Black communities of Ontario unite to address the concerning attack on anti-racism work in our province

BY PAUL JUNOR

There was not much time for planning and preparation for the press conference held on Wednesday, August 2^nd, 2023, at Queen’s Park. In an email to community members by Shannon Liverpool (Communications Specialist, Project Manager of Parents of Black Children – PoBC) she outlines the purpose of the conference. “The time for action is now. Let us come together as a community to safeguard the progress we have made and strive for an equitable, inclusive and diverse system in Ontario. Your participation matters, and together we can make it happen.”

The press release issued on Monday, July 31^st, 2023, mentioned clearly the intended purpose. It was to address the alarming attack on vital anti-racism work within the province of Ontario, that has erupted in the face of the tragic loss of former TDSB principal who attended an equity training session in 2021.

There has been mainstream media coverage of the untimely and unfortunate death of Richard Bilkszto with many of them linking it to the aftermath of the diversity training he attended in April and May 2021. It was presented by Kike Kojo-Thompson, principal consultant of KOJO Institute. The overall collective vision from the emergency Zoom meeting on Thursday, July 27^th, 2023, was that the Black community had to respond decisively not just to show support for Kojo-Thompson, but to send a clear message that equity training is truly vital.

The Call to Action that was issued states, “We, the Black communities of Ontario are united as we address the concerning attack on anti-racism work in our province. We demand that this essential work must not be allowed to be halted or stalled under any circumstances; our communities have suffered for far too long. We demand that politicians take immediate and concrete steps to address our concerns and demonstrate their unwavering commitment to anti-racism work in Ontario.”

There were approximately 100 individuals in attendance at the press conference. Many of them stood behind the various speakers who took turns to address the media that was present. There were representatives from the following organizations: Advocacy Peel,  ANCHOR, Black Community Coalition, Black Girls Ink, Black Voices, Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies (CIARS), Delta Family Resource Centre, Midaynta Community Services, Network for the Advancement of Black Communities (NABC), Ontario National Alliance of Black School Educators (ONABSE), Peel Black Collective, PoBC, Parents against  Racism Simcoe (PARS), Policing Free Schools, ResQ Youth International, We Rise, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands and HM Youth Foundation.

Idris Orughu, founder of Advocacy Peel, believes that the former principal’s death has been wrongly connected to diversity training. He states, “There is an active campaign to villainize and undermine anti-racism work in this province. It is clear to us that his death has been used as a rallying point for right-wing opponents to dismantle the necessary and imperative anti-racism work.”

Deborah Buchanan-Walford, President of the ONABSE, mentioned that Kojo-Thompson has received online threats and harassment because of her anti-racism work. She states, “We are committed to ensuring that no Black woman, or person feels unprotected or unsupported, or is scapegoated.”

Charline Grant, co-founder of PoBC, states that fear is a normal part of the life of Black students, children and educators. “We are not going to stand back and allow our children to be damaged.” She states there are 80 Black teachers on leave because of racist attacks.

Grace Lee, spokesperson for the Ontario Minister of Education, spoke out, “Anti-racism and anti-discrimination training will continue.” She notes, “Since day one, we have taken decisive action to counter all forms of discrimination and hate in Ontario schools. We will continue this important work to remove barriers that hold back too many children from reaching their potential.”