Upper Grand District School Board introduces new Black history course

Nearly 30 students are enrolled successful a caller Black past people astatine the Upper Grand District School Board.

For 1 year, Natalie Brown and Sarah Bolton, teachers astatine Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute, person been processing Africentric.

Brown said she and Bolton took inspiration from the Toronto District School Board’s course. She said the GCVI programme volition impact teaching the aforesaid Africentric principles, but the people volition beryllium different.

“The thought is Africentric acquisition is for everyone conscionable similar occidental acquisition is for everyone. And truthful each pupil volition beryllium capable to find immoderate facet of their individuality successful the books and the media that we’ve chosen,” Brown said.

The people volition besides analyse lit from Black authors and absorption connected contemporaries affecting the Black community, but Brown said determination are inactive long-lasting issues that everyone volition find a transportation to.

As portion of the course, students volition beryllium researching and curating a walking circuit connected section Black history.

Brown’s people of 28 students volition instrumentality a tract travel to the University of Guelph connected Wednesday to presumption the travelling exhibit.  She said she’s among the 12 Black educators featured successful the grounds arsenic it honours those past and contiguous successful the acquisition sector.

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She said the course, which began connected Monday, is unfastened to immoderate student.

Brown said she hopes the programme continues beyond this month.

“While we bash see books by Black authors and similar each different people successful the building, this one, it besides takes those antithetic teaching practices from that African tradition, those Africentric principles. So yeah, I would emotion for that to proceed connected for much than conscionable this year,” she said.