Sarah Onyango
Community Pillars
Sarah Onyango is a community builder who is driven by a strong commitment to the Black community and Ottawa.
Ms. Onyango is also an initiator. In 2003, she saw a need to connect mainstream Ottawa to its Black community and created BlackOttawa411 (an online “virtual hub” providing information about the Black community’s businesses, organizations, and events within the National Capital Region). This website is run entirely on a volunteer basis by Sarah and has become an essential resource for media, institutions and individuals seeking contacts or services in this very diverse community.
As a community media pillar, she co-hosts and co-produces the programs “Afrika Revisited” and “Black on Black,” both of which focus on the cultures and issues of the Black diaspora. In addition, she is host and co-producer of the monthly program, “Fontonfrom” that features events and personalities from Ottawa’s African community on Rogers TV cable 22 and is an occasional guest on mainstream radio and television shows.
Her dedication includes numerous hours of volunteer time in connecting with activists, artists, community builders, innovators and change makers by creating opportunities and forums for these voices to inform, entertain and foster dialogue about issues that matter in maintaining a healthy community.
Sarah’s outstanding efforts cross many disciplines from the arts to politics. She agitates for change in support of youth and the aged in the Black community and beyond. She is passionate, engaged, and open and is always focused on facilitating important conversations while demonstrating and sharing culture in action.
Sarah is also a respected translator by profession and has applied her skills to a variety of organizations and events both as a translator and as a popular public relations personality.
As a passionate promoter of African and Caribbean culture and activities, Sarah has for many years been actively involved in public relations work for various African and Caribbean diplomatic missions as well as numerous community organizations such as Black History Ottawa, Fête Caribe, DreamKEEPERS, various Caribbean and African associations, OCISO, OLIP, and the United Way.
Her commitment includes emceeing at many community events and various high profile functions including the Mathieu Da Costa Awards (2005 in Ottawa, 2006 in Halifax, 2007 in Quebec City); Black Ink exhibit under the patronage of H.E. Michaëlle Jean, Gov. Gen. of Canada (2006); Citizenship & Immigration Canada’s launch of the “Voices of Refugees” multimedia exhibit on Parliament Hill (June 2009); 10th anniversary of South Africa’s post-apartheid democracy (2004); 50th anniversary of South Africa’s Women’s March (2006); 25th anniversary of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (2006); 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence (2010); City of Ottawa’s official Black History Month (2007, 2008); Ottawa Launch of Jamaica50 celebration (2011); State Banquet for H.E. John Atta Mills, President of Ghana (2011); SADC Day reception (2011, 2012); Jamaica50 National Canadian Launch & Ottawa Launch (2012); and, the annual African Union Day gala. She has been the media spokesperson and public relations liaison for Black History Ottawa (2002 – present), and has been recognized as the National Capital Region YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction Ambassador (2006-2010), and United Way/Centraide Ottawa Community Builder Award Presenter (2009-present).
Sarah has been the recipient of many awards including the 2004 Planet Africa Television Volunteer of the Year Award; the 2008 United Way/Centraide Ottawa Community Builder Award; the 2012 Ontario Volunteer Service Award; the 2014 Ontario Leading Women, Leading Girls, Building Communities Award, Ontario; the 2016 Mathieu Da Costa Award, Ontario Black History Society; the 2017 Ghana Association of Ottawa Award; the 2020 DreamKEEPERS Citation for Community Leadership; the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian Platinum Jubilee Emblem for volunteer community service; 2023 Honouree, Outstanding Black Women in Canada; and, 2023 VOscars Lifetime Achievement Award.
