to the "diversification in the journalism profession."

The Halifax university announced the award in a news release Thursday, describing Borden Colley as a journalist who "tells stories that wouldn't otherwise be told, making all her subjects feel represented and heard."

"She personifies the power of one to make a significant difference in the lives of many," the release said.

Borden Colley earned an honours bachelor of journalism degree from King's, a small liberal arts university in 1997. She reported for the Chronicle Herald for two decades and has been a reporter with CBC Nova Scotia since 2016.

"Strong personal convictions and a commitment to reporting excellence have led Borden Colley time and again to write about issues involving justice, race, culture and human rights. Her work consistently demonstrates the power of journalism to do good," the release said.

Contribution to Viola Desmond story

King's noted Borden Colley's contribution to the "renaissance" of Viola Desmond, a black Nova Scotian who was arrested and fined in 1946 for defying the segregated seating rules at a movie theatre in New Glasgow, N.S.

In 2010, 45 years after Desmond's death and at a time when her story was not widely known, Borden Colley interviewed Desmond's sister, Wanda Robson, and wrote a series of articles about her civil rights activism.

Following Borden Colley's reporting, Desmond's renown surged and the lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia granted her a posthumous pardon. In 2016, a Halifax-Dartmouth ferry was named after her and she became the first Canadian woman to appear alone on the $10 bill.

Mentor to youth

King's also highlighted Borden Colley's long-standing membership with the Canadian Association of Black Journalists, and her dedication to increasing diversity in newsrooms.

"Borden Colley understands the necessity of diversification in the journalism profession, and today serves as a role model for the next generation of African Nova Scotian journalists," the news release said.

"Over coffee or a meal, Borden Colley connects on a very human level with many young journalists in her wake, boosting their confidence and imparting invaluable advice that propels them forward."

Borden Colley will be awarded the honorary degree at a ceremony on May 29.