Creating equitable and peaceful educational experiences for black children

BY PAUL JUNOR

The launch of the United Parents Project by the Parents of Black Children was good news as students head back to school. The non-profit organization has played an advocacy role in several issues over the past year. It played a pivotal role in the provincial march for black students on August 3^rd, 2020.

According to its Facebook page their vision is to “Effectively engage education leaders, to create an equitable and peaceful educational experience, free from oppression and anti-black racism for students of African-Canadian descents.”

PoBC was started by: Charline Grant, Kearie Daniel and Claudette Rutherford who also are steering committee members. In an article in the Toronto Star, Charline Grant recounts her experiences with the York Region District School Board, where she had to advocate for her eldest son. She took on the board representing the Ontario Human Rights Commission, won the case and received a settlement from them. She will become the Education System Navigator for York Region.

The five goals of the PoBC are listed at info@parentsofblackchildren.org as:

Lobby school boards to ensure rigorous disaggregated data collection

2. Work to eliminate anti-black racism and oppression for black students within the schools
3. Open a continued dialogue within school boards, independent and private schools about anti-oppressive practices, culturally responsive pedagogy and anti-black racism within the schools and connected systems
4. Build the capacity of parents of black children and of black students to advocate for change within the system
5. Be the voice of all parents of black children, so parents don’t stand alone to fight for a just, safe and equitable education for their children

There will be three parts to the United Black Project, which is funded by theOntario Trillium Foundation Youth Opportunities Fund Family Innovations Stream:

• The first part involves Capacity Building Workshops, which will be presented by black parents who will, “Deliver a series of workshops covering topics that disproportionately impact black children and lead to disparities of outcomes.”
  

• The second part consist of System Navigation in which, “A System Navigator will be made available to families, to support them as they interact with their children’s school and/or school board in understanding how the education system works in Ontario.”
  

• The third part consists of a Black Parent Mentoring Program, which involves, “Black parents with children the same age, will be partnered to support each other as they navigate issues within their children’s education experience.”

It is interesting to note that the System Navigation component came out of the consultations process that led to the “Towards Race Equity Report” that recommended the development of resources to help black students engage with their education. Many reports have highlighted the failures of the system to respond to the needs of black kids. You can find more information about this at www.raiseyouraq.com.