Dr. Agnes Miranda Calliste

A memorial service for the late Dr. Agnes Miranda Calliste, 74, Antigonish, was held September 8, in the St. Francis Xavier University Chapel. Dr. Calliste died August 31, 2018, at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, Antigonish. Born in Grenada, West Indies, she was a daughter of the late James Augustine and Clarice (Francis) Calliste. She was a nationally and internationally celebrated academic, who joined the sociology faculty at St. Francis Xavier University in 1984, where she remained, until her retirement in 2010. Her scholarship focused on the complex interrelation of work, race, ethnicity and gender in Canada. Her ground-breaking research with African-Canadian railway porters and Caribbean-Canadian nurses explored previously unexamined dimensions of social history. She studied not only the institutionalized oppression of such communities, but also their organized resistance. This research is now widely cited by academics as essential reading in this field. She also edited critically acclaimed collections (with Dr. George Dei) entitled Power, Knowledge and Anti-Racism Education and Anti-Racist Feminism. She worked collaboratively with others on campus, winning prestigious national funding competitions to study inequalities surrounding determinants of health. She received innumerable awards for her contributions to research, education and social activism. She is listed in Who’s Who of Canadian Women, and Who’s Who in Black Canada. In addition to her intellectual accomplishments, she tirelessly served the Xaverian and Nova Scotian communities. As St. F.X.’s Black Student Advisor, she provided academic support to individual students and advised the Brothers and Sisters of the African Diaspora student society. She also initiated and organized annual events like the Kwanzaa celebrations, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and the many activities that celebrate African Heritage Month each February. She also supported and organized many other activities that sought to counter racism and recognize the achievements of African-Canadians. Students speak about the time and effort she put into helping them, cajoling and willing them to excellence. She was a long-time supporter of the student athletes, cheering them on academically and from the bleachers. She has made a deep and lasting contribution to the culture of social activism at St. F. X., expanding upon and enriching the tradition that comes from the Antigonish Movement. Affectionately known as ‘Princess,’ at home, she was a devout Christian. In mind, heart and spirit, she exemplified the best of the Xaverian ideal to strive for ‘whatsoever things are true.’ She is survived by eight sisters, Carmen, Tessa, Christine, Diane, Gemma, Kimlin, Judy, Rossy; two brothers, Gregory, Edward; two aunts, Joan Britton, Yoland DeGale.