O’Siyo ᎣᏏᏲ “o-si-yo,” (Cherokee: I see you) Hello and Bonjour Union Sibling,
I am ecstatic to share the following news, Bernadeth Betchi will be joining the Union of National Employees in the role of Coordinator, Office of the National President, effective August 13, 2024.
Bernadeth is a human, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a partner, and a human rights activist.
She is a Black woman, an immigrant, a francophone, and an artist.
She has a Bachelor of Communication, a Masters of Women and Gender Studies and is currently completing her third year PHD in Philosophy Feminist and Gender Studies at the University of Ottawa. She is the recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Bursary for her research on Maternal Mental Health, with a focus on Black mothers in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
She has worked at the Prime Minister of Canada’s Office, at the Canadian Human Rights Commission and as a Professor of Communications, English, Human Rights, Social Justice and Sociology at Algonquin and St-Lawrence College.
She is also one of the twelve representative plaintiffs for the Black Class Action Suit. She appeared in the Senate of Canada as an expert for the study on anti-Black discrimination and racism at the Canadian Human Rights Commission and has been an active advocate for the rights of humans as a whole.
In 2024, Bernadeth was the first Black woman to run for president for the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE).
She has had the opportunity to deliver key notes at the Permanent forum for People of African Descent, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Bernadeth is one of the co-founders of the Ottawa-Gatineau Black Breastfeeding Week, sat on the Board of Directors for Immigrant Women’s Services Ottawa and Maison d’Amitié Ottawa. Her work inspired the creation of The Village Project, a community-based group that assists parents in finding resources and addressing their specific family needs.
She believes in the power of ubuntu “humanity.” “I am because we are.” Ubuntu embodies the ideas of community, shared humanity, and mutual caring for all. It is a philosophy that emphasizes the interconnectedness of all people, the importance of relationships, and the responsibility of individuals to their community.
Bernadeth understands that her mission on this earth is to leave a better blueprint for the generations to come. Hoping that her actions and activism bring lasting and significant change forever to come. She wants to make sure that all of her encounters leave the person better than the way she found them. Her guiding principles are love, empathy, and compassion.
She is doing this work standing on the shoulders of her ancestors.
Please join me, Union Sibling, in giving a warm welcome to Bernadeth Betchi to the Union of National Employee’s team and family.
Welcome to the UNE Team, Bernadeth!
Alisha Kang (nee Campbell)
National President
Union of National Employees