P.E.I.'s first Black human rights commissioner hoping to make a difference

Danté Bazard says he is hoping to bring a new lens to the P.E.I. Human Rights Commission.

Bazard, who has a master's degree in clinical criminology from the U.K. and studied psychology at UPEI, is the human rights commission's first Black commissioner.

He is one of six commissioners, plus the chair. He officially began his duties about a week ago.

The commission is an independent agency that is responsible for administering and enforcing the P.E.I. Human Rights Act.

Bazard, who is originally from the Bahamas, said he faced racism when he came to P.E.I. several years ago. He said he has been called the N-word and told he should only date Black women. He has been working on human rights issues ever since.

Co-founder of BIPOC USHR

He is a co-founder of BIPOC USHR and has been part of the Black Cultural Society of P.E.I.

Bazard is hoping his appointment will make a difference. 

"Now, you'll be able to have that lens when looking at human rights issues on P.E.I. that wasn't there before, and that will also bring together the BIPOC community when it comes to reporting human rights and being able to receive justice."

Commissioners are appointed by members of the P.E.I. Legislature's standing committee on health and social development. Commissioners oversee the operations of the commission and conduct panel hearings when required.

'Not an easy issue'

Bazard said he is looking forward to the challenge. 

"Being the first Black person in the position, it's definitely a lot of responsibility," he said.

"But just even being on the commission itself is a lot of responsibility. Human rights is not an easy issue to even talk about, let alone to do good work. But I am equipped, able and ready, and I am very confident in the current team."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

More from CBC P.E.I.