Anti-racism, diversity training under threat say Black community leaders at Queen's Park rally
Black community leaders rallied at Queen's Park on Wednesday to fight against what they see as threats to anti-racism, diversity, and equity training in Ontario schools.
Advocates feel that work is under attack after the death by suicide of a former Toronto District School Board principal last month.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Richard Bilkszto, who worked on contract with the TDSB after his retirement in 2019, filed a lawsuit against the board in April, claiming that an anti-racism training session in 2021 and its aftermath destroyed his reputation.
Bilkszto claimed supervisors did not intervene and later retaliated against him when trainer Kike Ojo-Thompson allegedly implied he was racist and humiliated him in front of colleagues after he disagreed that Canada was more racist than the U.S.
A lawyer for Bilkszto said her client died by suicide in July.
"It is clear to us, that his death has been used as a rallying point for right-wing opponents to dismantle the necessary and imperative anti-racism work," community leader Idris Orughu said outside the legislature Wednesday.
Orughu called any attempts to link death to anti-racism education are "immoral and unethical".
None of the allegations in Bilkszto's suit have been proven in court.
The TDSB has hired a third party investigator to look into the circumstances around Bilkszto's death.
In a statement issued Wednesday evening following the rally, the TDSB said it had “unanimously resolved to reaffirm” the board’s commitment to its anti-hate and anti-racism strategy.
“We are all informed by our individual identities but through our collaborative efforts we can best support our students and staff to create positive and sustainable change,” the statement read in part.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education's staff is reviewing how TDSB training is carried out.
"While the review into these disturbing allegations will occur, we remain firm that professional anti-racism and anti-discrimination training will continue," a spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce wrote in a statement.
"We will continue this important work to remove barriers that hold back too many children from reaching their full potential."
Advocates say that while anti-racism education can spark difficult and uncomfortable conversations, abandoning them would be damaging.
"Anti-Black racism has mentally harmed educators, students, and youth for decades, for centuries," said Deborah Buchanan Walford with the Ontario Alliance of Black School Educators.
Black leaders feel their lived experiences need to be heard and understood.
"It's not if we're going to experience racism, it's how many times per day," said Charline Grant, co-founder of Parents of Black of Children.
"We cannot have educators dropping the N-word at school to our children. We see the racists being recycled. We have them moved, we see them being recycled. Our children are being locked in rooms."
Those gathered at Queen's Park were encouraged to see a commitment to combatting anti-Black racism in an Emancipation Day message from Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday, but want those words to translate into action.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.