100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Celebrates 600 Stories of Leadership and Excellence

L-R: Keisha Assivero, Antoinette Jacob, Sophia Jacob and Sarah Onyango

Aquinas Kapend-Dapaah, left, with Sarah Onyango

Saturday 19 September 2026

100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Celebrates 600 Stories of Leadership and Excellence

by Sarah Onyango

Sixth edition of landmark publication honours 100 new trailblazers at Book Launch and Awards Gala

On September 19, one hundred extraordinary Black Canadian women were recognized for their leadership, accomplishments and community impact at the 2026 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Book Launch and Awards Gala in Toronto.

The celebration marked the release of the sixth edition of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women, bringing the total number of women documented and honoured through the national initiative to 600.

Since its launch in 2016, the biennial publication has helped make the achievements of Black Canadian women more visible while preserving their stories for future generations. The 2026 honourees represent excellence across technology, law, healthcare, education, arts and culture, skilled trades, entrepreneurship and community advocacy.

Among the 2026 honourees are six Ottawa residents:

• Aquilas K. Dapaah, a trial lawyer, author and founder of Financially Savvy Girl who promotes financial literacy, investing and generational wealth.

• Anthonette Jacob, the founder of the 1st Africa Caribbean & Black Wellness Resource Centre in Ottawa, and the author of the Amazon bestseller, Cancer While Black.

• Sophia Jacob, an experienced event planner and marketing strategist who is the founder and CEO of the grassroots organization Canadian Women of Colour Leadership Network.

• Keisha Assivero, a senior accountant, a popular community radio host on CHUO 89.1 FM, and a prominent local digital creator and event MC.

• Karen Robinson-Scantlebury, a long-time OC Transpo employee and the first black female train operator of Jamaican heritage to run Ottawa’s electric rail system.

• Dr. Danielle Brown-Shreves, an award-winning family physician and founder of Restore Medical Clinics, Ottawa’s first Black-led multidisciplinary medical clinic.

The next edition of this biannual event takes place in 2028, and the public is encouraged to look deep within networks and the community at large for worthy candidates to be honoured at that gala! For more information, visit: https://www.100abcwomen.ca/

About 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women

100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women is an educational and legacy-building initiative created to highlight, document and make visible the accomplishments of Black Canadian women. Since 2016, the initiative has recognized women making significant contributions across Canada in government, business, law, healthcare, education, arts and culture, skilled trades, community service and other sectors. A portion of the proceeds supports programs serving marginalized Black women and girls.

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