Passionate about education, driven to advocate

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/03/2023 (950 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Inside the office of Courtney Foster’s south Winnipeg bungalow are two elegantly woven tapestries nailed to the wall. Hanging from them are more than 50 award ribbons, medals and ID cards from conferences, displayed in recognition of his mother’s unwavering devotion to the success of immigrants in Canada.

The honorary exhibit is just a small sample of what she accomplished during her remarkable life, however.

Dr. Beryle Mae Jones, born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1936, emigrated to Winnipeg in 1963 as a 27 year old who aspired to teach others.

Growing up with three siblings, her parents instilled the importance of education. Jones carried those lessons with her until she died on Jan. 10 at the age of 85.

A bachelor’s degree in education led Jones to John Gunn School, a junior high in Transcona, where she headed the English-language and literature department for 15 years while she worked on a master’s degree. She later travelled overseas to the University of London, where she attained a PhD in sociolinguistics.

A decorated resumé led Jones back to Winnipeg in 1989, when she began her run as a professor in the education faculties at both the University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba. During that time, she was recognized for her active involvement in citizenship issues, receiving the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Citation for Citizenship Award from the U of W.

“The most important thing I can say is that she instilled the importance of education in me,” said Foster, Jones’ only child. “I remember at one point in my life, my ambition was to be a professional soccer player, but she made it clear to me that it’s best that I have an education first.

“As a matter of fact, one of her favourite things to say was that knowledge is power.”

Her influence on the next generation of educators was just the beginning of where his mother made her impact.

During a career that led her to travel many summers for work conferences — which Foster admitted he enjoyed because it left him at home alone — Jones was the face of several non-profit organizations that strived to help women and immigrants acclimate and find success in Canada.

Among the most notable was the Immigrant Women’s Association of Manitoba, where she served as the founding president. While helping women who encountered difficulties in getting their qualifications accepted, Jones often advised them to return to school to upgrade their status.

“I admired her for all her accomplishments because she was a very forward-thinking woman,” said Cynthia Manswell, one of Jones’ longtime friends.

“She should be remembered for all the things that she did to help people go forward, to help them be proud of themselves, to help reach their goals. She should be remembered as a good friend who would help you with whatever you needed and whatever problems you (had).”

Manswell, who emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago shortly before Jones, also attained her education degree from United College, which became the U of W. She was one of the first students to greet Jones when she arrived in Winnipeg.

“Beryle Jones was a phenomenal woman. She was brilliant, she was disciplined. She was always well-dressed. She cared about people and she cared about helping others and she always wants people to progress. Her goal was to go as high as she (could),” Manswell said.

“She did everything that she could possibly do to help others. She was a good friend to me and I could count on her for anything.”

The two, along with Dr. June James, teamed up in 1981 to create the Congress of Black Women of Manitoba, which stood on the principles of educating women on their rights, how to defend their children if they were being pushed around and the importance of school work. The inception of the provincial organization came while Jones served as the president for the Congress of Black Women of Canada.

Jones became the president of the provincial organization, too, but, as James described, she didn’t have much choice this time around.

“When (Manswell and I) were coming back on the plane (from a conference in Toronto), I said, ‘Well I can’t (be president) because I’m busy with my profession, and she couldn’t do it so we said we’ll elect Beryle,” James said with a laugh.

“So when we came back we said, ‘Beryle, we made you the president.’ She says, ‘What!?’ We said, ‘Just keep quiet, it’s a done deal.’”

James, an accomplished Winnipeg physician, met Jones in 1970 at a party. Their connection was instant and remained strong, James said.

“The desire to make the Black community forge ahead, especially Black women,” James said of her lasting memory of Jones.

“She should be remembered as somebody who loved life, always had a smile, always on time, vivacious, knowledgeable, a great friend.”

Foster couldn’t remember specifics, but said his mother’s hardships as an immigrant led her to explore so many avenues to help others.

“I would say hard-working and dedicated to many different organizations,” he said. “Just to help others.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca