OTTERBURNE, MB – It was not simply another Introduction to Business class for students and guests at Providence this past Monday, as former Winnipeg Police Chaplain and Chief Devon Clunis was invited to share reflections of his time on the force, which he recounts in the recently published book One: A Story of Hope in Our Time.
Before his retirement from policing, Clunis had worked for 29 years in the Winnipeg Police Service – becoming the first black Chief of Police in Canada while he served in that role between 2012 to 2016. Since that time, Clunis launched his own consulting firm and is committed to providing hope to young people by encouraging them to be agents of social change.
His talk began with two questions; namely, “How many are satisfied with the state of the world?” and “How many are optimistic that things will change for the better?” No one raised their hands for the first question, and only a small handful in the full classroom expressed hopefulness in relation to the future. “We have a responsibility to do something about this…to create the opportunity for people to have meaningful conversations,” said Clunis. Otherwise, the quiet (and at times loud) division existing within society will ever beget negativity and polarization.
One key mentor from Clunis’ life was his elementary school teacher Miss Hanna, who went out of her way to help him after initially failing a grade. Having relocated from Harmony Vale, Jamaica when he was only 12 years old, his family’s move to the North End of Winnipeg was a major adjustment. However, the care shown by this teacher conveyed first-hand to Clunis how one person can make a massive difference when they choose to put others first.
This interaction continues to guide his work decades later, which is reminiscent of something that American anthropologist Margaret Mead is remembered to have said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” In fact, Clunis declared this quote to be his favourite, commenting: “It starts with us. We need to shine our light, and amazing things will come out of that.”
“It starts with us. We need to shine our light, and amazing things will come out of that.”
When people are treated with dignity and respect, the course of another’s life can be changed – no matter ones beliefs, background, status, or skin colour (that Clunis refers to as various “shades of beautiful”). Ultimately, what his decades of experience in Winnipeg and beyond has conveyed is the importance of seeking to create a future that is desired by all, through both faith and action.
Learn more about Devon Clunis’ aim to inspire hope for the future in One: A Story of Hope in Our Time, as well as his children’s book The Little Boy From Jamaica: A Canadian History Story.
