Why This Black History Month Is More Important Than Ever

When my children were younger, their Montessori school did not have any resources to celebrate Black History Month. The school was very reflective of the multicultural city of Toronto, but when something is not a priority to those in leadership, it falls by the wayside.

As a product of parents who made sure I knew about my roots (my brother and I were part of a group of students who attended the pilot project “Black School” on Saturdays - this was in the 1970’s - set up by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). I didn’t know it at the time, but we were part of history). That’s why I knew it was important for my two children to have that foundation and know their history, so they could walk into the future with pride, despite whatever racism would be thrown their way - cause I knew it would be coming.

So, I provided the school with books to help teach Black Canadian history. It was that simple. So said, so done. I did the same thing when they transfered to the public school system and my daughter’s teacher thought that Black history was Alicia Keys. No ma’am. I shut that down with a quickness and directed her to a long list of appropriate resources. She was grateful for the direction.

I say all this in the midst of a wave of negative DEI energy coming from politicians, government, corporations and everyday folks who hide behind the veil of social media comments and talk radio anonymity. The sad thing is, the majority of them don’t fully understand what Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is really about. I’m not going to spend time explaining it in this blog, but will direct you to my brilliant friend, Camille Dundas, Founder of The Idea Practice who breaks it down eloquently in her recent appearance on CTV’s Your Morning.

It’s sad to see all the work done since the murder of George Floyd slowly being undone. Which is why I am motivated to do my part to stem the tide. I don’t think I will be able to change what’s happening - it’s bigger than me. But I can’t stand by and not do anything. Just like I couldn’t stand by and let my children attend schools where their history was not being acknowledged.

FKB Media and BookASpeaker.ca are hosting a virtual discussion about DEI on March 15th - World Speech Day (WSD) called Unmasking DEI. I’m the Canadian Ambassador for WSD, and I felt this topic needed to be given a public platform to discuss what is happening, clarify misconceptions and to offer tools for those who will be affected by this roll back of DEI initiatives. One thing I will clarfiy here is that Black people are at the bottom of the list of people who will be affected - and who have benefited. If you are doubtful about what I am saying, join the forum on March 15th and you will learn so much. Registration is opening up on February 7th and it is free to attend. One thing that will be manadatory is cameras on - there is no anonymity for anyone wishing to parttake.

I want to wrap up by saying that I purposely did not name anyone who is leading the charge to eliminate DEI programs. I don’t want to give them anymore acknowledgement for what they are doing, I will leave them to a higher power. But just so those of you reading this still think this is a “Black thing,” I’ve included a graphic below of a recent ban from the U.S Defence Agency.

This is just the beginning folks.