Attention School Boards of Niagara  Region,

This is a petition to call to action all school boards public and private in the Niagara regions to action on issues of anti-black racism, racial harassment, outdated and incomplete curriculum and lack of afro-centric support for the black student body.

Racial harassment and discrimination in the region is wide spread and seems to occur predominately without consequences, follow through or education at the administrative level.

It is clear to parents and families of black children in the Niagara Region that there are roots cause and effect issues that need to be addressed to ensure that educational environments are doing all they can to help black children thrive with positive self image, and support that speaks to their life experiences and to heal from systemic racism . 

This is a call to action for all boards and educators within the Niagara Region to work with Growing Up Black In Niagara and our associates from other boards to lead this work to effectively and make changes that will foster an environment that is not only pro-actively addressing anti-black racism but engaging in black voice parent and youth led initiatives to progress rapidly many roots causes of negative experiences of black children living in Canada and within the Niagara region.

We want to work with all boards public and private to to swift and immediate action in these areas but not exclusive to: 

Update curriculum with addition of historical accuracy and black history and removal of all content deemed harmful to the black student body queried in partnership with black educators .

Immediately  introduce black voice led youth leadership programs .

Anti-black racism training for staff and students that is mandatory and on-going.

Suspension reduction programs for  black children that is trauma informed and replaced with support, tools and personal accountability proven to work in other boards.

Integrate arts and music programs for marginalized youth

Eliminate  police presence in schools and integrate meaningful programming instead

Incorporate fundamental black history into black history month for all students.

Increased representation in administrators.

We ask that you work directly with Growing Up Black In Niagara and our partners or recommended programs with proven success in other boards. 

Partnered with : 

Stolen From Africa www.stolenfromafrica.org

References:

Helping Black Students Succeed :

http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/metro-morning/segment/15087041​

Knia Singh
Principal Lawyer at  MA'AT Legal 
Services and the co-founder of the Osgoode Society against Institutional Injustice

Racial harassment: know your rights (brochure), Ontario Human Rights

Commission

http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/racial-harassment-know-your-rights-brochure

Blackface photo haunts Strange’s political ambition, St-Catharines

Standard,

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2017/12/01/blackface-photo-haunts-stranges-political-ambition

TDSB director commits to anti-racism training at Black Lives Matter

walkout, Toronto Star,

https://www.thestar.com/…/tdsb-director-commits-to-anti-rac

A template for developing an Anti-Harassment Policy, Canadian Human

Rights Commission,

https://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/…/template-developing-anti-hara

Anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies, Ontario Human Rights

Commission, http://www.ohrc.on.ca/…/5-anti-harassment-and-anti-discrimi

Guidelines for responding to racial incidents in child care, City of

Toronto Children’s Services Division,

https://www1.toronto.ca/…/childre…/files/pdf/anti_racism.pdf

A Better Way Forward: Ontario’s 3-Year Anti-Racism Strategic Plan,

Government of Ontario,

https://www.ontario.ca/…/better-way-forward-ontarios-3-year