Desmond Cole

Cole was born in Red Deer, Alberta, grew up in Oshawa, Ontario and went to secondary school in Whitby.[9] He attended Queen's University for two years, before dropping out, stating that "“University is now job training, and I think that’s nonsense.”[9] After teaching French in the Durham region for two years, he moved to Toronto at age 22,[10] where he began working with at-risk youths.[9] In the spring of 2006, Cole competed in Toronto's City Idol competition and was the winner for Toronto-East York.[9] The winners of the competition were assisted in running for city council in the fall of 2006, and Cole placed third in Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina in the 2006 Toronto municipal election, at age 24.[Canadian journalist, activist, author, and broadcaster who lives in Toronto, Ontario.[1] Cole hosts a weekly radio program on Newstalk 1010. He was previously a columnist for theToronto Star and has written for The Walrus, NOW Magazine, Torontoist, The Tyee, Ethnic Aisle, Toronto Life and BuzzFeed. Cole's activism has received national attention, specifically on the issues of police carding, racial discrimination, and dismantling systemic racism.[2][3][4][5] Cole was the subject of a 2017 CBC Television documentary, The Skin We're In.[6][7] His first book, The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power, was released in January, 2020.[8]