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Deep Dialogue Archive

7th Annual One Love Gala Celebrates Forgiveness

2 March 2019

The One Love Gala was inspired by Bob Marley’s song One Love. The gala serves as a keystone for the multipath chaplaincy community to collaborate and go beyond simply advocating for the continuation of the crucial services in Canadian prisons. It is a further opportunity to celebrate chaplaincy and rehabilitated former-inmates. The One Love Gala operates on the premise that we can only learn to love if we are prepared to forgive and be forgiven.

This year's gala took place on February 2 in Toronto and celebrated the successes of incarcerated men and women who have left the Canadian prison system. The celebration took place under the theme of Rehab and included dinner, music, and an awards ceremony. The following awards were bestowed upon the these individuals:

Malcolm X Social Justice Award: Warren Abbey, ex-inmate who was released after 10 years in prison on evidence later found inadmissible
Tayyibah Taylor Award: Chaplain Orev Katz, Jewish Chaplaincy and Diversity Advocate
Ghulam Sajan Award: Joseph Grmovsek, ex-inmate who served a federal prison sentence for financial crimes
Lyla Ali Education and Community Service Award: Joey Twins, advocate for justice for Indigenous people
Carl Rayaz Jadunandan Humanitarian Award: Motiar Mohamed, former juvenile inmate

More information about the annual gala, photos, speakers, and past award winners can be found here on their website. A brief write-up of this year's gala by Habeeb Alli can be found here.