“We WON’T stay silent.” Parents of Black children call on Ontario Human Rights Commission

BY PAUL JUNOR

Since it was founded in 2019, Parents of Black Children (PoBC) have been actively involved in the fight against anti-Black racism in Ontario Schools. There has been progress made in those four years as they seek to fulfil their vision to create an equitable and peaceful educational experience for Black students.

Its stated mission is to eliminate anti-Black racism from all systems through transformational change, advocacy and accountability. In order to achieve this powerful vision and impactful vision, it seeks to become a voice for all parents of Black children, so that no parents stand alone in their fight for a just, safe, and equitable education for their children.

One of its successes is their involvement in the Student and Family Advocate Community of Practice which is a collective of seventeen organizations that put Black families and students at the forefront. In addition, it has released several reports such as the: Halton Region Parents of Black Children Report, A Call to Action: Systems Abuse of Black students within Ontario’s education system, School Racism Reporting Tool, Parents of Black Children Needs Assessment, and the United Parents Project. Furthermore, there is support available to parents such as: education services and mental health, along with mentoring opportunities and tutoring for students.

Now that it has received its charitable status, PoBC seeks to provide additional support to Black children and families. One of the important things that PoBC has taken on is to call on the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into anti-Black racism within Ontario’s education system.

PoBC tweeted on July 4^th,  “Despite providing multiple reports and written submissions, the OHRC refuses to acknowledge the significance of a holistic inquiry into anti-Black racism in our education system. We WON’T stay silent. It’s time to unite and demand the justice our Black students deserve.” PoBC has started a petition that calls upon the OHRC to reclaim its role as the conscience of this province by demonstrating the courage to speak the truth and act decisively.

Some of the things PoBC highlighted in a recent email communication include:

OHRC’s refusal to conduct a fulsome inquiry:

The OHRC’s approach has consistently disregarded the importance of further studies on the experience of Black children and youth. This stance is unsettling, particularly considering that the OHRC has initiated inquiries in cases involving the right to read and discrimination against Black individuals by the Toronto Police Service.

Intentional lack of engagement with Black community stakeholders:

Instead of understanding the crucial importance of conducting a comprehensive inquiry, the OHRC has dismissed our call to action by lackadaisical citing the recommendations the Black community advocates submitted to them after our last meeting. They also released a “What We Heard Report ” summarizing a roundtable discussion that excluded the voices of Black advocates in Ontario.

Half-measured approach and report:

The OHRC’s approach to addressing anti-Black racism within education involved compiling a list of 83 existing reports, none of which provided a comprehensive inquiry into the educational experience of Black children and youth.

Duplication of work and waste of resources:

Adding insult to injury, the OHRC has now called for written submissions, duplicating the work we have already provided them. We painstakingly outlined our demands and shared victim impact statements, only to have our voices disregarded once again. This redundancy highlights the OHRC’s unwillingness to acknowledge the crisis faced by Black children and youth in our education system.

Anyone interested in learning about the advocacy work of PoBC can check:

Website: https://parentsofblackchildren.org

Facebook: Parents of Black Children

Twitter: @PoBCAdvocate

Instagram: @pobadvocate