Cassandra Pitchford and Mamadou Oury Diallo are the recipients of provincial awards from The Human Rights Commission.
Pitchford, who received the Youth Human Rights Award, and Diallo, given the Human Rights Award, were honoured at a ceremony at the Government House on Thursday.
Diallo has been critical in promoting diversity, inclusion and the socio-economic and cultural development of New Brunswickers of African descent.
He said integration is one of the biggest challenges for people who choose to settle in the province and hopes to continue working toward bettering that.
“I am extremely happy to receive this prize knowing that we are here in New Brunswick since only very recently. It’s a great pride to receive this prize, for me personally and for all people of African descent,” he said on Thursday, which has been translated from French.
Pitchford, who is studying mechanical engineering at the University of New Brunswick, has played a vital role in inclusion and accessibility in the province.
In 2015, after beginning those studies, she was faced with rapidly deteriorating hearing and that impacted her ability to do well in school.
She’s been able to remove some barriers for those with a disability in education and health care.
“Oh, it was an absolute honour,” she said. “I didn’t expect to win when I was nominated and it’s been such a great honour and I’m so glad. I’m just glad that the work I’m doing is making a difference in New Brunswickers lives.”
Pitchford was critical in getting masks that have a clear view of the mouth in Horizon Health Network zone 3 facilities, which enables people to lip-read and assist when learning a new language.
She is working on a pilot project for a testing from for students with accommodations in the engineering building, which launched last month and is only the second of it’s kind in Atlantic Canada.
Both will have their names engraved on a monument on permanent display at the Lieutenant Governor’s house, marking their place in the history of human rights advocacy for New Brunswick.
The Human Rights Commission was formed in 1967 which a mandate to enforce and uphold the Human Rights Act.
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