The Toronto District School Board says it looks forward to the in-person presentation of its Center for Excellence for Black Student Achievement on Monday, after a year of construction and remote programming.
A wing of the Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute in Scarborough will host tutoring, community partnerships and resources that, according to the center’s director, have been in high demand among staff and students.
“We feel blessed that we’ve really gotten to this point,” said Karen Murray, who is also a superintendent of equity, anti-oppression and early TDSB years.
“Now, we’re spinning and trying to figure out how we’re going to keep some of the amazing experiences that allowed us to see online.”
The center, which the board says is the first of its kind in Canada, is part of its plan to dismantle anti-black racism after years of complaints from staff, students and families. It reached a turning point last year when the board said in its annual report that it had a “serious racism issue” and that anti-black racism far outweighed all other hate incidents.
Murray says the ultimate goal is to educate staff and students about racism against blacks, help assert the identity of black students, and give them the tools to defend themselves when cases of racism occur. so that they “know how to participate and be sensitive.” . ”
“A feeling of relief”
Angelika Bell, a 9th grader at a North York school, says she spends three to four hours a week at the center’s summer leadership program and the Black Girls Reading Club for both the cohorts of secondary as well as secondary.
The 15-year-old says programming gives her a chance to learn new things and helps her fight stereotypes that often target young blacks.
“My reaction to seeing the Center of Excellence for the achievement of black students was a sense of relief,” he said.
TDSB student Angelika Bell says the Center for Excellence for Black Student Achievement is a good initiative for black youth. He will speak at the center’s physical presentation on June 13, 2022. (Posted by Angelika Bell)
“Having all these materials and events in one place, easily accessible to black students really affected me and motivated me to introduce myself to as many as I could.”
He hopes that now that there is face-to-face programming, all young TDSB blacks will still be able to participate in the center’s activities, no matter where they live.
Long-term impact yet to be seen
Proponents say that while supporting the center, its true impact is yet to be seen.
Debbie King is the co-chair of the Black Student Success Committee, a group that represents parents concerned about the well-being of black students in Parkdale schools.
She says it’s nice to see black awareness, training, and resources against black racism move away from conceptual conversations to something more “concrete”. However, the group says the key to long-term positive change is the amount of funding the center receives and where resources are used.
Debbie King, a member of the Black Student Success Committee, played a key role in 2020, raising awareness of an anonymous letter threatening to “undo” a TDSB school in Parkdale of black teachers. (Lorenda Reddekopp / CBC)
CBC News asked the board how much it costs to set up and operate the center, but has not yet received a response.
“I’m also concerned about making sure it stays healthy so that it can continue and so that it can grow,” King said.
The board says the doors will open for the presentation Monday at 5:30 p.m., with the live broadcast at 6 p.m.
The festivities begin at 6 p.m., and will last until 8 p.m. Murray says more than 200 people have signed up for the online broadcast, while 100 guests are expected to attend in person.
Key speakers include TSDB’s leadership and narrators, along with the presentation of art created specifically for the center. There will also be performances by TDSB students from the African Alternative School, Coco Collective and Randell Adjei, Ontario’s first award-winning poet, among other artists.
For more stories about the experiences of black Canadians, from racism against blacks to success stories within the black community, check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project that black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
(CBC)