BY PAUL JUNOR

The work of the advocacy group Parents of Black Children (PoBC) has made a significant and revolutionary difference by bringing issues to the forefront that help Black families at all levels.

For over two years now, it has organized events, workshops and initiatives that have provided important information to the Black community to bring empowerment, knowledge and deep understanding of the multiple layers of the complex dynamics involved in navigating education spaces.

There are five core principles that underlie PoBC understanding of racism:

1. Racialization
2. Racism is about power
3. Critical racial theory
4. Our stories matter
5. Racism is founded on White supremacy

On Tuesday, November 23^rd, 2021, they launched the document “Navigating the Education System,” which was a very empowering, enriching and inspiring tool for diverse Black families. Kearie Daniels, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author of the document, moderated the launch. Furthermore, Claudette Rutherford, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author gave an extensive presentation of the details of the document, sharing useful insights, practical knowledge and interesting information.

PoBC shared a pdf document subsequent to the launch, which provided additional details in a fifty-three-page package. It contained relevant, contextual and vital resources. PoBC’s Advocacy Team supported the document, which includes Charline Grant and Xavier McLaughin.

In the introduction to the document the mission of PoBC is to “Provide support to parents of Black children across Canada and the United States. We advocate and work towards change and concrete action in our education system and adjacent systems such child welfare and the justice system.”

The launch of this vital document is a culmination of all the advocacy and activist work that PoBC has been extensively involved in. It serves to remind members of the Black community that there are resources, tools and supports available to ensure that Black children are able to thrive academically, excel mentally and flourish intellectually in spaces that may not be welcoming to their presence.

The document states that the navigate guide is “Geared towards families in Ontario, but the information can be applied to any jurisdiction where there are Black children and families.”

The document “Table of Contents” is useful and helpful. There is vital information on:

• School board terms you need to know
• Education organization you need to know in Ontario
• Black families and the Child Welfare System
• Black families and the education system
• Black students and Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
• Black students in High School.
• Developmental delays in learning exceptionalities
• Supporting students with learning exceptionalities
• Selecting a school system
• System abuse

PoBC presented a webinar on “System Abuse”. The document states,

“The system is not neutral. These systems were designed as part of a colonial framework that must be dismantled.” Furthermore, the document “Serves as a means to demystify the pitfalls within the education system and light a path towards a decolonized education system.”

BY PAUL JUNOR

There have been concerns, fears and anxieties as parents, caregivers and guardians anticipate the possibility of having their children under twelve vaccinated.

The Boston Globe reported on Friday, October 29^th, 2021, that the FDA approved the administration of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of five to eleven. These children will receive one-third of the dose administered to teens and adults.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention met on Tuesday, November 2^nd, 2021, in order to finalize details with respect to which children should be vaccinated first. In anticipation of these developments, Team Toronto has initiated a series of outreach and education sessions, as well as town halls in order to inform the Toronto community.

Parents of children between the ages of five to eleven who attend public schools will be receiving an email and an invitation to respond to a survey to “Support vaccine planning.”  This invitation will also be extended to parents whose children attend private independent schools as well. The survey will be administered by Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the City of Toronto VaxTO in order to “Better understand parents’ intent to vaccinate their children, how they would prefer to have their children receive their COVID-19 vaccine, and to obtain critical information on socio-demographic factors such as race and income.”

John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, is optimistic and positive about this development. He states in the press release, “While our work to get 90% of eligible residents vaccinated is continuing, we are also readying for when the vaccine will be available to protect kids five to eleven. We want to hear from parents, so we made sure we designed a vaccination program that works for kids and their families. This is just one more example of the outreach we are doing to prepare for this effort. This work is so important and will help us get kids vaccinated so they have the best protection against COVID-19 and so our schools can be as safe and as open as possible.”

Councillor Joe Cressy, Chair of Toronto’s Board of Health who has been at the forefront of advocating for the vaccination of margnizalied and at-risk communities is supportive of this campaign. He states, “At every stage of our immunization campaign, connecting with people on the ground has been critical to our success. Now, as we prepare for the rollout of vaccines to children aged five to eleven, we’re committed to engaging directly with parents, families, and community leaders to have active conversations about vaccinations for kids.”

In addition, Dr Eileen De Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is a strong proponent of this campaign. She states,” When vaccines are approved for use and when we have supply we will ensure that we bring every resource to bear on this critical component of the vaccination campaign.”

The survey will be available as of Sunday, November 7^th, 2021. It consists of fifteen questions that will be available online at s.tphsurvey.chkmkt.com in multiple languages. Parents and guardians will receive them from their children’s public school boards. In addition, there will be town halls for specified multilingual communities as well as neighbourhood-based telephone halls to ensure that the public has access to timely, necessary and relevant information for informed decision-making.

BY PAUL JUNOR

There is no doubt that the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) still has a long way to go as it attempts to work through the challenges and oppositions to creating a viable, equitable and inclusive anti-black racism plan. There was much hope and expectation that with the appointment of Dr. Brendon Browne on September 1^st, 2020 that the board would be able to make positive bold steps.

In a letter he wrote on November 6^th, 2020 titled TCDSB’s Commitment to Addressing Anti-Black Racism he notes, “I recognize my role and leadership as being paramount to addressing systemic racism, ensuring equity and leading from an anti-racist and anti-oppression perspective.” 

Attempts to create the board’s Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy (DABR) through the equity department has not resulted in concrete and actionable steps.  In fact, the TCDSB’s Equity Action Plan states, “Its commitment to equity and inclusion as ever-present goals, critical responsibilities and moral imperatives.” Nevertheless, these are not clear.

The TCDSB has a three-year Action Plan from 2018-2021 titled, Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario (2014) with the goals of Achieving Excellence, Ensuring Equity, Promoting Well-Being and Enhancing Public Confidence but there are no specific goals with respect to tackling racism.

There is no doubt that the African Canadian Advisory Community (ACAC) has made a significant contribution by bringing issues to the Board that are relevant to the black community. It presented its term of reference with specific steps in December of 2020. The departure of Kirk Mark and Ken Jeffers from the ACAC will certainly be felt. The experience, expertise and extraordinary contributions of these committed stalwarts are invaluable.

Neil Armstrong reported in Pride Magazine that Mark was treated disrespectfully during his November 2020 presentations to the board, but there were other underlying factors that led to his resignation. He and Ken were responsible for the development of the Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy as a vital tool to combat racism. Their request for the ACAC to be granted special status category by the TCDSB has been granted.

Jeffers told Pride Magazine regarding the ACAC, “We cannot point to an outcome that says, based on time there, this is how our children have benefitted. We cannot do it.” The community component of the ACAC is not complete. They only have four participants with two abstentions. It still has not recruited new members.

Donna Harrow, chair of the ACAC, credited Mark and Ken for forcing the TCDSB’s board to make positive steps. There are concerns expressed by Mark regarding Superintendent Derek Chen’s lack of experience with respects to issues, challenges and concerns.

There have been several initiatives that the Equity Department has undertaken. The updating of its Equity Action Plan does not seem to go far enough to address and dismantle anti-black racism. There is hope that the formation of the Race and Relations Committee, once its members are finalized, will be able to play an active role that will make a major impact on hurdles and obstacles that are still present.

The TCDSB has been criticized heavily for its handling of black teachers who have faced racism. Paul Rosso, a former TCDSB principal has raised concerns to CBC News with respect to how the board deals with students who have been expelled from marginalized communities.The Equity Department will be involved in an Student Identity-Based Data Collection survey. There is no indication that this will involve race-based data on suspensions/expulsion of BIPOC students.

Carl James, professor of education at York University told CBC News, “Why hasn’t the TCDSB been keeping data? How can you continue with students,working with them and addressing these issues, without data?”