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Glenda Simms, first Black woman to head a federal agency

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January 5, 2022

Glenda Simms, first Black woman to head a federal agency

By Andrew Cardozo

Glenda Simms, first Black woman to head a federal agency

Dr. Glenda Simms was the first Black woman to lead a federal agency when she was appointed President of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women. She passed away on December 31, 2021. The longtime feminist and anti-racism academic and activist was appointed to the position by the Mulroney government in 1990, specifically by Barbara McDougall who was Minister for the Status of Women. She had led the venerable Congress of Black Women before that and had been involved in numerous federal hearings and consultations, and other community organizations over several years.

During her mandate she pressed the federal government to use a gender-based analysis on federal policies and she addressed issues of domestic violence and the plight of Indigenous, immigrant and racialized women.

A longtime educator and cross-cultural psychologist, her areas of academic focus, she received honorary doctorates from Queen’s University and the University of Western Ontario. Following her time at the Advisory Council, Dr. Simms returned to her native Jamaica for ten years where she headed the Bureau of Women’s Affairs and led various across-government initiatives on women’s equality. She was appointed to the position by Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. As such, she is one of the few senior public servants to serve in similar roles in two countries.

“Glenda was my mentor. She believed strongly that the opinions of Black women mattered. We should not hide in the shadows, nor should Black Women allow themselves to be relegated there. She led by example,” said Anne Clarke, a senior policy analyst at Maama Watali, a local organization that educates Black Women on human rights and issues of gender based violence.

The President of the PNP Women’s Movement in Jamaica, Patricia Duncan Sutherland, reflected on the contribution made by Dr Simms in elevating the voice, value and power of women in Jamaica.

“Dr Simms was an outstanding advocate for the elevation of women, especially in Jamaica. Her stewardship of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs was but one hallmark moment in her career in public service. She was not an academic feminist but an active feminist, reviewing legislation with a critical gender lens, engaging in the communities, the trenches to change how men and women saw and treated each other, training and retooling others to become champions of inclusion and equity — hers is a legacy of excellence and we are deeply saddened to hear of her passing,” shared Duncan Sutherland.

In recognition of her work in gender development, Dr. Simms was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government in 2014.

Dr. Simms died in Ottawa at the age of 82.

(Thanks to the Jamaica Observer for quotes on Dr. Simms.)