Former Ryerson journalism students recognized by year-end lists of accomplished women

Several of Ryerson’s School of Journalism women alumni and former students were recognized in 2020 for their career accomplishments in writing, photography, non-profit work, fashion, and journalism.

Eternity Martis

Eternity Martis was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women (external link)  by WXN in 2020. Martis started off the year with the release of her memoir, They Said This Would be Fun (external link)  in March. The book explores racism and violence against women on university campuses by recounting Martis’ time at Western University. Quickly, the memoir received considerable attention and became a national bestseller. In October, Martis announced that film/tv rights for her memoir were sold to Kerry Appleyard at Temple Street, a Toronto-based production company. 

Martis says 2020 was the year her career transitioned. “Having this racial reckoning moment has also given me the opportunity to showcase my work in a different way,” said Martis. “The thing with other Black lives matter movements was that it didn’t necessarily include talking about race and anti-Black racism on campus.” 

Martis was hired by Ryerson’s School of Journalism in the fall of 2020 to teach “Reporting on Race: Black Communities in the Media”, the first course of its kind in Canada. She recently accepted a teaching position with the University of British Columbia’s Social Justice Institute and will be the journalist-in-residence for UBC. 

“It’s really rewarding to be at this point where I can see the payoff because there’s a point in time when you’re doing all this and you’re like, what is this for?” said Martis. 

Samra Habib

Samra Habib, who graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson in 2003, was named one of Chatelaine’s 2020 Women of the Year (external link) . Her memoir We Have Always Been Here (external link) , published in 2019, shares her personal experiences being a queer Ahmadi Muslim coming to Canada with herfamily as refugees from Paklistan. The impact of her powerful book continued to be recognized  in 2020. 

“I felt like last year definitely answered questions for me in terms of my purpose in life which is very closely connected to what I’d like to contribute professionally,” said Habib. While recognition was not her motive, Habib says it was validating. “I’m almost grateful for my experience of being marginalized, it drives me to tell stories about people who haven’t always been given a seat at the table,” she added. 

Habib’s project “Just Me and Allah (external link) ” released prior to her memoir explored similar themes by featuring the stories of queer Muslims in North America and Europe through photography.

“My favourite tool to help people see the gaps in our society is storytelling. And finding the strongest angle to tell a story is something I learned at Ryerson,” said Habib. 

Takara Small

Takara Small discovered she had an interest in tech and business reporting as a student at Ryerson in the BJourn program. Now a CBC journalist, tech columnist and entrepreneur, Small has been recognized as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women (external link)  by WXN in 2020. 

Despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19, Small was still able to work on creating a CBC podcast set to air in 2021 as well as executive producing and hosting Tech Town, a podcast which explores tech aspirations in Innisfil, Ont. “It really gave me a chance to combine small-town Canada with tech, especially as someone who grew up in a small town in Ontario,” said Small. 

Small’s passion for tech extends beyond her work in journalism. VentureKids Canada (external link) , a non-profit organization Small founded, provides free coding lessons, resources, and food for underprivileged children. Last year was the first year that it went completely online. 

“At the heart of every journalist, we want to tell stories and make an impact. I’ve been talking about tech for a very long time,” said Small on her work through VentureKids. “I wanted to provide a pipeline of opportunity for other kids who look like myself or who grew up with not the same resources and want to be able to participate.” 

Aurora James

Fashion designer Aurora James, was recognized in Refinery29’s third edition of ‘29 Powerhouses (external link) ’ and Chatelaine’s 2020 Women of The Year for using her voice to promote Black-owned businesses. James began as a Fashion student at Ryerson before switching to the Journalism program.

James’ Brother Vellies (external link)  brand of handcrafted shoes and handbags has received international attention and has been donned by celebrities like Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and Solange. In Chatelaine’s rationale for James’ selection as one of the 2020 Women of the Year, the magazine identified James’ work calling on retailers to support Black entrepreneurs.

“Following the tragic killing of George Floyd, I saw a lot of brands and retailers posting messages of solidarity with a vow to make change, but there seemed to be a lack of accountability for the systemic issues at play. This was also the time when small businesses, particularly Black-owned businesses, were suffering due to the pandemic,” James told Chatelaine. 

This prompted James to come up with the ‘15 Percent Pledge (external link) ’, urging retailers to commit 15 percent of their shelf space to products made by Black entrepreneurs. Brands like Sephora and Indigo have since signed on to the pledge.