For Applicants in Grades 3-5 

​Who Was Kola Iluyomade?

​Kola was a dad and a community leader who lived in Mississauga. He was originally from Nigeria and studied law there before moving to Canada. He sadly passed away in June 2021 at the age of 56. He was known as a "warrior" and a "social justice champion" across Ontario. He believed that every student should be treated with kindness, respect, and fairness at school. He helped start a group with other parents to fight to make schools better and safer for Black and Muslim students.

The Problem

​The government did a "check-up" (called a review) on the Peel District School Board. They found that many Black students and families were not being treated with the respect they deserved. Some of the stories they heard were very sad and showed that kids were being left out or treated differently just because of the color of their skin.

​What Did He Do?

He believed that every student should be treated with kindness, respect, and fairness at school. ​He started a group: He helped start a group called Advocacy Peel. This was a team of parents who worked together to make schools better and safer for Black students.

Kola Spoke Up!

Kola wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He went to big school board meetings, marched in protests, and wrote letters to leaders to tell them when things weren't fair. ​He was a "Superman". His friends called him "Superman" because he gave hope to kids who felt like they weren't being heard. He wanted every child to know that they are important and valuable. His friend Idris said that Kola was like a "soldier" because he would go into big meetings and bravely point out things that weren't right, even when it made people uncomfortable.

He Helped Students

Kola worked with his best friends to change the rules in schools. He helped stop a program that put police officers in schools because he wanted students to feel comfortable and happy, not scared, when they were learning.

​The Big Lesson

Kola taught us that one person’s voice can be very loud and powerful when they use it to help others! He said, "It’s not that difficult to treat Black children the same as other children." He also taught is that being fair and kind shouldn't be a hard thing to do. He wanted the school board to stop making excuses and start making sure every student felt safe and happy.