Tshweu Moleme wants to be a voice for change in Orillia.
The native of Johannesburg, South Africa decided to explore the world in 2001 when he was 17 years old. He moved to the United States to start his life in Wisconsin and later moved to Canada to be with relatives in Toronto.
After spending a summer in Orillia at YMCA Geneva Park, Moleme decided Orillia was the best place for him to call home.
“I fell in love with Orillia,” he said. “I decided to settle here, work here, and become involved in the community.”
Now 39, Moleme has been a part of several city committees and organizations since moving to Orillia 20 years ago.
“I would say I’m deeply rooted in this community now,” he said.
Despite loving Orillia, Moleme says being a person of colour in the Sunshine City hasn’t always been easy. He recalls being verbally attacked one night while walking to the bus stop.
“I was walking by a house right beside the old fire department across from city hall when these people started yelling at me to go back to my country,” he said. “It left me quite disappointed, and it made me wonder if I wanted to stay here in Orillia or move someplace else.”
When Moleme ran for city council in 2018, he says one of his signs was vandalized by a resident who told community members they should not vote for an immigrant. Moleme has since realized that racism is a problem all across Canada, and that each city needs leaders to advocate for change.
“I want to try to improve things so that when my kids grow up here, they won’t face the same kind of racism that I faced,” he said. “I’ve been through so much here, but I think I’m blessed that with my many connections I can be a voice to improve the situation for others.”
Moleme is behind 2022 Black History Month Orillia, a virtual event happening on Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m. The theme for this year’s event is: We Are The Ones.
“We will not only be highlighting historic figures from the black community, but we will also seek to locate the Black person now living in Orillia to see where they are, what challenges they are facing, and how might we address some of those challenges,” he said.
Moleme says it’s important for Orillia to become a place where people can move to and see themselves reflected in the community.
“We are going to do our best to fight things such as racism, and all kinds of -isms and schisms that still remain in our society,” he said.
Moleme is also an advocate for workers' rights; he is a union representative for Unifor at Casino Rama.
“The workers have known me for years and they knew I had the experience in politics," he said. "So they asked me to represent them. Being a trade representative is not easy because you are now a guy who fights for people in the boardroom with the employer and out in the public.”
Moleme is currently studying to receive his Ph.D in labour education. He is also considering another run for city council in the October municipal election. Away from the public eye, Moleme is a single parent of two boys aged 17 and five.
“My children are truly my everything,” he said. “On top of everything I do, they keep me busy. In the summertime, you will find us playing a lot of soccer, and in the wintertime, we are always out and about having fun."
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