Quebec ’ s Caribbean communities mourn their champion , the founder of Community Contact
by Spice Island Cultural Day Association of Quebec
Mr . Egbert Gaye Founder and Editor of the
Montreal Community Contact ( Montreal ’ s only Black English newspaper )
Montreal ' s Grenadian diaspora would like to salute the outstanding contributions of journalist and activist Egbert Gaye , who tragically passed away on June 4 at age 67 .
Mr . Gaye , or simply Egbert to us and his many friends , was the founder and editor of Montreal ' s Community Contact , Quebec ' s only English-language newspaper serving the Black communities . His absence at our Spice Island Cultural Festival will be heartbreaking for our team but we are committed to keeping Egbert ' s spirit with us throughout the festivities .
His steadfast commitment to promoting the rich tapestry of cultures that encompass our broader Caribbean community is an inspiration to all of us who seek to promote harmony and equality through culture .
" He was a one-man wrecking crew . He was the editor , publisher , chief cook and bottle washer . He delivered newspapers , he found the ads ... He just did everything ," said Paul Gott , a longtime
friend and Concordia University journalism professor who worked with Egbert to design and publish the first editions of Community Contact in 1992 .
Shortly after completing studies in journalism , Egbert found his niche .
" He kind of looked around and said , there ' s no paper that ' s really just talking about what ' s going on in the community ," Gott said . " That ' s what he wanted to do with the paper , he wanted to give the community a voice . . . for issues that weren ' t being heard by the mainstream media at the time ."
Egbert didn ' t just do his job well , he had a calling and inspired thousands of people of colour in Quebec who read his commentary and heard him on CJAD 800 AM radio fighting weekly for social justice .
CTV News anchor Maya Johnson began her career under Egbert ' s tutelage and recalls his encouragement of young journalists .
4
To Table of Contents