Diversity Consultant with the PEI Department of Education and Early Years, Advocate
Debbie Langston has spent her life doing work that is anything but quiet, fighting for those whose voices have been silenced on Prince Edward Island.
From a young age, she was aware of how survivors of sexual violence were left with their trauma, while also being met with unbearable stigma. That truth stayed with her. It lived beneath the surface, shaping the questions she asked, the compassion she carried, and the courage she would need one day.
She became an advocate first as a mother.
Debbie Langston and her family are Black Canadians. When they moved to PEI, her children, especially her son, faced racial bullying in school. She fought like any mom would: fiercely. She learned how to navigate a system unprepared to protect them, challenging institutions, demanding accountability, and speaking uncomfortable truths. It taught her how to advocate for her own family, and for countless others who feel unseen. This story would be documented in lje, a Prince Edward Island book amplifying Black voices, preserving stories of pain and resilience for future generations.
After experiencing the pain of racial bullying within schools, her work with the Department of Education helps to bring change. In her role as a Diversity Consultant with the PEI Department of Education and Early Years, she identified gaps in the curriculum and other areas. Thus, Grade 8 social studies was updated in 2023 to include the Black Women’s History Project resource. The changes ensured that Black history on Prince Edward Island, including systemic racism, Black settlement, and the contributions of Black communities, were included alongside mainstream historical narratives. This helped broaden the curriculum toward one that reflects a fuller story of the Island, like the story of The Bog in Charlottetown.
She has spent many years a part of organizations, events, and communities fighting for equality. She became Chair of the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women, where she made gender-based violence a priority from 2016 to 2021. She was a board member and then the President (Chair) of the PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre from 2019 to 2023. And, she was a part of the PEI Coalition for Women in Government from 2021 to 2023. In boardroom and community spaces alike, she stood firm in her belief that dignity and safety should never be negotiable.
Today, she continues to work professionally and personally as a diversity and inclusion leader and community advocate. Currently, she served as President and is still a Board Member of the Family Violence Prevention Services since 2023. She serves on the National Board of Truth and Transformation: Advancing Gender Equity for Black Women, Girls, and Gender-Diverse People since 2022. Langston also contributes to the PEI RCMP Diversity and Inclusion Committee, helping shape more equitable systems at every level since 2021.
Her incredible leadership has not gone unnoticed. In 2023, she was named a CBC Black Changemaker for Atlantic Canada, recognizing her transformative impact in advancing racial equity and community empowerment. She was the inaugural recipient of the Black Cultural Society’s Scott Parsons Islander Literary Award in 2021, honouring her powerful storytelling and commitment to preserving Black Islander Experiences.
Debbie Langston is proud of the work that she does, which is meaningful and personally challenging because it is her life. She is doing this work while she, continues to experience racism as a Black woman, a mother to racialized children, and a community member.
What drives her forward is hope.
She hopes that someday we get through this period of polarization and division to unite in our shared humanity. She hopes that we will one day be able to look back at this time as on that catalyzed us into action, working together to build strong relationships and safe, just, and equitable communities.
On an island shaped by tides, Debbie Langston has become the embodiment of the tidal force: steady, relentless, and impossible to ignore. Through every board she has led, every child she had defended, and every survivor she has stood beside, she has proven that real change begins with those brave enough to refuse silence.
Get in touch with Debbie
Email: dxlangston@gov.pe.ca
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