Esprits brillants et cœurs bienveillants
Ontario Library Association Super Conference Highlights Mary Doyle and Caroline Freibauer Ontario School Library Association Uses Conference To Launch A Focus On Diversity And Anti-Black Racism
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move to a completely virtual Super Conference is only one of many firsts highlighting the Ontario Library Association’s meeting of “Clever Minds and Human Hearts” in February 2021. The theme is lifted from a Jane Goodall quote advising that “it’s only when our clever brain and human heart work together can we achieve true harmony.” The Ontario School Library Association Council took that theme to heart by launching at the conference a focus on diversity and anti-Black racism with the first of three presentations with Dr. Andrew B. Campbell, an Ontario Institute of Studies in Education professor whose work centres on leadership, education policy and diversity. In her introduction to the event, Maureen McGrath, OSLA council president, signaled that this was part of the council’s decision to confront our personal biases and beliefs while committing to grow in our understanding of how we can do better as educators. Framed in a question-and-answer format, members of OSLA council posed questions in a pre-recorded session, which Dr. ABC, a nickname he prefers, answered, drawing on his experience and expertise as an educator and an academic, as well as his engaging storytelling talent. He began by outlining four ways to start the conversation about anti-Black racism in schools that are homogeneously white.
He suggested using: • Current events, such as the death of George Floyd and storming of the United States Capitol building, which provide opportunities to lead rich discussion in the classroom. • Major events, such as Black History Month, Orange Shirt Day, Pink Shirt Day, Red Dress Day, which create windows for teaching and learning. Dr. ABC acknowledged that some see Black History Month as tokenism, setting aside one month to put the spotlight on the achievements of Black people, but he also sees it as an invitation to celebrate these achievements. • Book clubs, which permit staff and students to centre their conversations around a common book. But Dr. ABC advises that you should look for books written by Black voices and perhaps invite those authors to come to the school. • Workshops can be a good conversation starter, Dr. ABC said. But they are just a starter. Dr. ABC cautioned that many people attend a Black talk, read one book or attend a workshop and then cross that off their to-do list. “When you are ready to move on, do not move on by checking the boxes.” He said growing and learning must continue to create consistency. “The opposite of tokenism is consistency.” continued on page 14
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