‘Being Black makes me stronger’: York Region District School Board campaign celebrates Black voices

YRDSB project aims to recognize students, staff and community members who identify as Black

Yorkregion.com
April 3, 2023
Laura Broadley

Debby Morgan is proud to be Black.

The experiences the York Region student has had as a Black teenager have shaped her into who she is today.

“I’m proud to be Black because being Black makes me stronger. Just by being Black I know that there’s history running through my veins,” Morgan, 15, said.

The Grade 10 student submitted a video to York Region District School Board’s Celebrating Black Excellence -- Black Voices project. The project aims to celebrate students, staff and community members who identify as Black by asking them to submit a video of themselves answering one of several prompts, such as “I am proud to be Black because ...” and “People need to know that ...”

One of Morgan’s strengths is her ability to clearly articulate her opinions, thoughts and feelings.

“I’ve always liked talking about things that matter to me,” she said. “I don’t plan to waste any opportunity I get because I know what my ancestors went through to get me where I am today.”

And while most people know about Black history, they might not know individual stories about how that history affected generations of families, Morgan said.

“Other people can relate to these stories, not just Black people. We can come together as a community,” she said. “Watching the videos helps people appreciate what Black people went through and what families are still going through.”

Morgan’s message to younger people who have struggled or experienced pain in their lives is universal.

“A lot of people who went through hard times still came out victorious. It’s not necessarily what you go through, it’s how you finish,” she said.

Having programs, projects and campaigns at YRDSB to support Black-identifying students, staff and community members allows people to feel supported.

“The first time I went to a MasterClass, I saw so many people who look like me and it was one of the happiest moments of my life because you can feel that connection. The fact the board is giving space for Black people is more beneficial than people know,” Morgan said.

YRDSB launched its Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy in March 2021 to address anti-Black racism in education, support equitable access to quality education and opportunities for all students and “to challenge the marginalization of Black students, staff and families.”

“Part of what we do with that strategy is work at the system level to interrupt and disrupt strategies that we know are resulting in disproportionate outcomes for Black students,” said Cecil Roach, associate director of education, equitable outcomes and schools.

The board’s Centre for Black Student Excellence runs programs such as, Ascending Sisters+ and RISE Brothers, “to help (Black students) understand that excellence is in their DNA,” Roach said.

The board’s core business is student achievement and well-being, and the data shows Black and Indigenous students are not achieving the same learning outcomes as their counterparts, Roach said.

“It’s incumbent on us, I think it’s a legal responsibility as well as a moral responsibility, to do something about this,” he added. “We are unapologetic about the fact that we support Black students.”

In addition to the strategy focusing specifically on Black students, there are programs geared toward other groups, such as Indigenous students and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.

Celebrating Black Excellence -- Black Voices has received 45 submissions since the beginning of February, but not all have been published yet. YRDSB is still accepting submissions as it’s an ongoing campaign to celebrate the voices of those who identify as Black.

This year’s project is a continuation of a previous campaign that launched in February 2020, which consisted of feature stories, videos and social media features on members of the Black community who were nominated.

To see videos and read stories from the first campaign or to submit a video to Black Voices, visit www2.yrdsb.ca/celebratingblackexcellence.

Submissions to the Celebrating Black Excellence -- Black Voices campaign can be viewed on the board’s Instagram page @yrdsb.schools.