Calgary’s 2020 Citizen of the Year is Pinay Marichu Antonio

Calgary’s 2020 Citizen of the Year is Pinay Marichu Antonio

By Erie Maestro
The Philippine Reporter

MARICHU “CHUCHI” ANTONIO received the City of Calgary’s 2020 Citizen of the Year Award and made history by being the first woman of colour and the first Filipino to receive this Award since its creation 27 years ago. This Award “recognizes a Calgarian who has made extraordinary contributions to the community that have improved the quality of life in the city, or brought recognition to Calgary.

Antonio brings a lifetime of experience and commitment to service in her work. The Award is one huge recognition of that life-long commitment. With decades of experience, Antonio has raised the “collective voice of culturally diverse communities” in Calgary. In a TV interview, she shared her vision of Calgary as one “that values and appreciates and respects everyone regardless of the colour of their skin, the language they speak, their gender identity, or their economic status.”

MARICHU ANTONIO

Antonio, who retired this June was the Executive Director of ActionDignity for 12 years and led the organization since its beginnings 19 years ago as a founding Board member. Her deep and long-time association with ActionDignity pointed back to her involvement as Founding Member of the Ethno-Cultural Council of Calgary, a community organization of 42 ethno-cultural organizations.

In the ActionDignity FB page, she wrote: “…this amazing organization helped me settle as a newcomer, become a more engaged citizen, and be the servant leader that helped lay the grounds to amplify the voice of racialized communities towards meaningful change.”

Antonio proudly highlighted her role during the pandemic when she led the formation of the multicultural and multilingual hotline in 24 languages for racialized communities, a vital tool to provide not only easy access to accurate, timely information but also food, financial, and mental health supports for Calgarians.  Under her leadership, ActionDignity quickly responded to provide immediate emergency support to essential workers, made up largely of racialized communities and migrant labour, particularly at the meat packing plants. Two very concrete and down-to-earth responses which are testaments to Antonio’s quick ability to shift organizational approaches during the crisis.

Antonio is no stranger to community work. Born and raised in the Philippines, she immigrated to Canada with family in 1996.  Antonio grew up under the Marcos dictatorship and worked as a community worker in the shadows of martial law. She is also a martial law survivor.

I congratulated her on this latest Award, more as her childhood neighbour and playmate in a Philippine government housing project in Banuyo Street, named after one of the Philippine native trees. We both belong to a Facebook Group called BanuyoKids, the online connector to childhood friends who grew up in Banuyo Street.  She wrote back: “Proud indeed to be a Banuyo Kid! We were raised to live with, and help our neighbours regardless of our background and economic status. The strong bond stays. Proud to share with you our higher goals for humanity and genuine liberation.”

Service to our kababayan, wherever we are. Well done, Chuchi!