Strange to say Francis Jeffers's love affair with science started with a flame as low as a simmering Bunsen burner. Yet today he is one of the most passionate advocates of science and technology in Toronto. Francis Jeffers is probably best known for founding the annual two - day science and technology symposium titled Visions of Science. Since 1991, Jeffers has dedicated his time to convincing young African-Canadians that black people can be scientists and engineers too.
Jeffers understands the importance of instilling a confident attitude in young people. As a child growing up on the island of Dominica in the late 1950s, he was raised in a loving home. His parents told him he could achieve anything he put his mind to, "My father was successful on several fronts being an entrepreneur, a politician and an educator all at the same time. He expected that I would perform academically and so I did. I didn't know there were supposed to be obstacles to my success because I was a person of African descent. I thought the sky was the limit." Jeffers recalls.
Jeffers early plans were to study political science and West Indian History. He was particularly looking forward to doing political science because he had been exposed to it from a young age, "Politics was always discussed at home. When I was in high school I read Malcolm X's biography and that had a profound effect on me, I saw myself for the first time as an African, being rooted in Africa and having an African consciousness." he explains.
So it was politics that first held sway over Jeffers's affections, but that relationship was not meant to be. However, when Jeffers migrated to Canada it did not seem economically prudent to pursue West Indian history or politics. His high school counsellor suggested science, "Up to that point I had not been an exceptional student in science, but since there were opportunities in that field I thought I'd try it," he said.
He got a degree in Bio-Chemistry from the University of Toronto, and then worked in the University's Immunology Department as a technician for six months. He was subsequently hired by Connaught Laboratories, a vaccine manufacturer and the largest biotech company in Canada. With his excellent work ethic Jeffers moved through the ranks of the company effortlessly. Since 1980, he has been with the company (now Sanofi Pasteur).
Although he was successful, Jeffers noticed that he was always one of a few Black scientists in the company, and in Toronto in general "There weren't a lot of Black university science students either. I participated in a program called The Black Education Project where I met young people who had low expectations and didn't think they could accomplish certain things. I realized that there was obviously a systemic aspect to this situation. Black folks have internalized the negativity they hear and act it out," he said.
After he fathered three children, Jeffers became more concerned about the negative programming black students were subjected to. He joined The Black Heritage Program whose mission is to teach kids about history from a black perspective. It was run by the first and only community controlled Black heritage organization in Canada.
"In 1991, during black history month the Ontario Science Centre sponsored a show as a Black history month activity. It was a song and dance routine, nothing to do with science," he explained. Jeffers still laughs at the ludicrousness of the fiasco. The Black Heritage Program approached the Centre with an offer to collaborate and provide proper science programming.
"At our initial science conference, we surveyed kids aged 9 to 15 years old, to find out why they were not going into science. Fifty per cent of them responded that science was not promoted to Black kids in school or in the Black community. Parents blame schools, but they were not taking their kids to the Science Centre or working to expose their kids to science." Jeffers adds that even today the Ontario Science Centre and the Royal Ontario Museum have a hard time attracting the Black public.
For three years Jeffers and his colleagues at the Black Heritage Program hosted a series of one-day symposiums at the Ontario Science Centre, showcasing presentations by international black scientists. In 1995, they relocated the symposium to the Medical Sciences building of the University of Toronto campus, where it has been staged for the last 10 years. Jeffers credits a fellow scientist for the title of the symposium, "Visions of Science was coined by IBM computer scientist
Dr. Sheila Husbands. She and I, with Dr. Leighton James developed the event as it is today," he said.
Overall Jeffers is pleased with the interest the two-day symposium attracts annually, "On one level it has been successful, we're the only ones doing this kind of work and we get a good turnout. On Fridays we have up to 800 students coming to see the displays and speakers. Saturdays, which are for the whole family, the numbers are up, over 500 participants but I would like to see it grow," he explained.The Visions of Science symposium consists of presentations and lectures from international Black scientists who are innovators in their field. The lectures are supplemented by display booths from corporations in the science and technology fields as well as the International African Inventors Museum.
Jeffers and his wife Denise, a Human Resources Manger, own the International African Inventors Museum through their consulting company Jeffers Associates. The museum has evolved under the current curators and now includes African Canadian, African British, African Caribbean and Continental African Inventors.
The International African Inventors Museum promotes positive images and self-esteem in children and adults, and teaches about the contributions of Africans worldwide to society. The Museum is mobile and travels nationally and internationally. The display features a range of inventions including everyday items such as the window cleaner, the eggbeater, lawn mower, space shuttle retrieval and more.
Meanwhile, Visions of Science has gained credibility in Jeffers assessment. Corporations Sanofi Pasteur and Scotiabank have both donated over $80,000 to the symposium to date.
Jeffers has big plans for the future. Visions of Science was incorporated in 2004, changed its name to Visions of Science Network for Learning to better reflect its mandate, and is in the process of applying for charitable status. "We are building a network of community science clubs in partnership with community groups across Toronto. We plan to set up 20 science clubs within the next year that will provide science programs for Black kids," he said. In collaboration with the University of Toronto Science Outreach, Visions of Science is providing summer camp science activities for African-Canadian organizations running science camps. In 2005, Visions of Science presents at the 2nd annual conference of the Science and Technology Awareness Network on the topic of promoting and implementing science education in under-represented communities. Francis Jeffers is a Sanofi Pasteur research and development buyer, responsible for negotiating purchasing contracts for the Research and Development divisions.
He and his wife Denise have three children: Chike, a PhD student at Northwestern University in Chicago majoring in African Philosophy; Adom, a third year undergraduate at the University of Toronto majoring in History and Political Science and Asha, a second year undergraduate at the university of Guelph majoring in English and History. Visions of Science is scheduled for May 2006.
