In Can You Hear Me Now? Celina Caesar-Chavannes digs deep into her childhood and her life as a young Black woman entrepreneur and politician, and she shows us that effective and humane leaders grow as much from their mistakes and vulnerabilities as from their strengths.

Celina Caesar-Chavannes, already a breaker of boundaries as a Black woman in business, got into politics because she wanted to make a bigger difference in the world. But when she became the first Black person elected to represent the federal riding of Whitby, Ontario, she hadn’t really thought about the fact that Ottawa wasn’t designed for someone like her. Celina soon found herself both making waves and breaking down, confronting at night, alone in her Ottawa apartment, all the painful beauty of her childhood and her troubled early adult life. She paid the price for speaking out about micro-aggressions and speaking up for her community and her riding, but she also felt exhilaration and empowerment. As she writes, “This is not your typical leadership book where the person is placed in a situation and miraculously comes up with the right response for the wicked problem. This is the story of me falling in love, at last, with who I am, and finding my voice in the unlikeliest of places.”

Trey Anthony is excited to interview Celina to discuss the tremendous pressures placed on ambitious Black women. They will also have a candid conversation about mental health and depression in the Black community.

About the She’s Giving You the Read and Talking di Tings! series:

Join four amazing Black, female authors as they talk about their own writing journey. Are there more obstacles to overcome as a Black author? What does it take to get a book published? Why are Black stories important? How do they respectfully share intimate parts of their own lives while being respectful of their loved ones? What does talking di tings mean to them?

Presented in partnership with Kuumba (presented by TD Ready Commitment and funded by the Government of Canada), a series of events at Harbourfront Centre celebrating Black History Month that features the work of choreographers, authors, musicians, visual artists and thought leaders from across Canada.

Purchase your copy of the books from A Different Booklist, a Toronto-based, independent bookstore specializing in books from the African and Caribbean Diaspora, below.