Our Staff
Our staff is comprised of dedicated community members who share a passion for strengthening PEI’s Black communities.
Born in Halifax, Tamara grew up between the Nova Scotian communities of Cole Harbour, East Preston, and Upper Hammonds Plains. Tamara has lived on the Island since 1999 when she began studies in music and English at the University of Prince Edward Island. After completing her studies, Tamara spent over 13 years as an arts administrator with the Confederation Centre Art Gallery before becoming the President, and then Executive Director of BCSPEI.
Tamara has spent over two decades watching the population of Charlottetown grow, in which time, she has developed a passion for building up and advocating for PEI’s Black community. In addition to many committees and advisory boards, she currently serves as a board member for Women’s Network PEI and Art in the Open, and is a past board member for Music PEI, Island Fringe Festival, and ACT (a community theatre).
Tamara enjoys reading, calligraphy, and making music with other local musicians. She lives in Charlottetown with her husband and three dogs.
Born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. Jasonique first came to Canada in 2018 where she attended St. Francis Xavier University receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a Special Concentration in Forensic Psychology and a Minor in Art.
During her studies, she held many positions in and around Student Government that included being the BLACC Society’s Logistics Coordinator, elected Student Equity Representative under StFX’s Student Union, Community Advisor and working closely with the Black Student Advising Office. It is in these roles
she provided resources and support to minority groups both on and off campus, facilitated Cultural Competency training, developed educational programming, and policy development in addition to assisting the StFX Board of Governors in creating the President’s Action Committee on Anti-Racism.
After graduating, she moved to PEI where she started working as the Peer Support Coordinator for BCSPEI in partnership with Pathways to Thrive under the Women’s Network PEI where she works with a team of peer support workers in exploring alternative healing modalities for Survivors of Gender-Based
Violence.
Jasonique is passionate about Art, Advocacy, Equity, and Mental Health and is much looking forward to getting to know and working with the Black community here on PEI.
Reequal Smith is the Founder/Artistic Director of the notable Black-owned Dance Company Oshun Dance Studios, located in Prince Edward Island. A multidisciplinary artist, originally from the Bahamas, now based in Charlottetown, she is an alumnus of Holland College’s School of Performing Arts where she majored in Dance Performance. She also holds a BA in Marketing from her hometown. While in The Bahamas, Reequal spent more than 8 years performing in multiple hotels and with the elite artists of the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival for three years. Reequal currently continues her dancing career as an independent artist, fire dancer, choreographer, and educator in Charlottetown. Further taking part in festivals, events, collaborations, and Recreational Arts local schools and regionally; collaborating with many talented artists in music videos, documentaries, and television shows. In addition, Reequal has recently performed her first solo “Unfold” under partnerships with Mayworks, Live Art Dance, and Prismatic Festival in Halifax 2023.
Reequal is also the program and events coordinator for The Black Cultural Society of PEI, has been the Volunteer Coordinator and Visual Artist for Charlottetown’s annual public art festival, Art in the Open, for three years, and the Administrator/Outreach Coordinator for Canadian Women of Colour Leadership Network in Ottawa. In addition, Reequal loves to be a part of the community and arts industry where she is currently on the board of The Fringe Festival in PEI and Fusion of Charlottetown. She continues to express her art by workshopping and training with artists fusing cultural patterns together as one; creating something beautiful and wishes to bring more excitement and Caribbean flavour to the PEI Community.
All photos, credit: Slickphotography (@slickphotography86)
