First National celebrates our own Caribana Carnival in style

In tribute to the large Caribbean community in Canada, and within our workforce, First National’s Toronto office held our own pre-Carnival festival in late July.

Inspired by Traces, our employee resource group, our celebration paid homage to Carnival celebrations throughout the Caribbean and connected all of us to the history of the emancipation of enslaved peoples.

This was our fourth annual festival kick off, and the central purpose of our celebration this year was to promote community, inclusivity and diversity. We did all of that in style with the generous support of some great local businesses.

The Real Jerk, a Toronto culinary favourite since 1984 and home to the original filming location of Rihanna and Drake's worldwide hit "Work”, connected us to the flavours and spirit of the occasion. Bongo and B brought enlivened us with the rhythm and sounds of the bongo and steel pan while we watched an inspiring multimedia tribute showing images of Carnival celebrations from around the world.

A trivia contest tested our knowledge of carnival history and a special “island vibe wall” enabled us to express our own feelings about this joyous, liberating experience.

We are grateful to all who participated and thankful for the ongoing leadership provided by the members of Traces, whose mission is to create a safe and supportive environment where Black team members can express themselves freely and where we can all learn from each other’s experiences and give voice to important issues.