Mission Statement
At Black Voice, we aim to create an inclusive community that strives to achieve equal representation among Black people in Canada. Black Voice is an online platform that delivers relevant, yet engaging content where we can empower and inspire our audience. We use our platform to represent a variety of different stories written by our talented writers and designed by our superb team.
We focus on showcasing images, articles, and creative designs that complement different themes and promote Black identity, intelligence, and success. Our diverse content is created by Black people, for Black people. We want to ensure that our platform acknowledges many complex issues that can be analyzed through an intersectional lens to deeply understand the avenues of success and reemerging challenges that the Black community is confronted with in our rapidly changing world.
Meet The Team
Editorial Team
Anjalli Becharbhai
Anjalli Becharbhai is the Managing Editor at Black Voice. She is a graduate from the University of Toronto and holds a Specialization in Political Science and a Minor in English. She has had previous experience with writing a multitude of complex and interesting articles for The Medium. Her goal as a Managing Editor at Black Voice is to effectively articulate the stories, perspectives, and voices of racialized people and make them feel heard.
Sydnee Walcott is a Copy / Contributing Editor for Black Voice. She is also a writer who likes to capture the essence when writing articles on a variety of topics.
Sydnee Walcott
Brian Akin
Brian Akin is the Creative Editor at Black Voice. Brian is a graphic designer and illustrator that lives in Toronto. He has been illustrating since he was a kid, and has always had a passion for art. Brian uses whatever elements of design that I’ve learned from art and applies them to my design work. Brian graduated in 2018 from George Brown College and has been taking on many freelance design jobs to help him gain more experience working with people. Brian is always looking for a new challenge and he would like to work in a design studio or for a company.
Kyle is a Copy Editor for multiple OLDF publications. He graduated with a degree in English language and literature from Wilfrid Laurier University, and he loves all things creative. In his free time, he enjoys art and music
Kyle Quilatan
Lan Nguyen
Lan Nguyen is the Managing Editor for Business Hub, The Newcomer, Blackvoice, Women Quest and Youth Mind. He just recently finished up his bachelor’s degree in English & Professional Writing at York University, during which time he served as an Art Senior Editor for Inventio and as a Non-fiction Junior Editor for Existere. When he isn’t working, he can be found listening to emo music, fussing over the Toronto Raptors, or playing video games with his friends.
Writing Team
Lavanya Kathirgamanathan
Lavanya Kathirgamanathan is one of the Writers for this year’s publication at Black Voice. She’s a recent graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University, where she studied Journalism and will further her education in Human Resources at George Brown College. Lavanya has experience writing for multiple publications and has her own food blog on social media. Lavanya’s main goal as a writer for the Black Voice publication is to showcase Black excellence within the community, and in the city of Toronto.
Priscilla Wiredu is a writer for this year’s Black Voice project. An alumni of York University, she graduated with Honors where she studied Social Sciences. She then went on to get an Ontario Graduate certificate in Creative Writing from the Humber School for Writers, and a college certificate in Legal Office Administration at Seneca College. She is currently studying for the LSAT in hopes of going to law school. Her main goal as a Black Voices writer is to ensure Black issues and Black Pride are enunciated through her works.
Priscilla Wiredu
Elias Mehdawi
Elias Mehdawi is a writer/journalist for OLDF publications, The Black Voice and The Newcomer. He is currently completing his Master’s degree at the University of Waterloo, where he works as a Teaching Assistant. Recently, he published a book chapter and presented research at multiple conferences, such as the University of Zurich Social Norms conference and the Canadian Sociological Association conference. He is passionate about social justice, psychology and interdisciplinary approaches.
Thean Sargeant is a writer/journalist for different OLDF publications. She enjoys funny videos, finding new shows to binge, and keeping up-to-date with important topics.
Thean Sargeant
Josephine N
Josephine is a high school English teacher who loves good stories, meaningful conversations, and building community wherever she goes. She writes for multiple publications at OLDF and whether she’s planning a book club, organizing a themed workout, or writing something, she’s always looking for creative ways to connect with people and make everyday moments a little more memorable.
Vincent is a Writer/Journalist for multiple publications across OLDF’s platforms. He graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University and enjoys all things related to sports. When he isn’t watching or talking about his favourite teams and athletes, Vincent is either playing video games, listening to music, or spending time with family and friends.
Vincent Tran
Social Media Team
Katrina Dela Cruz
Katrina Dela Cruz is the Social Media Coordinator for Black Voice. She’s passionate about helping organizations grow their impact and create positive change in the world. She loves being in nature and tries to spend a lot of her free time outdoors, especially when the weather is nice. Some of the activities she enjoys are playing badminton with her friends, and taking long walks under the sun.
Alicia Tse has worked with Black Voice since its launch back in 2021 and it has been such an eye opening experience to see the publication grow throughout the years.
As the social media community manager, she works closely with Black Voice’s social media coordinator, Katrina Dela Cruz, to create content across all our social media platforms. She is also responsible for creating the advertisement pages within each Black Voice issue.
Alicia Tse
Web Development
Kalvin Kao is a Web Developer at Black Voice and is an IT graduate from York University. Kalvin is a freelance web developer that has done work for banks and many small local businesses.
