AN OFFICER AND A GENTELMAN
Bajans honour Supt. Keith Forde
By RON FANFAIR
Family, friends and colleagues last weekend regaled a decent and well-respected police officer and a gentleman.
Barbadian-born Keith Forde was promoted to the rank of Superintendent last January, making him the highest-ranking Black police officer in the Toronto Police Force.
To highlight the achievement, the National Council of Barbadian Associations in Canada (Central Region) organized the celebratory dinner and tribute which was attended by approximately 350 guests, including Police Chief Julian Fantino.
Everyone who paid tribute to Forde, among them keynote speaker Harold Brathwaite, spoke glowingly of Forde’s humility and passion for hard work which have elevated him to a role model status.
“He achieved his rank by dint of paying his dues, constantly upgrading his skills and by proving that he was the best, and even better,” said Brathwaite, Canada’s first Black Director of Education.
“Keith was always able to handle the most difficult and awkward situations with aplomb, and he never abandoned the job however challenging the situation.”
To prove this point, Brathwaite injected some humour into the proceedings by relating a funny incident that occurred while Forde was doing traffic patrol at a major Toronto intersection.
“…At the time police officers wore breeches that were held by suspenders,” related Brathwaite. “Some officers found the suspenders uncomfortable and Keith, like many of his peers, left his at the station on that particular day.”
“In the middle of this chic part of town, his pants succumbed to gravity and he was forced to hold up the pants with one hand while directing traffic with the other... There is no truth to the rumour that traffic doubled at that corner the next day because of the increase of female drivers.”
The Director of Education for the Peel District School Board, Brathwaite told Forde that he is an outstanding Canadian, beloved Barbadian and an exemplary Black man whose skills are in demand in Canada.
“Canadian society is changing and the skills and ability that people like Keith Forde bring to the table are needed,” he said. “This society cannot move forward without us.”
Senator Anne Cools called on the African-Canadian community to continue to support Forde while Barbados Consul General in Toronto Kay McConney-Barrington enthusiastically described the tribute as “awesome”.
“Barbadians have put their differences aside and have been able to speak with a collective voice tonight,” remarked McConney-Barrington.
Then turning to Forde, she said: “This honour is entirely about the man you are.”
Ontario Provincial Police Superintendent Jay Hope — the highest-ranking Black OPP officer — suggested that Forde understands the importance of being “a first” and the heavy responsibility that comes with the title.
Forde, who joined the Police Force at age 23 in 1972 when rookie officers were paid $5,900 a year, acknowledged the support of his family, friends, community and church.
Forde recognized Dudley Laws and Bromley Armstrong — they both attended the function — for working tirelessly to effect social change.
He also paid homage to Larry McLarty, the first Black to be hired by the Toronto Police Force in 1960, and Barbadian-born Percy Cummins who is the first and only Black cop to have died in the line of duty.
“They built the bridge for others like myself to cross to get where I am at today,” said Forde. “I will never forget that.”
Destined to follow in their father’s footsteps, Forde’s two sons — Ryan and Roger — are also Toronto Police officers.