A young Guelph girl is remembered for her work as a community advocate after she died suddenly in her sleep earlier this week.
Twelve-year-old Matea Somerville was known in the community for starting a movement to see the city’s first rainbow promenade.
“Matea was the nicest, sweetest girl you ever knew,” said relative Kalia Mansour. “Her parents call her an old soul with the best heart. We all watch her and hope that one day our children can be as good as her. “
Last November, at just 11 years old, Somerville launched an online petition encouraging the city of Guelph to build its first arched footpath.
“She loves her family and wanted to make sure everyone around her grew up in an inclusive environment,” Mansour said.
The petition gathered more than 15,000 signatures online, and a breakthrough came two weeks ago.
The Stone Road Mall in Guelph installed the city’s first arched footpath.
The Pride Walk at Stone Road Mall in Guelph is pictured on June 9, 2022 (Dan Lauckner / CTV News)
“To get the crossroads out of the rainbow before it’s over, to let it know it’s come true, it’s great, it was really nice for the family to see that,” Mansour said.
Matea died unexpectedly in his sleep a few days later. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of death.
THE LEGACY CONTINUES
Mattea’s words were not just popular in the community, they made their way to the town hall and pushed the conversation on the sidewalk to high speed.
Guelph still doesn’t have a rainbow intersection on a city street, but Mayor Kam Guthrie says they are working on it.
“Family needs to know, friends need to know, in fact she lit a little fire under all of us to make sure it was done well, correctly and as soon as possible,” Guthrie said. “It’s a legacy she should be proud of.”
The city says employees are inspecting sites and Guelph should have its first arched walkway by next year.
Members of the local queer community say Matea’s leadership will not be forgotten.
“We really want to make sure that this is recognized and seen, and that people remember that her passion and her investment in it really started a lot of that,” said Barry Moore, chairman of Out on the Shelf.
Matea’s family says they hope they can watch her legacy grow in the city she called home.
“We will all advocate for more change in the future to make this vision come true,” Mansour said.
A GoFundMe page has been created in Mattea’s memory.
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