As a child, Tyrone Edwards didn’t think much about his Blackness. It wasn’t until a stranger told him in anger, “go back to Africa, you monkey,” when he was about 7 or 8 that he started to question his experiences.
Today, Tyrone is an anchor for Etalk — Canada’s most watched entertainment program — and renowned for sharing his own personal experiences with discrimination and prejudice to enact change. Back then though, it wasn’t the use of Africa or a racial slur that shocked him. It was the use of a swear word — they said, “you f-ing monkey”. He didn’t know what everything meant but he understood the power of that swear word and wondered what he did to deserve that much anger and hate.
Later that same year, one of his friends called him the n-word, he was uninvited to a birthday party, friends were turning on him, all of which led him to pray to become white. As you can guess, he said, that didn’t work. That’s when he decided to lean into his Blackness and learn everything he could possibly learn about his heritage.
This is why he is a champion of Black History Month today. It’s an opportunity for others to do the same — to learn, to engage in meaningful dialogue, and fix long-standing structural problems — and he urges all to take it. Here’s why.
Why Black History Month Matters
Tyrone’s relationship with Black History Month was an evolving one. He wasn’t always a fan — the conversations tend to be heavy, he said.
1996 marked the first Black History Month. At the time, Tyrone was in high school where he was looking for something to attach to — a source of power, a source of belonging, he said. Black History Month was a breath of fresh air, having spent his school years learning a curriculum that never featured people who looked like him. This is why Black History Month is so important, little by little, he learned about erasure.
But, over time, the weight of those histories and conversations compacted. While many of his peers could celebrate their ancestors, the people preceding Tyrone were often shown as captives, they were degraded or always protesting, he said. His past was slavery and stories of fighting for the right to drink from a water fountain or to even eat vanilla ice cream. What kind of effect can this have on a young man? he asked.
No one wants to be apart of that conversation, Tyrone continued, and it began to negatively impact his relationship with Black History Month. It became a source of fatigue instead of power. But we can flip that script — sharing those feelings creates an opportunity for a valuable exchange. Tyrone challenges everyone to step up. He’s been asked his whole life to learn about the other side, February is a reminder for everyone else to do the same.
An Opportunity to Learn, Share, and Correct
Today, Tyrone hopes people will see Black History Month for what it is — a reminder and an opportunity to learn and share. And, as a Black person, an opportunity to correct some of the experiences they may have had as a child — that young Black boy who didn’t understand why this stranger used the f word, he said.
I hope, Tyrone said, that people can get excited about it because it’s an opportunity to grow as an individual and as a society — we can combat misconceptions, hard feelings, wrongdoings. It’s not meant to make you feel guilty about things that happened before your time, he added. It’s an opportunity to ensure they don’t happen again. “If you feel guilt, feel guilty about what you are and are not doing right now,” he said.
Break Down Societal Silos
In 2020, in the wake of Black Lives Matter, Tyrone joined Marci Ien, Lainey Lui, and Anne-Marie Mediwake for a special episode of The Social to discuss racism in Canada. Tyrone made the conscious choice to “unmute himself”. He called people out to call them in — crying on air, complaining, expressing his anger. Why isn’t everyone enraged by the same things enraging him? he asked himself.
Black History Month is an opportunity to breakdown those silos — when we all have the same level of awareness and commitment, Tyrone said, that’s when we can chip away at social issues faster and more meaningfully. It’s no longer just a bad day for the LGBTQ2+ community, it’s no longer a bad day for pay disparity, it’s no longer a bad day for Black people being killed by law enforcement, it’s a bad day for all of us.
Cultivate True Allyship at Home and Work
Black History Month is also your opportunity to become a true ally. Allyship only works if its independent of me, Tyrone said. You have to be able to talk, approach, and react in a way that is respectable even when Black people are not in the room. Have our backs because we see the end results; we see the decisions that are made, he added.
In the workplace, the focus should be on long-standing structural commitments, Tyrone said. It’s great to have a policy in place that focuses on hiring people of colour, but it needs to be part of the company’s DNA — it needs a long-term commitment. If this initiative is dependant on one person in a leadership role that is interchangeable, that commitment will fade as soon as they leave, he said. It needs to live independently.
Also, if an initiative doesn’t work up front, it’s only human nature to stop. But the reason DEI initiatives may fail, Tyrone said, is because there has never been a pipeline of consideration before — there aren’t years of trial and error behind them to learn and adapt. We need to commit time to these initiatives, so they have a fair shot. We don’t want sweet talk, Tyrone said. Commit to the effort instead of the excuses.
Give People Their Flowers
Black people, Tyrone said, don’t hear that they’re valued, that they’re important, often enough. What they do hear is silent judgement. This is why recognition is important — give people their flowers.
After his interview on The Social, every time someone reached out to Tyrone, it combatted the fatigue, he said, it gave him the nerve and the strength to keep going.
“It’s important to give people their flowers because you never know what that bit of fuel you’re giving them will prompt them to do.” We are stronger together. February is a reminder to recognize and lift each other up.
“Don’t Worry About Doing the Right Thing, Just Do Something”
Whatever your plans are this February, “don’t worry about doing the right thing,” Tyrone said, “just do something.” Find a way to get excited about it. It doesn’t have to be another workshop on Zoom that you’re not interested in attending. Do it through stories, music, film, whatever piques your interest — just do something.
Whether on-air with Etalk or onstage as a keynote or event host, audiences can’t help but love Tyrone Edwards. His energy on stage is infectious and he is natural storyteller who brings his passion for connecting with people to every event.
By leading with vulnerability, kindness, and humour, Tyrone models ways to forge meaningful relationships, cultivate joy, and foster a sense of belonging for all at home, work, school, and within our communities.
This article was adapted from a keynote Tyrone gave. Contact us to learn more about Tyrone and how to hire him as a keynote speaker for your next event.