Black History Month

black history month

"Ours to Tell"

Start

Learning sessions

Beyond Black History Month

Session 10 Friday February 24

Session 01 Thursday February 9

Session 07 Tuesday February 21

Session 04 Tuesday February 14

Session 02 Friday February 10

Session 08 Wednesday February 22

Session 11 Monday February 27

Session 05 Wednesday February 15

Assembly

Session 03 Monday February 13

Session 06 Thursday February 16

Session 12 Tuesday February 28

Session 09 Thursday February 23

Taste of Black Culture

How to navigate this resource

Starting Thurs. Feb. 9, 2023 each homeroom teacher will facilitate the commemoration of Black History Month by choosing from a variety of audio, visual and interactive media that were curated to highlight the stories of the Black community. On the next slide, the teacher will be able to choose a set day and will then proceed to click on the "O Canada" and prayer for that date. The remainder of the available media are optional but we encourage all classes to dedicate time to this important endeavour.

Dreams in VantaBlack Developed in a UK lab, the colour Vantablack is the darkest shade of black, so dark that when painted on an object it disappears into shadows; much like the voices of many Black youth living in Canada. These youth have found the power of their voice through poetry, allowing them to embrace the strength, history and honour of their identities. When they dream, they envision a world without injustice and see themselves as global citizens, agents of change, catalysts for a better society. These are not stories of adversity; they are tales of growth, learning, a conjuring of beautifully brilliant dreams.

O Canada Preformed by various Black artisits

Prayer, to observe the remembrance of prominent Balck people and important events

Video biography, of influential and inspiring Black people throughout history

Equity Challenge An interactive component that challenges students to think about their biases, prejudices and stereotypes as we move towards becoming allies.

Video of a contemporary Black trailblazer in Canada

Thursday february 9, 2023

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O Canada

Prayer

Historical Black Canadian

O Canada for MLK Day 2021 - Martina Ortiz Luis

Prayer for Black History Month

Kathleen Kay Livingstone

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Dreams in VantaBlack

Contemporary Black Pioneer

Who me? Biased? Understanding Implict Bias

Juliet Daniel - Cancer Researcher McMaster University

The Seed Cycle, by Ivy Black, follows a young girl who investigates how she, like a young sapling, can grow and blossom into her best self.

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Friday February 10, 2023

O Canada

Prayer

Historical Black Canadian

Developed by African Americans Jazz has been, from its very beginnings at the turn of the 20th century, a constantly evolving, expanding, changing music.

Today's prayer honours St. Moses the Ethiopian or sometimes known as St. Moses the Strong, as an apostle of non-violence.

Elijah McCoy was an African-Canadian mechanical engineer and inventor best known for his groundbreaking innovations

Dreams in VantaBlack

Contemporary Black Pioneer

Who me? Biased? Understanding Implict Bias

In Jennifer Kasiama’s wise I Spy, a young Jenn finds a bottle of skin lightening cream which takes her on a fantastical adventure, exploring colourism and its effect on self-confidence.

Jemison blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, September 12, 1992. Now, founder and president of two technology companies, the space flight was just one of a series of accomplishments for her.

Continue where you left off yesterday!

Monday February 13, 2023

Historical Black Canadian

Duke Ellington: Pianist, Conductor, Songwriter

O Canada

Prayer

O Canada (African Refix) - Tolazee and Rolakzee

A Prayer for Mercy Click on the image above for an audio version of the prayer and "prayer" to read along.

Dreams in VantaBlack

Contemporary Black Pioneer

A Letter to My Son by Laura Baptiste

Frantz Voltaire: Preserving Afro-Caribbean culture

Interactive Activity

Test your knowledge with a wordle!

tuesday February 14, 2023

Historical Black Canadian: Charlotte Forten Grimke

Charlotte demonstrated a activism both in the classroom as a teacher and during the abolitionist movement

O Canada performed by The Melisizwe Brothers

Prayer

Today's prayer honours Sr. Thea Bowman

Contemporary Black Pioneer: Amanda Gorman

Dreams in Vanatablack:

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, as well as an award-winning writer and graduate of Harvard University, where she studied Sociology. She has written for the New York Times and has three books forthcoming with Penguin Random House.

Supafly

Click on the above window for a brief presentaiton on privilege and allyship then click here to put your learning to the test with a Jeopardy!!!

wednesday February 15, 2023

Mary Ann Shadd

Mary was an activist, journalist/publisher, teacher, and lawyer. She was the first black woman newspaper publisher in Canada/North America.

Prayer

O Canada -- Toronto Mass Choir

Our Lady of Kibeho

Ted-Ed Interactive Activity

Contemporary Black Pioneers- CBC

How one journalist risked her life to hold murderers accountable

Dreams in Vanta Black The Trees Sing

Canva slideshow about North Preston, N.S. students publishing their own book about their historic black community.

thursday February 16th, 2023

Historical Figure

Michaëlle Jean is a Canadian stateswoman and former journalist who served from 2005 to 2010 as governor general of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person to hold this office.

O Canada: Class of 2020 by William Leathers

Servant of God Mother Mary Lange Land Prayer

Contemporary pioneer A Calgary non-profit that supports pregnant Black women and families wants help to expand

Dreams in Vantablack In her poem Secondary, Libin Ahmed addresses how anger can get the best of her, but how she can also appropriate its power.

Interactive activity - Notable African- American Women Quiz. The answers to this quiz can be found in the information presented on this slide!

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

tuesday february 21st, 2023

Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi

Historical Figure

Marsha P Johnson was a transgender woman, LGBTQ+ rights activist, self-identified drag queen who fought in the gay rights movement in New york between the years 1960 until 1970.

Prayer

Oh Canada

Oh Canada Steel Pan Style for the 150 Year CIBC’s Stand for Canada Celebration

Contemporary Pioneer

This Montrealer helps former prisoners survive life during and after prison.

Legacies, Struggles, and Contributions in the 21st Century

Dreams in Vantablack

Bag Lady

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Please refer to pages 1-3 on this editable document to further understand how art- based programs can help achieve social justice goals.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Black History Month word search The following word search will consist of words found in the prayer and videos shown.

St.Monica prayer

O Canada

Contemporary pioneer

The mother of St.Augustine and St.Perpetua

The national anthem sung by KW Glee featuring soloist Isabelle Aboaqye

Dr. Alexa Canady is the first African American woman in the United States to become a neurosurgeon.

9-year-old Eva Anthony’s engaging poem Advice offers a list of useful and wise directions on how to live a better life.

Teachers, share the following link with your students to learn more about the human rights code and how the United Nations is promoting the legacy of people of African decent. Please highlight your focus on pages 4-6”.

Historical figure

Dreams in VantaBlack

Viola Desmond was a Canadian civil and women's rights activist and businesswoman of Black Nova Scotian descent.

Thursday february 23, 2023

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Historical Black Athlete

O Canada

Prayer

Jesse Owens: the first black man to become an Olympic champion in track and field

O Canada sung by Jully Black

I Dream A World by Langston Hughes

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Dreams in VantaBlack

Contemporary Black Pioneers

In Dear Simone Biles, former gymnast Egypt Morgan changes her outlook on the sport with the help of the superstar herself

New hockey program giving black kids an equal opportunity in sports

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Learn Black History

FRiday February 24, 2023

Historical Figure Ruby Bridges was a young girl who attended an all white school and faced racsim from peers and community around her. By experiencing this, Ruby Bridges opened opportunities for other black students to attend school and acquire an education

Prayer of Empowerment Click play to hear prayer

O Canada Darnell Thomas & Friends

Dreams in Vantablack"Hurricane" is a poem in which the author speaks about her mental illnesses and how she has overcome them

Kahoot Information based on the videos and article shown

Contemporary Pioneer All Black-Canadian baseball team

Monday February 27, 2023

Prayer

Almighty God, of all creation, maker of all things, beauty beyond measure, that cannot be exhausted! We worship you, we glorify you and we thank you for the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to earth to make us one. He broke down the walls of separation and He has given us a command that whatsoever we do to anyone, we do unto Him. In this month of memory and celebration may the spirit of Sankofa live in us. Be before us now Lord, and make a way for us. May those who are wounded, be healed. May those who suffer, experience the expansive love that you have put in our hearts for, our capacity to love is infinite! May structures of injustice be pulled down by courageous Christians and people of good will. May every person in this world be embraced as someone beautiful onto You! Amen.

In-Person Assembly Guest Speaker - Farley Flex

Farley Flex is a successful Canadian entertainer and community builder. He has managed the career of a Juno Award-winning Hip Hop artist, been a founding member of Canada's first Black-owned radio station, and served as a judge on Canadian Idol. In the community sector, Flex has co-founded several initiatives aimed at building capacity and promoting positive change, including R.E.A.L. School and Just Think 1st. He is a partner at Urban Rez Solutions, a social enterprise known for its expertise in Transformative Change Management, Conflict Management, youth and community engagement, violence prevention, and social mobilization..

Tuesday February 28, 2023

Virtual Black History Month Video

Thank-you for helping us to commemorate Black History Month! Please join us as we conclude this month's activities with a video that highlights this year's theme: “Ours to Tell” In this video, students will share stories of success, resistance and resilience through various mediums to inspire you to build a more equitable society that leaves no one behind.

Beyond february...

Educating ourselves on Canadian Black history is a year-round endeavour, not just in February. Black History is not something from the past, it is still happening now, and whoever we are, we can contribute to it. Partner with local or national organizations to up the authenticity, find experts, and communicate with outside audiences.

Here are some ideas on how you can be more involved:

Consider reading books by Black authors. Click here for suggestions for youth.

Our school has had a long standing relationship with a community partner organization known as Ifarada and they have been most instrumental in the establishment of a more equitable school environment that celebrates diversity. In partnership with the unity group, Ifarada has designed a 6 week program that will address issues such as cultural appropriation vs appreciation, colourism/shadism, and microagressions, over the lunches in the chapel. Workshops will be open to the first 40 students who register. Workshops will begin after the March Break every Wednesday. If you are interested please click here to register!