The following is being distributed at the request of the Human Rights Commission of Newfoundland and Labrador:
During a hybrid (in-person and zoom) ceremony today at Government House in St. John’s, the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission presented the 2023 Human Rights Award. The Human Rights Award is presented annually in celebration of International Human Rights Day. It recognizes an individual who has made and/or continues to make a meaningful contribution to advancing and furthering human rights in Newfoundland and Labrador.
We are pleased to announce that the 2023 Human Rights Award was presented to Courtney Clarke. Courtney received an original painting by Grenfell Visual Arts student, Grace Prince.
Courtney Clarke (she/her) is from Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove (PHMC) and currently lives in Mount Pearl. She has been actively involved in the province’s community sector for most of her life. Whether it’s her work in violence prevention, gender parity in politics, accessibility, or economic well-being, Courtney brings an intersectional, trauma-informed approach to the work that she does.
In her early twenties, she was a Project Manager of an entrepreneurial bootcamp for veterans called Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur with Prince’s Charities Canada, through Enactus Memorial, and spent time volunteering on local arts, heritage and museum committees with her father in her hometown. When COVID-19 began and before NL had a provincial domestic abuse hotline, Courtney, while chairing Violence Prevention Avalon East (VPAE), helped the organization launch Unsafe at Home; a domestic abuse support platform supporting 100+ crisis calls from individuals isolated with abusers. They then partnered with Spirit Horse NL to provide free equestrian-based counselling to 500+ survivors, called Stable & Safe. A survivor of gender-based violence, herself, Courtney established the Jane Doe Graduate Award in Anti-Violence Research at Memorial University to support local researchers.
Chairing Equal Voice NL, Courtney helps women and gender diverse individuals get elected to all levels and parties of government. Through this role, she also sits on the NL Premier’s Roundtable for Gender Equity. In January 2022, she helped Equal Voice co-author a study on sexual harassment in Canada’s legislative Provincial & Federal Assemblies for the Justice of Canada and looks for any opportunity to advance gender parity in the system. Re-elected for a second term as a Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union (NLCU), Courtney represents the financial interests of 20,000+ members. Also passionate about accessibility, Courtney was able to fundraise over $1-million dollars towards accessibility advancements across all regions of NL, between 2019 and 2021. In January 2023, Courtney was appointed to the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Also at today’s ceremony, Dome Lombeida and Émile Sopkowe were named Human Rights Champions. The Human Rights Commission grants this recognition to someone who has made a meaningful, contribution to human rights in Newfoundland and Labrador. This year it was awarded to two recipients.
Dome Lombeida (they/them) is a queer migrant settler from Guayaquil, Ecuador who first came into St. John’s in 2017 as an international student and since has worked with different Refugee, Migrant and Social Justice Organizations. They hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography and have experience with anti-colonial and feminist science practices. Dome actively volunteers and works closely with 2SLGBTQIA+ community like their research work with Quadrangle NL in the barriers to healthcare and their work with 2SLGBTQIA+ Newcomer Group formed by the YWCA, as well as being part of the Project Advisory Committee working on the LGBTQ+ Newcomer Settlement and Integration in NL. They are very passionate about hosting and creating community spaces for those with intersectional oppressions and hope to see a better future for those folks in NL.
Émile Sopkowe (they/them/iel) is a trans and queer teacher who has made 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion a keystone of their pedagogical approach. Driven by a desire to create equitable, inclusive spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ educators, students, and their families, their passion for advocacy and change led to the creation of the Gender and Sexual Diversity Special Interest Council (GSDSIC) of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association (NLTA) in 2020, of which they are now Vice-President. Throughout Émile’s career, they established Gender and Sexuality alliance groups in multiple schools in both the English and francophone school districts, provided countless 2SLBGTQ+ professional development sessions for their colleagues and for NLESD and provincial educational leaders, and worked extensively in the area of restorative justice. In 2022, Émile was honoured with the Barnes Award, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association’s highest award for professional development and curriculum work. In addition to their work within the education system, Émile is devoted to volunteering with diverse community organizations outside of education, and is also the Trans Youth Group facilitator with Parents of Trans, Two-Spirit, and Gender Diverse Kids NL.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission recognizes and sincerely thanks all those who nominated individuals for the 2023 Human Rights Award. The Commissioners had a challenging time deciding this year’s Human Rights Award and Human Rights Champion recipients. Congratulations again to all 8 of the short-listed nominees.
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Learn more
For more information on the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission, please visit www.thinkhumanrights.ca.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission can be followed on Twitter and/or Instagram @nlhumanrights.
Media contact
Hilary P. Hennessey
Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission
709-729-5644
hilaryhennessey@gov.nl.ca