Laying a foundation for sustainable and systemic change; parents of Black children launch Advocacy Framework

BY PAUL JUNOR

One of the important initiatives of Parents of Black Children (PoBC) has been advocacy.

On Wednesday, March 8^th, 2023, PoBC released the Advocacy Framework. According to the website: www.parentsofblackchildren, it is an intentional and clear response to the pushback we are seeing some school boards take when challenged by our organization and other advocates. Furthermore the framework is designed to set the tone of advocacy so that no parent is left in a situation where school leaders are refusing to meet with them, or meet with their advocate. No school in this province, organization, and no educator, should feel comfortable ignoring the rights of any parent and child in the education system.

PoBC believes that advocacy is a human right! Advocacy is an essential service it is a necessity. PoBC is convinced that imperative change and accountability will always accompany unapologetic and passionate advocacy.

PoBC has been fighting systemic racism and has brought awareness to the crisis of anti-Black racism within Ontario’s education system. It notes that, “Black children are subjected to unsafe and inequitable environments in schools across the province daily.”

To counteract this educational and social injustice, this framework mechanism will be a tool that reminds school boards and educators alike that they have a responsibility to address concerned parents and cater to the safety, and well-being of Black students who deserve a peaceful educational experience.”

Four main pillars undergird the Parents of Black Children’s approach to advocacy:

Urgency
We know racial harm is violence. We treat any family coming to us with an issue or concern as an emergent occurrence.

Consent
All families complete consent forms that allow us to contact schools on their behalf as well as third-party organizations to provide any needed wrap-around support.

Transparency
PoBC will always send email notification to all school boards or system leadership. 

Accountability
In the spirit of the West African concept of Sankofa, PoBC adamantly believes in the idea of “Go back and fetch it,” laying a foundation for sustainable and systemic change through accountability, so that those who come after are not navigating the same disparities. 

PoBC identifies these 4 R’s:

REPORT
Report administrators who have been found guilty of discrimination/racism as a professional misconduct to the: Ontario College of Teachers, Ontario Principals Council,

Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario, College of Early Childhood Educators, and additional reporting bodies as required.

REMOVE
Remove administrators, educators, or students who have committed egregious acts of racism-instead of simply moving them to another school, or another position within the school board.

RESOLVE
Looks for student-centred solutions to resolve issues with parents, for immediate impact, instead of: gaslighting, creating roadblocks, or purposely attempting to undermine the parent or minimize their issues.

REBUILD
Deconstruct and examine the processes and policies that led to the issue at hand. Put a

plan in place to dismantle any process that creates systemic harm, in order to change the system.

PoBC has put forward a petition titled, “Advocacy is every parent’s right! We demand accountability.” It states, “All parents, regardless of what school their child attends, have a right to have advocates parents with them when engaging with school board staff.” PoBC is “Calling on the Ontario government, including: Minister Stephen Lecce, and Minister Michael Ford to ensure a parent’s right to meet with school boards about their children, with advocates present by their side is protected and enshrined within this province.”

Additionally, they would like “The province to legislate advocacy as a parental right within the education system,” and “accountability from: Directors of Education, Superintendent, and Administrative staff, to take swift action and respond to timely meetings with advocates and Black families.”