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Rita Marjorie Cox (born 1939) is a former librarian, storyteller and community leader. As the head of the Parkdale branch at Toronto Public Library, she pioneered services that promoted multiculturalism and literacy. She was awarded the Order of Canada for storytelling, and her legacy extends to her role as a leader in Caribbean and Black communities. A library collection, park and school (Dr. Rita Cox - Kina Minagok Public School) are named after Cox in Toronto.

Early life
Rita Marjorie Cox was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1939. Her mother was a teacher who told Cox many stories and cautionary tales. As a child, Cox was immersed in oral storytelling in Trinidad.

Looking back on her childhood, Cox has frequently described herself as "a library child". Cox could often be found reading at her local library in Port of Spain and aspired to work in libraries from a young age. A friend of her father's was the head of the local library. She started as a library page at around 11 years old, working there into her teenage years.

For her education and nascent career, Cox moved to the United States before settling in Canada. She arrived in Canada on 3 November 1960.

New York Public Library
While Rita Cox was still living in Trinidad, librarian and storyteller Augusta Baker visited from New York Public Library to help set up a new children's library. Impressed by Cox's storytelling, Baker encouraged her to study in New York City. During her visit, Baker visited Cox's home and met her parent. Cox heeded the advice and scrapped plans to study in the United Kingdom.

While studying in the United States, Rita Cox worked at New York Public Library's flagship building on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue where she was mentored by Augusta Baker. Cox performed stories to children based on her Trinidadian heritage.

Toronto Public Library
An interest in children's literature led Cox to join the Boys and Girls House at Toronto Public Library in 1960. The branch was dedicated to serving children and was the first of its kind in the Commonwealth. It was also home to the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, which was of interest to Cox. She remembers being warmly welcomed by staff at Toronto Public Library—even being picked up at the airport to go to Fran's Restaurant. At first, Cox worked as a children's librarian and moved between different locations in the library system.

In 1972, Cox accepted a job as a children's librarian at a branch in the Parkdale neighbourhood and soon after became the head of the branch. She remained the head of the Parkdale branch until her retirement in 1995. Here she started literacy programs and other projects that promoted multiculturalism—including a collection devoted to Caribbean heritage (see "Legacy" section). Other notable initiatives included: annual Black History Month celebrations; month-long celebrations for ethnic groups, Festival International; the Parkdale Intercultural Association; a preschool program; and an adult literacy program, Project Read. Her creative services were based on close relationships with the community and aimed to improve the lives of radicalized groups and newcomers. She also kept storytelling as an important part of her 35 years at the Parkdale branch.

In 1983, she was a member of the Centennial Committee for Toronto Public Library's 100th anniversary. In 1992, Cox was a consultant for the public library system São Paul, Brazil.

Views on the role of libraries
Cox believes that libraries are about communities and people—not just books. She has highlighted that part of her job description at Toronto Public Library was serving the needs of the community. A former chief librarian at Toronto Public Library, Les Fowlie, praised Cox by saying that she is "not only one of Canada's most distinguished librarians, she understands that a librarian must reach out into the community to understand and serve its needs. She integrated the library and the community into her life."

Storytelling is another essential aspect of libraries for Cox: "A Librarian's work is to share stories. It's an important way of linking the word and the book and the people." Similarly, Cox has said that being a children's librarian and being a storyteller are "synonymous".

Storytelling
Cox became a Member of the Order of Canada for storytelling and literacy in 1997. She thinks of herself first and foremost, a storyteller: "storytelling has been the constant [...] ingredient in my entire life."

In addition to telling stories at libraries, Rita Cox performed stories in professional tours as well as other settings across North America, the Caribbean, Brazil and Europe. Cox draws on her Trinidadian heritage with Anansi tales and Caribbean folktales. She has performed on stage, radio, television and even Zoom. She also has taught workshops and university classes on storytelling.

The Cumbayah festival of black heritage and storytelling was founded in part by Cox. The first of these Toronto festivals was held in 1984 and there were at least two others, in 1987 and 1990. There was storytelling, music, dance, poetry and drama. Cox also founded the National Association of Black Storytellers and was the co-chairperson for Storytellers School of Toronto.

In 2021, Cox released her first storytelling album Wit and Wisdom: Anansi Tales and Other Stories through the non-profit organization Storytellers of Canada.

Approach to storytelling
Cox stresses the storyteller's close connection to the story. In her words, "You can only tell a story that belongs to you. [...] Even if it comes from a different source you have to make a story your own in order to share it."

For Cox, storytelling is more than entertainment: "I use my storytelling to build bridges, as a link, a teaching tool, an icebreaker—with children and adults alike." Being told stories is an "essential tool" for building literacy, according to Cox.

Stories are also "vital" for revealing how similar humans are to one another, in Cox's view. She was known to modify stories based on the cultural background of her audience. She combines stories from a Trinidad tradition with stories from around the world and points out the similarities of stories across cultures. At the same time, she emphasizes the importance of storytelling in a postcolonial context. For instance, she has noted that Anansi stories "are often an expression of something deeper... how the black man survived in the new world."

Other work
Rita Cox was a founding member of Caribbean Centennial Committee, which organized the Toronto's Caribana festival in 1967. She volunteered in the first festival. Later on, she remarked that the festival "changed Toronto [...] it really showed everyone the meaning of multiculturism." Cox was appointed to the Festival Management Committee after the 2006 festival and then again in 2016.

Cox also authored several stories and one children's book. Her children's book, How Trouble Made the Monkey Eat Pepper (1977), is a West Indian folktale illustrated by Roy Cross. A review in The Globe and Mail was negative though it praised the ending.

Before and after her retirement, Cox participated in civic life by joining a variety of boards and committees for local organizations and provincial organizations (e.g. Ontario's Advisory Council on Multiculturalism from 1979 to 1986; The Ontario Arts Council’s Board of Directors from 2004 to 2010).

Between 1991 and 2001, Cox created and taught a course "Children's Literature, an Intercultural Perspective" at York University.

In 2000, she was appointed a citizenship judge.

Legacy
Rita Cox still lives in Toronto, where a library collection, park and school are named in her honour.

Library collection
Cox and her library colleagues started a a collection of West Indian books at the Parkdale branch of Toronto Public Library in 1973. In 2006, it was renamed the "Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection". Cox recalls starting "from scratch" and overcoming challenges of acquiring books from international sources, which was not a standard process for the library. The collection now has about 20,000 items for kids, teens and adults across several formats. Items in the collection are available to borrow and can be found at four branches: Parkdale, Malvern, Maria A. Shchuka and York Woods. According to Toronto Public Library, it is "one of the most significant Black and Caribbean heritage collections in Canada."

The collection served as a jumping off point for literary programming such as book launches for Caribbean Canadian writers, making Parkdale a hub for Caribbean culture in Toronto.

Names of park and school
In 2008, a park named in honour of Cox opened. Rita Cox Park is located at 14 Machells Avenue in Toronto.

In 2022, a school in the Parkdale neighbourhood in Toronto was renamed "Dr. Rita Cox - Kina Minogok Public School", honouring Cox and an Indigenous phrase. Established in 1887, the school was previously named "Queen Victoria Public School". The name change was sparked by decolonization.

Miscellaneous
The "Unveiling Heroes of the Block" project by the Black Speculative Arts Movement (BSAM) Canada featured a stylized portrait of Cox created in 2021.

Awards and honours

 * Canadian Library Association Public Service Award (1986)
 * Black Achievement Award (1986)
 * Award of Merit from the City of Toronto (1987)
 * Ontario Folk Arts Recognition Fellowship (1991)
 * Governor General's Commemorative Medal (1992)
 * Honourary doctorate degree from York University (1993)
 * Honourary doctorate degree from Wilfrid Laurier University (1994)
 * Black Achievement Award (1995)
 * Member of the Order of Canada for outstanding work in storytelling and literacy (1997)
 * African Canadian Lifetime Award, Outstanding Contribution to the Community from Pride Magazine (2010)
 * Honouree of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women (2016)
 * Caribbean Tourism Organization Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)