Ontario Human Rights Commission releases report to address anti-Black racism in public education

BY PAUL JUNOR

The Ontario Human Rights Commission recently released their report “Dreams Delayed: Addressing Systemic Anti-Black Racism and Discrimination in Ontario’s Public System.” The report was the culmination of feedback provided from diverse stakeholders, community organizations, students, educators other bodies such as Ministry of Education, as well as recognized official recognized educational authorities. Their responses were obtained from written submissions, public consultations, roundtable discussions from 2022 to the fall of 2024.

“There is a need for stakeholders to address anti-Black racism in Ontario schools.”

There are several areas that the Action Plan mention that were highlighted:

• Call to duty holders at all levels to take immediate and decisive steps to address the discrimination Black students face and foster a more inclusive education system.
• Provide a blueprint for change and places human rights at the core.
• Provide a blueprint
• Hold all duty holders accountable for their legal obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code
• Set out actions that must guide duty holders across the education system to create a learning environment in which Black students can learn and reach their fullest potential

The reports start off with a message from the Chief Commissioner’s Patricia DeGuire of the OHRC. She states, “Schools are not just spaces for learning. They are spaces for identity-building community and cultivating a strong sense of belonging. All duty-holders have a legal obligation for creating such spaces, so that all students including Black students receive: inclusive education, free from discrimination and harassment.” It is within this context that the report should be understood. It is on this basis that the “OHRC’s affirms the ongoing need to combat anti-Black systemic work on anti-Black racism and discrimination in Ontario’s education system. It is vital to understand what anti-Black racism is and learn ways to tackle and root it out.”

Commissioner DeGuire mentions details about Action Plan in her Executive Summary. She states, “This Action Plan outlines the OHRC’s strategy to address anti-Black racism in the education system. Developed with input from: Black students, Black educators and administrator, and Black community members across Ontario, the plan identifies: challenges, strengths, opportunities, and priorities for Black students, families, communities, and education service providers.”

The report opens with a section titled, “Black Joy: Insights from Ontario’s Black Students.” It was based on responses from more than 200 Black students to the question, “What does ‘Black Joy’ mean to you?” Their feedback was used to construct a word cloud, which captures their reflections and experiences in very poignant terms.

The report is divided into seven chapters:

1. Introduction
2. Scope and Purpose of Action Plan
3. Education and Human Rights
4. Systemic Anti-Black Discrimination in Education
5. Findings and Discussion
6. Actions for Implementation
7. Next Steps, Monitoring and Reporting on Implementation

The release of this report by the OHRC is one of the most extensive in its history. The 29 calls to action, which include some that are mentioned as immediate tasks to be done by school boards and the Ministry of Education within a year is time-bound. Intermediate actions which will take between three to five years to be done involve school boards ensuring that they have human rights offices in place.