During the month of April the TDSB recognizes Hispanic Heritage Month. In March 2010, our TDSB Board of Trustees voted that April be designated as Hispanic Heritage Month at the Toronto District School Board.

As stated in the Hispanic Heritage Month Act, (May 5, 2015): "Ontario is home to more than 400,000 first-, second- and third-generation Canadian of Hispanic origin. As early as 1914, Canadians who originated from 23 Hispanic countries began immigrating to the province and today the Hispanic community is one of the fastest growing in Ontario. Hispanic-Canadians represent a dynamic community that has made significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of the Province of Ontario.

By proclaiming the month of October as Hispanic Heritage Month in Ontario, the province recognizes the rich contributions of Hispanic-Canadians to our social economic, political and multicultural fabric. Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about the outstanding achievements and contributions of Hispanic people in the province."

Should additional information be required please contact Jim Spyropoulos, Executive Superintendent, Human Rights and Indigenous Education and Senior Team Lead for Latin-America History Month at jim.spyropoulos@tdsb.on.ca.

During the month of April, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) proudly recognized Latin-America History Month. In April 2016, our TDSB Board of Trustees voted that April be designated as Latin-America History Month. The motion was a result of advocacy on behalf of TDSB students, educators, parents/caregivers as well as community organizations within LAEN-The Latinx, Afro-Latin-America Abya Yala Education Network. Together, hundreds of community members called for the TDSB to take up the work of addressing social inequities harming TDSB school families with ancestry from the Lands that are known in Western mainstream culture as Latin-America.

Since its creation in 2016, the planning committee has grown in its breadth, depth and scope, searching every year for more intentional ways of working in solidarity with Indigenous nations of Turtle Island (Canada) and ways to bring Elders, Knowledge Keepers, educators and families together to decolonize understandings of Latin-America. The Latin-America History volunteer planning committee is comprised of TDSB students, staff, parents/caregivers, community educators and activist. Committee members are pursuing intentional partnerships with the TDSB Urban Indigenous Education Centre, Dodem Kanonhsa among other community partners to ensure that there is a collective building of initiatives to achieve healthy, transformative, restorative, equitable, caring, culturally responsive and reflective educational spaces for all.

This year’s theme is entitled, “(DeColonizing) Latin-America History Month & Beyond: Learning together about our collective pasts, alongside our relatives of today, the Eagle, the Quetzal and the Condor.” Through the representation of the Eagle, the Quetzal and the Condor, April marks our efforts to go deeper into the histories/herstories/theirstories that have not been told through mainstream education narratives about Latin-America. The visual for our month depicts the coming together of the Eagle representing the Lands of North America, the Quetzal representing the Lands of Central America and the Condor representing the Lands of South America. During the month, we will learn about the large extent of diversity of human experiences found within Central and South America and those who claim ancestry to these Lands. Connections to Indigenous sovereignty and solidarity with other BIPOC communities within Turtle Island (Canada) will also be uplifted and highlighted as key elements of decolonizing education on Latin-America. Decolonizing Latin-America refers to a deep dive into teachings that will reveal many factual, but not wide known truths, such as why it is that Latin-America can also be referred to as Afro-Latin-America, Amerrique, Abya Yala and Pachamama, to name a few. The TDSB community at large will have the opportunity to learn about the diversity in languages as well, with over 500 languages spoken in Latin-America, including Popti, Garifuna, Quechua, Kuna, Nahuatl, Aymara Guarani, Spanish and French.

Continuing in our equity journey as a system and specifically connected to learning and unlearning narratives about Latin-America, the TDSB staff, community members and partners of the volunteer planning committee will curate and hold space for students to engage in artistic expressions, virtual youth-to-youth forums, virtual community circles, as well as offer the co-creation of culturally responsive and reflective curriculum, staff professional development sessions, data gathering related to addressing student and family needs arising from covid-19 and more! We aim to grow stronger as a TDSB community by sharing our stories of resilience, struggle and success, in relation to intentionally honouring and co-creating with the many territories and peoples over which the Eagle, the Quetzal and the Condor fly.

A PowerPoint is currently being created in order to provide information about the Latin-America History Month and will be posted to the TDSB public websites shortly and shared throughout the system through internal communication methods. Further selected winning posters and talent videos will be posted on the TDSB public websites after we announce and showcase the winning selection at our Latin-America Virtual Launch Celebration taking place on Wednesday, April 7th from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm. Please join us! (URL: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/stream/LiveWebcast-LatinAmerica-HistoryMonth.html).

Should additional information be required please contact Jim Spyropoulos, Executive Superintendent, Human Rights and Indigenous Education and Senior Team Lead for Latin-America History Month at jim.spyropoulos@tdsb.on.ca.

Sikh Heritage Month at the TDSB – April 2021

Sikh Heritage Month is proudly recognized at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) during the month of April. On March 22, 2016, the Board of Trustees voted to designate April of each year as Sikh Heritage Month, making the TDSB the first school board in Canada to do so. This designation matches the recognition by the province of Ontario that proclaimed the Sikh Heritage Month Act in December 2013.

This year our theme is Growing our Future: The Legacy of Sikh Farmers.

Sikh Canadians have lived in Ontario since the turn of the twentieth century. They have made significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of Ontario and their traditions and culture continue to be a vibrant part of every aspect of life of Canadians today. This includes many Sikh families who are engaged in farming throughout Canada.

We are inviting all TDSB community, students and staff to join our virtual Sikh Heritage Month launch to recognize the contributions of Sikh Canadians. Join us for a remarkable afternoon of information and celebration.

A PowerPoint is being created that will provide information about the Sikh Heritage Month. It will offer an insight about the culture and traditions of the kind, selfless and honourable heritage of the Sikh community. Also, a brief video message by Pardeep Nagra, Co-chair, Sikh Heritage Month Planning Committee (TDSB) is also being created. The video will provide an explanation of a selection of artifacts currently housed at The Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada, Mississauga, Ontario.

Should further information be required, please contact Peter Singh, Executive Officer, Information Technology and Information Management and Senior Team lead for Sikh Heritage Month at peter.singh@tdsb.on.ca.