02/10/2026
Giving Dr. Ann Divine her flowers 💐🌹🌼
Today, Dr. Ann Divine demonstrated what it truly means to move forward while widening the path for others, especially for Black women across community leadership, academia, the social sector, and public service. She did this by intentionally passing the mic to community-centred changemakers and by mobilizing nearly 300 women—government ministers, public sector leaders, academics, community activists, and innovators—for the Unstoppable Women's Conference, held at Mount Saint Vincent University.
Dr. Divine is the Founder and CEO of Ashanti Leadership and the Black and Immigrant Women Network. I've had the privilege of collaborating with her on council-wide inclusion training during my time at the Municipality of the County of Kings, and on the WCB’s (NS) first IDEA Roadmap. So today was yet another opportunity to witness her brilliance and leadership in service to community and the empowerment of the next generation of women changemakers.
One moment particularly stood out. Dr. Divine invited the audience to speak aloud the names of Black and African Nova Scotian women who have lived lives of service to community and country. This mattered deeply to me. Black women's contributions are too often overlooked, or actively erased, especially in strategic spaces. Naming them is an act of recognition, responsibility, and strategic disruption.
Thank you to Dr. Divine and the Unstoppable Conference planning committee for the confidence and invitation to participate in such a powerful and supporting space.
More reflections on Unstoppable to come—but today, I honour the leadership that made this space possible.
Love and light,
Kenisha Gordon