He/Him
Richard Sharpe has been a human rights advocate for 30 years, both at the community and institutional levels. Until December 2022, he worked within the Canadian Federal Public Service where he held several national positions representing employees as both a union representative and as a leader in employee-led organizations. In 2017, he co-founded the first Black employee network in the federal government, the Federal Black Employee Caucus, to tackle anti-Black racism in that institution. From 2022 to 2024, he held the position of Director of Equity, Anti-racism, Diversity and Inclusion at the Department of Justice Canada, where he spearheaded department and enterprise-wide initiatives to address long-standing discriminatory practices in the federal government. He is currently the director of the Black Equity Branch, Treasury Board Secretariat in the Ontario Public Service, Canada.
Richard is proud to be a child of immigrants of Jamaican ancestry, and the eldest of six. His roles as father and partner are the two that he holds most dear.