INTRODUCING EQUITY CONNECTIONS
Important Dates: September 2021
THE POWER OF A NAME
The DEI Chairs: Jake Ernst, Shelley Gopal, Noelyn Selvanayagam & Sean Rand
Sept 7-8: Rosh Hashanah Sept 10: World Suicide Prevention Day Sept 11: Coptic New Year Sept 11: Ethiopian New Year Sept 16: Yom Kippur Sept 20 - 26: International Week of the Deaf Sept 21: International Day of Peace Sept 21-27: Sukkot Sept 23: International Day of Sign Languages Sept 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Elise Currier
As part of the school’s ongoing DEI efforts, we have partnered with Equity Connections to work towards achieving the goals stated in our Interim Strategic Plan. Their mission is to help schools and organizations deepen their DEI work and identify the structures and practices that create or perpetuate systemic barriers. Below you will find a short write-up highlighting their individual experience and expertise. Dr. Denise Armstrong is a Professor of Educational Administration and Leadership who has worked in education for four decades both in Canada and internationally. Her books, research projects, training and consulting are deeply rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, micropolitics, and social justice. Charles Kissi holds a Master of Education with a focus on Educational Administration and Leadership and a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. He has 10 years of policing experience and 15 years of professional coaching and leadership experience. He is also a speaker, mentor and teacher. Cherilyn Scobie Edwards holds a Master of Education with a focus on Educational Administration and Leadership. She is known for her strong ability to remove barriers which hinder individuals and groups. She has over 20 years of experience as a certified teacher, school administrator, motivational speaker and leadership coach. We are looking forward to hosting Equity Connections as part of our Parent Speaker Series this Fall! A REDI COMMITTEE UPDATE This academic year, the work of the REDI Committee will focus on bringing change to four key areas of school life: The House Names, The York School Land Acknowledgement, school events and assemblies, and community communication through the monthly REDI Newsletter. Faculty & staff are invited to join one of these working groups.
Resources to Check Out Learn more about the history of Indigenous people in Canada, reconciliation, & more.
In grade 10 English, students have started studying spoken word poetry and reading Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel, The Poet X. In a recent lesson, student’s discussed the power of a name. Xiomara, the protagonist in The Poet X, reflects on her first day of school and how “she learned not to flinch” when teachers got stuck trying to figure out the pronunciation of her name. We then watched the slam poem, ‘Unforgettable,’ by Pages Matam, Elizabeth Acevedo & George Yamazawa. We reflected on the question: Is a name just a name? It is clearly not for these three poets of color. Their poem reflects on colonization, racism, and assimilation in relation to their names. Students were asked to choose their favourite lines from the poem and explain why they chose them. Some of their favourite lines included: ●
Read Deep Diversity by award-winning racial justice educator Shakil Choudhury. Watch ”The Secret Path: In The Classroom” Listen to ”Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi: Ableism & Racism: Roots of The Same Tree”
●
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
●
Directors of Student Equity & Wellbeing, Shoshana I., Amber E., Angeline V., & Veronica D.
Thursday, September 30th is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day that honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. Staff & Faculty will wear orange t-shirts to raise awareness of the very tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honour the thousands of survivors. The orange shirt is now a symbol that illuminates the stripping away of Indigenous culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by countless Indigenous children over generations.
●
“In school, I learned a lot more about other people’s names rather than the ones closer to my own, as if Matam, Yamazawa, Acevedo, Were so much harder to say than Tchaikovsky, Michelangelo, Eisenhower. Like our last names were made of barbed wire, stripping the flesh of those trying to conquer the meanings in their mouths.” “I realized my first name didn’t match my background before I knew how to spell “assimilation”. “In Japan, your last name comes first. There’s an emphasis on family. But in America, your nickname comes first, because there’s an emphasis on accessibility.” “That’s because my name wasn’t given to me. It was given to the rest of the country.” IDENTITY Shelley Gopal
Students in Grade 8 investigated their identities with the creation of identity maps; sharing only components of themselves they wanted others to know. Students further discussed what was needed to reveal hidden identity markers: brave and safe spaces. The theme of identity and its formation will surface again this month in English in the study of our novel: It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime.