DATE: Thursday, July 17th, 2025
TIME: 6:30pm – 7pm
LOCATION: 401 Riverside Dr. W, Windsor, ON
COST: This event is part of AWE at Night
Accessibility: Accessibility and accommodation requests must be made at least two weeks in advance of the event. Please contact shinch@artwindsoressex.ca for questions.
Women make up half the population but only 30% of elected officials. People of colour represent 24% of the population but only 18% of elected officials. Unsurprisingly elected women of colour are few and far between and non-existent in Windsor-Essex.
Linda McCurdy ran for the Federal Liberal Nomination in Windsor-Tecumseh and for the Provincial Liberal seat in Windsor West. Gemma Grey-Hall has run for Windsor City Council and the Provincial NDP seat in Windsor-Tecumseh. Manpreet Brar ran for the Provincial Liberal seat in Essex. All three women have successful careers and busy community and family lives. But they each took time to run for election. While none was successful, they all worked to change the political conversation. Women of Windsor: Politics will talk to these groundbreaking candidates about what it takes to run a campaign as a woman of colour and why it is so important to keep trying.
Conversation organized by Jessica Sartori and Melinda Munro of WOW Politics.
Women of Windsor: Politics, is a joint production of Munro Strategic Perspective and West83 dedicated to encouraging women to run for election.
Linda McCurdy ran for the Federal Liberal Nomination in Windsor-Tecumseh and for the Provincial Liberal seat in Windsor West.
Linda McCurdy has been an outspoken voice for Black women in Southwestern Ontario all of her life. She has practiced family and criminal law in Windsor for more than two decades and was named as one of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women in 2018. She is a former elite athlete and has been a coach for 30 years applying her abilities as a mentor and teacher to encourage young people to become confident adults in a diverse community.
In addition to her other work, Linda owns North Star Cheer with her sisters and works to create opportunities for young people to pursue excellence.
Linda ran for the Federal Liberal nomination in Windsor Tecumseh in 2019 and for the Provincial Liberal seat in Windsor West in 2022.
Gemma Grey-Hall has run for Windsor City Council and the Provincial NDP seat in Windsor-Tecumseh.
Gemma Grey-Hall is an award winning Canadian executive, community leader, women’s advocate, entrepreneur and certified fundraising executive.
She has also held executive and volunteer roles in the private, public and non profit industry sector she served on the boards of director of a number of organizations (WEST, Black Women of Forward Action, Victorian Order of Nurses, Hackforge, the International Association of BIPOC Wine Makers and the NDP Riding Association.
Gemma has pursued public office twice for the Provincial NDP in Windsor Tecumseh and twice for the municipal seat in Ward 8.
Manpreet Brar ran for the Provincial Liberal seat in Essex in 2021.
Manpreet Brar is an IT professional and community advocate for youth in Essex County. She chose Essex after moving from the GTA in 1997. She is a mother of two children and a mentorship coordinator for Detroit Public Schools at the Michigan Science Centre.
Melinda Munro is one of the hosts of Women of Windsor: Politics, a podcast dedicated to supporting women in political leadership. She is also a local government consultant and lawyer. In her spare time she is the Chair of the Art Windsor-Essex Board of Directors.
Jessica Sartori is a former Trustee and Chair of the Windsor Essex County District School Board. She is also a governance consultant. She is one of the hosts of Women of Windsor: Politics, a podcast dedicated to encouraging more women to run for office.
