STUDENTS
The Finale BY KAYLA RUSSELL
My poem “The Finale” was written a while ago around the end of January. I would say the one thing that has truly inspired me was realizing that I’m going to see a female Black vice-president in my lifetime. I mention Kamala Harris in my poem along with some other leaders who inspire me. So as the inauguration rolled around, I was just reflecting on everything that has happened within my community; the pain, the victory, but most importantly the future. The next generation has time to change things if we believe we can, so it will be. Once I started typing it up I didn’t stop and thus “The Finale.”
The video is from the Catholic youth Black alliance member Elizabeth Boye.
Notre Dame BLACK STUDENT ASSOCIATION
JCM BHM Final.mp4Elizabeth Taylor, Vincent Snyder & Nia Lewis - "Black History Month"
Hymn to Freedom STS ELP.mp4Kindergarten Students at St. Theresa Shrine, "Hymn to Freedom." by Oscar Peterson
The Future is Now - Chaminade
Back in the fall of 2018, a group of Black students from Chaminade College School started to gather to discuss issues of racial injustice and Black History. As the weeks went on, they bravely started to allow themselves to become vulnerable and started to share their personal experiences as young Black males growing up in Toronto. They decided to document their stories in a short film. Although they could all relate to their peers, it was the story of one, that truly resonated with their souls.
Their video is raw. Their words are genuine. Their message is real. TCDSB, the future is now.
STUDENT VOICE.mp4Black Student Reflecting on Race & Racism In School
The video that you are about to see represents the authentic and collective voices of Black students at a TCDSB high school. The students are expressing their desire to form a Black students union that will be reflective of their needs. They expressed feelings of discrimination, alienation, and unequal treatment in their school. Furthermore, they voiced that they do not see themselves reflected or represented in the curriculum (educators, course of study, etc...) of the school. The video provides a lens in which educators can critically interrogate and examine their own teaching practices and the impact it has on students and particularly Black students; and at the same time the video allows the lived experience and lived realities of Black students to be heard and believed.