Black history must be taught in Manitoba schools

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/06/2020 (2027 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Black lives matter!” was the chant that echoed loudly when some 15,000 to 20,000 people came out to a rally at the Manitoba Legislature on June 5 hosted and organized by Justice 4 Black Lives Winnipeg. 

Many residents of River Heights, including myself, attended. As the conversation around the Black Lives Matter movement continues to grow globally and right here in our community, we must remember that as we fight for justice, we must address the systemic discrimination and exclusion of Black Manitobans on many levels.

The powerful chants at the rally reminded us of the urgency and necessity of action. One important area in which we can take such action is our education system. On March 10, 2019, I hosted a public forum in River Heights on education in Manitoba. One of the panelists, Alexa Joy, is the founder and president of Black Space Winnipeg and a longtime activist in our community.

Ms. Joy described the pressing issues of anti-Blackness within much of Manitoba’s education system.

First, she addressed the dismal content in our curriculum about the lives and contributions of Black Canadians and Black leaders globally. It is crucial that we represent all of Canada’s history including prioritizing historically marginalized communities, and specifically emphasizing what Black Canadians have achieved and fought for in our country.

Additionally, there are too few Black educators, administrators, teaching assistants and school trustees. It is essential for Black students to have academic role models and mentors who are Black to support students throughout their education. We see the urgency that all students will benefit from having a faculty that reflects all demographics of our province.

In October 2003, Manitoba Education and Youth released a report called Diversity and Equity in Education:  An Action Plan for Ethnocultural Equity for consultation. The report put forward an agenda to increase ethnocultural representation and strengthen education diversity approaches to curriculum and hiring practices.

However, not much has been done since with respect to Manitoba’s Black community. Indeed, Manitoba is one of the few provinces that has not moved forward with an action plan to address this area.

In December 2018, Ms. Joy wrote to the Minister of Education with tangible suggestions for action. In support of Ms. Joy’s call to action, I wrote to the Minister of Education in January 2019.  In my letter, I emphasized the importance of addressing what Ms. Joy outlined, starting with the incorporation of much more Black history in our schools. I also provided an example of a successful mentoring program initiated by Maurice (Mo) Williams (son of late Winnipeg activist Wade Williams) at the University of Winnipeg.

Ms. Joy went suggested several steps at the forum I hosted at the River Heights Community Centre March 10, 2019.

I welcome the opportunity to work with others to further the conversation to improve our education system to serve all Manitobans and to build a Manitoba which emphasizes and strives to support Black Lives Matter.