Shawn Johnston, Events Coordinator at the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre, has received a 2016 J.S. Woodsworth Award (Individual Leadership) for his work on anti-racism, awarded by the provincial New Democratic Party.
"I am honoured and grateful," Shawn wrote to Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife, who nominated him for the award. "Out of 45 nominees, I was selected as one of the recipients for this award. I got a chance to meet with Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and tell her about the work we do at the Centre and, of course, our soup lunches."
At a luncheon held at St. Paul's in celebration of Shawn's award, Catherine Fife said, "Shawn has dedicated his life to the elimination of racial discrimination, making him the ideal candidate for this award."
Besides his work at the Aboriginal Centre, Shawn has been active with groups such as Idle No More and has helped combat racism through advocacy, education, and helping to build bridges between campus and Aboriginal communities.
Shawn, Anishnaabe from Treaty #3 Territory, grew up on Couchiching First Nations. He holds a Master of Social Work (Aboriginal Field of Study) from Wilfrid Laurier University, a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) from Western University, and a Social Service Worker diploma from Lambton College.
He has won several other awards in recent years, including the Western University Young Alumni Award of Merit (2015), the King's University College Adult Learner Award (2013), and a WPIRG Social Justice Award. He has also been nominated for a 2016 Premier's Awardfor Community Services; the recipients will be announced at an awards banquet in November.
The NDP Party presents the J.S. Woodsworth awards annually to individuals and organizations from across Ontario for significant contributions toward the goal of eliminating racial discrimination in our society. The awards are named after J.S. Woodsworth, the first leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the forerunner of Ontario’s NDP.