My positionality: To preface this post, I am engaging in this work as a co-learner rather than an expert. As a racialized woman and a life-long learner, my role as an anti-racist teacher involves knowing the students and families in front of me to create equitable learning experiences to ensure students feel a sense of belonging and community. This means doing the heart and hard work of learning and unlearning.
February is known as Black History Month, and it is a time to honour and recognize the contributions, achievements and resilience of Black Canadians. While we will focus on Black Joy in the month of February, to do deep meaningful learning, it is recommended that we engage in this work all year long.
As educators, we are tasked to teach truth to power. When educating about Black Canadians, please do not start with enslavement and their harm. They were in Canada before enslavement, so it is important to highlight that.
However, that is not to say we should avoid discussions about the harm that took place in the past and present. Plan so that students have had a chance to see and learn about Black History in a lot of positive, joyful ways.
Shifting to Black Joy
How will you shine light on the Black Brilliance here in Canada to help our students see the greatness and contribution of Black Canadians? How are you ensuring that you are not only teaching about Black Trauma, but also shifting the focus to include Black Joy? We can do this by sharing the stories written by Black Canadian Authors. In fact, the changes to the new language curriculum focuses on this: A3. Applications, Connections, and Contributions – Identity and Community
I encourage you to lead with Joy and Excellence! ETFO has shared some great resources to get you started!
Thank you for this perspective!