Black History Month

February 28, 2021March 1, 2021 Will Gourley Advocacy for change, Anti-Racism, Black History Month, Black Lives Matter, Equity, General, Making a Difference Through Education, Social Justice

About next month

Do not go gently into that next month. Do not close the book on the last one, and not open it up until the same time next year. Do not look at your checklist and think it is complete. There are still boxes to tick and more are being added each day. There is work to be done on behalf of equity, justice, identity and intersectionality. Do not go gently into that next month.

This past February has revealed so much to me as an educator. It has shown me that you cannot put a time frame around unlearning centuries of racism in the form of micro and macro aggressions against Black, Indigenous, Asian, and all People of Colour. February has shown me that the narratives of history have been whitewashed and buried in textbooks in the hopes that the bones of truth would not be exhumed.

February has taught me that even our collective best efforts to seed conversations, nurture thoughts, and harvest actions face unnatural forces of hatred and bigotry in the gardens of the communities we sow. There are weeds to pull that must be dug out from far below the surface hit by the light. We must dig down to uproot what is hidden in the dirt below.

March must be about continuing conversations around race and racism while celebrating black excellence beyond Rosa, Harriet, Nelson, and Martin. March needs to come in like a lion roaring the names who have fought against injustice and oppression who have yet to be mentioned in the history books. It is not just about athletes and performers, there are teachers, business owners, activists, and civic leaders who have all fought against systemic racism, injustice, and oppression with rarely a mention in our classrooms beyond the month of February: Afua, Dudley, Clotilda, and Denham.

The names above and so many more have been part of the fabric of our communities, but seem to get lost the other 11 months of the year. Please do not go gently in next month without digging deeper into the undershared stories of black excellence that exist around us beyond the worlds of sports and entertainment.

Do not go gently into that next month. It is our collective call to action to learn how to become anti-racist educators. It cannot be compartmentalized into a fraction of our instructional year. Anti-racism education cannot be reduced to a brief item at a staff meeting or a PD session either. 1 month out of 12 will never be enough when racism is working all year long. This work cannot be hefted onto someone else’s shoulders. We must all carry our share of the load.

Do not go gently into that next month. Now more than ever it is time to rage against what has caused so much harm from generation to generation. Embrace what discomforts you, be okay with the dissonance from not having all of the answers to students’ questions. Seek out others who are learning too. Walk alongside them as you learn and grow together and continue planting the seeds of equity and justice in your classrooms.

“Do not go gently into that…” and ‘rage against” phrasing borrowed from Dylan Thomas’ poem Do not go gentle into that good night

Becoming Anti-Racist

This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work Book Poster Image

One of my students gave me a book This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewel and illustrated by Aurelia Durand, published by Scholastic.

It was a winter holiday gift (December 2020) and it’s taken me until the end of February 2021 to read through it. It contains 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work.

Before I go further, I identify as white with Metis heritage. I grew up in a “mixed race” family of half siblings who had ancestry that included Black heritage (i.e., slaves imported from the Congo) and East Asian heritage (i.e., indentured workers from Sri Lanka). Even though our childhood was “white washed”, there were regular occurrences of other people pointing out skin colour differences within the family. My mother was once asked why she was nursing a “brown baby.” My younger sisters were asked if they indeed were full sisters due to their different skin colouring. With this experience, I thought I had done “The Work” but I realized from reading this book that I have so much more work to do!

Each page of the book brings more light to my anti-racist stance. Page 31 defines racism as a “personal prejudice and bias and the systemic misuse and abuse of power by institutions.” It discusses how institutions and ideas of norms enforced racism such as preferences for straight hair and light skin colour. It highlights the impact history has on reinforcing racism and the need to define people by asking “Where were you born?” Page 59 includes the ancestral trauma of chattel slavery and how “The history we carry with us is in our DNA and the stories we were never told.” The book encourages people to tell their families’ stories and how to set a path to take action by “Calling in and Calling Out” (page 112.)

I have not used this resource in class yet, as I was waiting for our return to the physical classroom. I know my approach to the lessons in this book will be to start with the book’s lesson and then see where my students will take the lesson further. There are some interesting activities that include starting a notebook to promote change. Within this notebook, students can:

List their identities p. 14
Create their identity map p. 15
Create a list of social identity categories p. 23
Reflect on their own race and ethnicity p. 29
Create an “I AM -AND I AM” chart p. 35
Identifying Microaggressions p. 51
Identifying their history beyond their family

I’ll stop here as this book is full of ways to engage students in learning about anti-racism! This book would be great to use with students in grades 5 and up. School staff would also benefit in using this book to explore their own journey towards anti-racism.

Please post any resources that you’ve used in class along with the appropriate student age/grade.

With this book, I hope to build my role as an ally and as a person who will “spend my privilege” through building awareness, support, and amplifying change.

Still working on “Doing The Work”,

Collaboratively Yours,

Deborah Weston, PhD

December 30, 2020 Velvet Lacasse Advocacy for change, Anti-Racism, Black History Month, Black Lives Matter, Constant Learning, Inclusion, Professional Learning and Growth, Social Justice, Violence in Schools

Anti-Racism and the Fight for Black Lives

I recently joined educators from across the province to participate in ETFO’s powerful four-part webinar series called, “Anti-Racism and the Fight for Black Lives”. It was an amazing professional learning opportunity, and it should be mandatory for all ETFO staff and members.

The program involves watching a short video clip each week, and engaging in courageous and critical conversations about anti-Black racism with other educators. ETFO released the video, “Anti-Racism and the Fight for Black Lives” during the 2020 Annual Meeting, as part of the ETFO’s Anti-Black Racism Strategy. This video is available to all members on www.etfo.ca, along with guiding questions to explore on your own or with your colleagues.

In the video, we hear the voices of Sandy Hudson, who is a political activist, writer and the founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto, and Phillip Dwight Morgan, who is a journalist, poet and researcher. The interview is moderated by Alejandra Bravo, who has a history of working for progressive social change with grassroots, immigrant and labour groups.

What does it mean to fight for Black lives?

Throughout the interview, Sandy Hudson and Phillip Dwight Morgan share knowledge and insights about how educators might use this moment of “awakening” to fight for Black lives and demand systemic change. One of the issues that we discussed each week was the impact of police in schools and in communities, and the call to action to defund or abolish the police, and re-imagine different ways to respond and care for each other.

Each session was organized and facilitated by ETFO staff Alice Te and Matthew Sinclair, and included opportunities to break out into smaller groups to share ideas and reflect on the guiding questions. The active and deep engagement of the participants was inspiring. Educators from Kindergarten-Grade 8 leaned in to listen, learn, ask questions and share resources.

What is your positionality?

In our first session, the facilitators shared a definition of anti-oppression work as the “active and consistent process of change to eliminate individual and systemic oppression”. Alice Te and Matthew Sinclair acknowledged that we are all in different places on our learning journey towards equity and racial justice, and that being an ally sometimes means standing UP, standing BEHIND, or standing WITH others, depending on your positionality.

Throughout the program, we were encouraged to move from individual to collective action, and think critically about how we can use our privilege as educators to work towards systemic change. As an educator who is committed to learning and unlearning what anti-oppression looks like in schools, I am always grateful for the opportunity to learn from and with other educators about how to disrupt institutional racism.

How can we transform Canadian institutions?

In order to change or transform systems of education, we must first recognize that schools are not safe or equitable spaces for all students, families, staff and community members. Schools continue to reinforce White privilege, and create barriers for Black, Indigenous and other racialized students. Please read the following ETFO VOICE articles about the impact of institutionalized racism in schools:

Anti-Black Racism in Education and Black Students Navigating the Pandemic by Stephanie Fearon

Sisters in the Struggles: Racialized Women and Microaggressions in the Workplace by Angelique Cancino-Thompson

Can you spare some change?

In Part #1, Sandy Hudson invites us to think about the difference between fighting FOR Black lives and fighting AGAINST anti-Black racism. She says, “It is not enough to be a good person. You have to be ready to accept a change in your living conditions, so that everyone else’s living conditions, in particular Black people’s living conditions can change.” Alejandra Bravo agrees: “Solidarity is only real if it costs you something.”

Educators have a lot of political and economic privilege, which can be used to fight against anti-Black racism. As we consider how we might change or transform our institutions, we need to be ready to put our money where our mouth is, and fund direct action. We also need to recognize how institutions are interconnected and advocate for change so that all communities have equal access to health care, housing, paid sick days, food security, accessible transit, etc.

Two organizations that are working hard and deserve our financial support are: parentsofblackchildren.org and showingupforracialjustice.org

Why defund police?

Part #2 focuses on defunding the police. In the video, Sandy Hudson challenges us to shift how we think of safety and security in our society. She explains that police have historically harmed many communities, including Black, racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+, and the underhoused. This harm and violence is still ongoing, and police actually make some folks feel less safe. Hudson shares facts about how police budgets are allocated, and argues that funding must be provided to support services that are more effective, and to build alternatives.

Why are police in schools?

As part of this program, we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Phillip Dwight Morgan, and hear more about his personal experiences and his advocacy work. Morgan encouraged us to critically reflect on the role of School Resource Officers (SRO’s) and police in schools, and to consider the impact for Black staff, students and their families. He also questioned where police are located in Toronto schools, and the racial bias of defining “high priority” neighbourhoods as areas that have a higher percentage of racialized families. These discussions helped me to understand where the call to defund the police comes from, and how it connects to the fight for Black lives.

What is the role of educators?

In Part #3, we discussed other forms of anti-Black racism, racial profiling and bias that need to be addressed in schools and other spaces for youth. We also shared ideas about how we can use our position to best create and promote changes in our school and local community.

In our break-out groups, we talked about the importance of representation, and the need to hire more Black educators. We also talked about centering stories of Black resilience and pride, innovation, love and joy. Educators from rural and northern communities talked about how they might teach students about anti-oppression without “othering” or reinforcing “us/them” inequities in their predominantly White communities. Everyone agreed that addressing anti-Black racism in our schools benefits everyone.

ETFO has developed many resources to support educators to engage in this work, including White Privilege Lesson Plans and ETFO Black 365 Canadian Curriculum. Please share any resources that you have used in the comments below.

What does solidarity look like?

Part #4 focuses on the need for awareness and action. In the video, Alejandra Bravo asks if changing our individual behaviour will help make Black lives better. Sandy Hudson and Phillip Dwight Morgan criticize the impact of individual acts of solidarity, if they do not include the call to action for systemic change. For example, many folks are comfortable hanging a poster that says, “Black Lives Matter” or posting a black square on their social media, but they are not comfortable advocating for the abolishment of police.

The discussion in our break-out group was interesting because we all have colleagues that are at the beginning of their learning journey, and need to do the individual work to recognize how they are impacted by and complicit in reinforcing oppression and privilege. We talked about how we might support all members in our school community to engage in courageous conversations about racial justice and anti-oppression work. After participating in this program, I understand that fighting for Black lives must also include advocating for systemic change and funding direct action to fight against anti-Black racism.

What are the next steps?

ETFO has a lot of privilege and political power to advocate for systemic change. I look forward to hearing about the next steps that ETFO will take to continue to fight for Black lives.

I am grateful to ETFO and all of the educators who created this professional learning opportunity, and I am inspired by the members who showed up every week to actively engage in this critical work. I encourage everyone to watch the videos, and to participate in the webinar series when it is offered again.

September 28, 2020 Arianna Lambert Black History Month, Building Inclusion, Celebrating Success, Constant Learning, Curriculum Planning, Equity, Professional Learning and Growth, Resources, Social Justice

ETFO’s 365 Black Canadian Curriculum

The last time that we were in the school together was in March. Believe it or not, some classrooms still had the omnius date of when school changed – March 13, 2020 – up on the board. One thing that was still up and brought a sense of joy was the Black History Month display that was in the library. Last school year, I was blown away by the amazing display of books that our Teacher Librarian created so that students could freely explore Black history and story. I found myself drawn to it every time I walked into the space because there were a number of books that I hadn’t explored and it was refreshing to see.

To be honest, I struggle with Black History Month being the shortest month of the year. I’ve written before about my feelings around having months where we celebrate and move on past the everyday realities that are the lives of our students and dare I say, educators. I also always feel a certain level of pressure to do something and then feel frustrated that I, as a black person, has to be the “one” to do the “Black History Month thing”, rather than it being a collective decision. Last year I sat back and wondered what might be done. All too often this month allows schools and districts the opportunity to click the equity checkbox, yet students and educators like me recognize and understand this as performative work. When Black history and story are relegated to one month of the year, what message does this send? Does this in turn tell non-Black students as they grow up, that February is the only time to check that equity checkbox?

In this post, I want to highlight ETFO’s 365 Black Canadian Curriculum. I’ll be honest and say that it is a resource that I need to spend more time in myself. Much of the history taught widely has been American and yet there are so many remarkable Black Canadians, past and present.

By clicking the link above, you’ll find a compilation of resources – calendar, lesson plans, workshop, and poster – that support educators and students in learning about Black Canadian history. On each day of the calendar, a Black Canadian is highlighted with information on: what they are known for; notable facts; photos; and articles about the person. When first looking at the list, I was blown away by how many of the people I didn’t know. If you haven’t taken a look at the calendar or resource, spend some time doing your own learning. I know that we often get excited about using a resource with students and with this one, I think we need to get excited about doing some learning for ourselves. That being said, please don’t use not enough time for your own learning as an excuse to not teach about this in your classrooms. ETFO has removed this excuse by compiling the resources and having them in one place. Don’t discount it, you might be pleasantly surprised by how much you learn, how interested you become and how much you enjoy it.

The hands-on teacher resources are available in both French and English and include worksheets for primary, junior and intermediate students. This past week, I used the lesson on Molly Johnson. Students were engaged in the lesson and the great part was that students were blown away by the fact that she’s not only a Canadian jazz singer, songwriter and broadcaster on CBC. She also won a Juno Award and a National Jazz Award. She was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. She co-founded the Kumbaya Foundation AIDS charity and she has toured all over the world. The fact that she happens to look like some of us within the classroom space was a bonus. With handwashing, the lessons are short but for our next Music class, we will continue the lesson as students were so engaged and wanted to know more.

It’s time to reflect on the history and stories that are being taught in schools. How are we ensuring that Black Canadian history and story are also being taught within our classrooms? ETFO has a great curriculum that can be easily incorporated. Let’s ensure that Black history isn’t only being shared from an American lens of the past during the shortest month of the year but that it’s celebrated within classrooms on a daily basis. Let’s learn together and please share with me what you’ve tried in your classroom.

April 6, 2019April 6, 2019 Kim Cousin 21st Century Learning, Advocacy for change, Advocacy for public education, Black History Month, Building Inclusion, Celebrating Success, Equity, Gender stereotypes, Genius Hour, Inspiring Students, Inspiring Teachers, Literacy, Math, Science, Social Justice, Women at Work

Social Advocate through Children’s Story

While many are marching to show the Ford Government our thoughts about the budget cuts, I am reflecting on how we can safely ride out this storm. As a Social Advocate for equal rights and positive outcomes for our children and this world, I am with my sisters and brothers at Queens Park today in spirit and via social media. I find myself planning ways to help the education team and students get through this next tumultuous time while supporting each other and focusing on self care. #ETFOstrong

This week I was privileged to be part of an audience engaged by the “beautiful” and talented writer, Helaine Becker. http://www.helainebecker.com/abouttheauthor.html

She presented to our school community to Grades 4-8 and then to Grades K-4. I always enjoy an inspiring hero and artist who can inform and bring all those social justice issues that I am passionate about to the forefront with the power of words and books.

I am a woman science and mathematics teacher. This book excites me. It encompasses so many issues that I am passionate about. “Counting on Katherine” tells the story of Katherine Johnson and the societal blocks she faced through her life. She faced racism and sexism at every turn yet never stopped believing in herself. This story brings the truth to us about how she improved the world. She is one of the many previously unknown hero’s of my time.

During the very “beautiful” and talented Helaine’s presentation, I found myself and the school population, captivated with her presentation. She spoke of so many subjects which excite me. These topics open opportunities and possibilities for the many I educate. Helaine spoke of how she wrote about feminism, racism and suppression. She included topics of mathematics, science, space, and the “power of the pen”. She introduced the dream of writing to many during her amazing and dynamic presentation of her children’s books.

Thank you, Helaine for introducing me to another hero. I will now share Katherine Johnson’s story with many for years to come.

February 20, 2016 Tisha Nelson Black History Month, Challenging Topics, Equity, General, Inquiry, Math

Geometry and Race

Can you have a conversation about Black History Month without discussing race?

Important question? Bold question? Irrelevant question?Let me digress here to share an exchange I had with my grade 3/4 students during math class in February.

I’m a math teacher. Although the conversations that take place in my class go deep within and far beyond the math curriculum, I love inviting my students to make connections between real life and the mathematical ideas we explore.

In an integrated unit on Data Management and Geometry, my students were invited to investigate and name the many attributes of 2D figures with a focus on the properties of polygons. They learned the latin prefixes used to name various polygons based on the number of sides. We engaged in an angle scavenger hunt all over the school, classifying the angles we noticed as acute, obtuse and right angles. We also wrote a song that highlighted our learning, adding verses as the learning progressed throughout the unit (https://heartandart.ca/?p=3638).

In a particular conversation about the similarities and differences among quadrilaterals, I questioned my students on the need to classify polygons and then further classify them within the category of quadrilaterals. I then invited them to name the other ways in which things or people are categorized based on different attributes. Almost immediately some students shouted, “skin colour!” Was I shocked? A little bit, but I thought, let’s go there. I had never really engaged in an conversation about race with this group of students and I was curious to hear what was on their minds about the subject. The conversation then delved into discussing the confusion between incongruent language that is often used to describe skin colour when the actual colours in questions were browns, tans and peach-like hues. This conversation invited students to voice questions and make connections between the experiences of fitting in and not fitting in in particular spaces – in a similar way that a trapezoid fits into the category of a quadrilateral, but not in the experience of being a parallelogram. It was an interesting conversation that led to what one student called it as being “shape racism” and another student naming it as “social injustice.” Students have a lot on their minds – I was intrigued with what they shared and the ways in which they articulated their thinking and confusions about the experience of labeling.

Race and geometry were intertwined in that one conversation. Who would have thought? So back to my original question which may, depending on how you look at it, or may not be related to everything I just articulated. Can you have a conversation about Black History Month without discussing race?