Parents and students gather for anti-black racism rally outside Toronto school

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Dozens of people gathered outside a Toronto high school on Saturday to call for an end to anti-black racism after a teacher wore a blackface to school for Halloween.

The rally outside Parkdale Collegiate Institute, where the incident happened on October 29, was aimed at tackling racism in schools.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has since placed the teacher on homework, but community members are calling for stronger action from the board, saying incidents involving racism and discrimination in schools should not be tolerated.

Parents and students demand that the teacher be fired.

Ayan Kailie, a black parent who attended the rally, said the teacher would have to face the consequences of what he did and the harm it caused to parents and students.

“He should be fired. He shouldn’t be home, getting paid,” Kailie said. “I am appalled and disheartened. I am terrified for my children every day.”

Kailie, a parent council member at Swansea Junior and Senior Public School in West Toronto, has been a strong advocate for anti-black racism within the Toronto school system.

She said she feared for her children who attend TDSB schools because the council’s current policies are “not strong enough.”

“I have experienced so much racism and I have seen so much racism happen,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking because you see this happening over and over again and nothing is being done about it.”

Students holding signs at an anti-black racism rally outside Parkdale Collegiate Institute. (SRC)

Remi Ajao Russell, another rally attendee, called the blackface incident an “excruciating display of anti-black racism”, but is only one of several she witnessed.

Russell, a student at Parkdale CI, said she had witnessed several instances of racism at school, including that of a gym teacher uttering the N word in class.

“Someone was playing rap [music], and he said he didn’t want to hear the N word, but he said the N word, “Russell said.

“It definitely made me lose faith in the administration when it became clear how badly they had handled this and other cases.”

A petition that garnered more than 3,400 signatures on Saturday morning calls on the TDSB to tackle racism in Toronto schools and hold those who discriminate accountable for their actions, adding that it is not about ‘a “one-off incident”.

“It was traumatic for the children who were in the classroom and unfair that the onus was on them to document with photos and come forward,” the petition reads.

“As parents, many of us have witnessed overt and microracial assault on our children. This incident, however, is serious, shocking and concerning,” the petition continues.

Parents said the current policy and protocols in place are not enough and urged the board to create or provide the following:

A policy of zero tolerance for hatred and racial discrimination. A safe, supportive and anonymous complaints mechanism that supports students and is based on anti-oppression principles so that they don’t become a snitch line. Public reports on complaints of discrimination and racism. Transparent, fair hiring practices aimed at diversifying the workforce. Ongoing and frequent professional development in the areas of anti-black racism, anti-colonialism, anti-oppression and accountability through regular and rigorous performance reviews.

In a letter to parents and students on Friday, the TDSB said it was completing its investigation into the matter and would provide an update next week.

The TDSB said it has taken a number of steps since the incident, such as holding a meeting for the school’s advisory board and organizing sessions for students in grades 10-12 to ” to be heard and to engage in a critical discourse “.

On November 19, all staff will participate in learning about the historic and current damage caused by blackface and understanding the difference between free speech and hate speech, the letter adds.

A petition calling for more to fight racism in Toronto schools after a teacher wore blackface to the Parkdale Collegiate Institute school on October 29 garnered more than 3,400 signatures on Saturday. (Evan Mitsui / CBC)

Also in attendance at Saturday’s rally was Bhuila Karpoche, MPP for ParkdaleHigh Park, who said the school board must do its part to make sure black students feel safe in TDSB schools.

“Racism is rife and unfortunately what happened at Parkdale Collegiate is nothing new,” Karpoche said. “There have been multiple incidents of anti-black racism.”

“I support the demands that have been made by students and family members, especially the Black Students Success Committee, including the dismissal of the teacher.”

In a Nov. 3 statement following the incident, Colleen Russell-Rawlins, director of education for the TDSB, apologized to the school community.

“Far from being a fun and joyous celebration for the students on this occasion, this disrespectful and very offensive act has caused pain and harm and served as a grim reminder of all the racism and oppression that we have yet to overcome. to TDSB through both collective and individual actions, ”Rawlins said.

“On behalf of the TDSB, I would like to apologize to the students, families and staff who have been affected at Parkdale CI, but also to the TDSB large family, especially those in the black community, for the impact. negative of this dehumanizing incident of anti-black racism. . “

For more stories about the experiences of black Canadians, from anti-black racism to success stories within the black community, check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

(SRC)

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