Presented as part of the Faculty of Education's Summer Institute (FESI 2020-21), the event features panelists who will discuss the similarities, relatedness and commonalities in the educational experiences, attainments, opportunities and possibilities of Black student in various regions in Canada.

The panel of educators who currently work as teachers and administrators in school boards in six Canadian cities, will enlighten participants about issues and concerns of educators, students, parents and community members pertaining to what schooling and education has been like – and continues to be – for them. This presents an opportunity to learn about what has been happening across the country because of the social structures and systemic oppressions they face.

The panel includes:

• Beth Applewhite, district vice-principal of equity, diversity and inclusion, Burnaby School District, B.C
• Lethisha Andrews, educator, Pearson Adult and Career Centre, Quebec
• Karen Hudson, prinicpal, Auburn Drive High School, Cole Harbour, N.S.
• Gail-Ann Wilson, teacher, Edmonton Public School, Alta.
• Ainsworth Morgan, principal, Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Ont., and co-founder, 100 Strong Foundation
• Moderator: Camille Williams-Taylor, director of education, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Ont.

This discussion takes place at a time when the world, and Canada in particular, is concerned with – and must address – the impact of the inequities in the economic, social, health, and educational situation of Black and other racialized students. While all educators – whether working directly in education, or parallel to education – have a responsibility to equitably serve the needs, interests and ambitions of Black students, in reality, much of the work falls on the shoulders of Black educators. All educators must address the realities of anti-Black racism that operates in school boards as barriers to the success of Black students.

Engaging in community-referenced discussions with practitioners who are at the forefront of addressing and dismantling barriers to Black students’ schooling engagement and educational achievement, some of the questions that will be raised include:

1. What are the social and educational experiences of Black students, families, and communities in their respective local and regional contexts that are of concerns to educators? How are educators responding? What are the results of their efforts?
2. How are educators and administrators disrupting or enabling anti-Black racism?
3. How are members of Black communities resisting white supremacy and anti-Black racism in schooling?
4. Are there school-community partnerships that are helping to enhance school- parents community relationship and therefore helping to enrich classroom engagement and learning?
5. What practical steps must be employed by all involved in education to address barriers to Black student success?

This event is being presented by the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora (91ŃÇÉ«) and is co-sponsored by the Administrators' Black Caucus of Ontario, FESI 2020-21 and the Faculty of Education at 91ŃÇÉ«.

Register online at . The webinar session URL will be sent once your registration has been received.

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For every 100 dollars donated to a charitable organization in Canada, as little as seven cents go toward supporting Black charities, concludes a new first-of-its kind study of the country's philanthropic sector and its impact on Black communities.

The report by the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities (NABC) at 91ŃÇÉ« and Carleton University's Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership program found Black charities are significantly underfunded in Canada. The researchers say the country's philanthropic sector has "failed" to meet the needs of Black people in Canada. 

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The message was stark. United Way’s 2004 report, “Poverty by Postal Code,” revealed what had been long suspected: Over the span of 20 years, the number of families living in poverty had doubled in specific neighbourhoods across the GTA.

Toronto Public Health started collecting data on ethno-racial identity and income related to the pandemic on May 20. At press time, the latest data showed that Black people make up 24 per cent of COVID-19 cases in Toronto, despite comprising only nine per cent of the city’s population.

The urgency of this situation led to the creation of the Black Resilience table, part of the Community Coordination Plan the City of Toronto started with United Way to address the pandemic. The plan includes 13 “cluster tables,” of which the Black Resilience table is one (there are also 10 neighbourhood-based tables, one city-wide table and one bringing together Indigenous-serving agencies).

The Black Resilience table brings together some 45 local agencies to identify new and emerging issues affecting the Black community, such as food insecurity and precarious employment. Its creation was facilitated by the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities (NABC). “The focus of the cluster was to put in place needed services and strategic, system-level co-ordination,” says Amanuel Melles, NABC’s executive director.

“The pandemic has laid bare the vulnerabilities of Black communities,” says Melles. “We challenge Black organizations to work collaboratively and to move with bold transformative initiatives that will help the community medium to long-term.”

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Building on the work of numerous Black community-based organizations, NABC is an initiative of the in the Faculty of Education at 91ŃÇÉ«. The Network amplifies the Chair’sĚýaims to advance access, equity and inclusivity to education through community engagement and collaborative action.

Constituted in part by agencies and initiatives funded under the , NABCĚý supports 70 agencies and works collectively to reduce education, employment and well-being outcome disparities of Black children, youth and families through : Innovative supports for Black Parents, Stop Now and Plan Middle Years Program, Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker Program, Youth Opportunities Fund, Industry Led Career Initiative, Violence Prevention Campaigns Initiative and the Youth Mentorship Program.

“We deploy community of practices as a model to promote learning and to build capacity for systems change”, said NABC Director Amanuel Melles. “So far, we have two communities of practice: Youth Mentoring, and Data and Evaluation Capacity Building in the Black community sector”.

Pictured above: NABC session on Data and Evaluation Capacity Building Community of Practice held in October 2019 in Ottawa.

NABC continues to expand and work with numerous organizations across Ontario and Canada to strengthen the conditions for systemic changes through collaborative learning. NABC staff member Denise Challenger comments, "Working as a Network Weaver has been an exhilarating experience. It pushes me to find collaborative and creative ways for network members to build healthy connections, share resources, mobilize knowledge and self-organize in lived and virtual spaces. Each day offers me a new opportunity to map and strengthen relationships within the Black non-profit ecosystem."

Some of the initiatives that NABC has created/collaborated on include:

NABC in collaboration with the Youth Opportunities Fund of the Ontario Trillium Foundation hosts a discussion series, “Leadership for Systems Change.”Ěý During each knowledge sharing session, we discuss a text-based report or video presentation of a systems change thought leader. Our goal is to develop a shared understanding of how best to apply a system change framework to the issues that affect black children, youth and families in Ontario.

We often hear about Black bodies being profiled; in this series we profile Black excellence. We interview both individual agencies and community thought leaders asking them to share how their programs and initiatives promote Black excellence, positive identity formation and inclusivity in order to address anti-Black racism and other challenges facing Black communities.

This series provide a platform for thought leaders, organizations, allies and grassroots groups in Black communities to explore the impact of the pandemic on our communities. It mobilizes knowledge to build capacity for collective action-oriented solutions. The Provincial Government recently announced one million dollars in additional funding for NABC to support Black organizations in their COVID-19 related emergency responses.

UN Decade of People of African Descent Capacity Building Program
NABC has provided extensive support to the development of national capacity fund for Black organizations across Canada that will be implemented for the next four years. This fund was announced by the federal Government in 2019 and will kick start in 2020.

“This is a very important initiative that promises to help address the issues we are facing at this time,” said Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora Carl James. “It is consistent with the goal of NABC.”

NABC has also launched a new that houses a wealth of resources including COVID-19 related information; publications and reports related to youth education, employment as well as health and well-being.

Ěý

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