Call to Action: Rally for our Students’ Success
(Dec. 6 at 6:30 PM)

What Happened
On November 9, a white female teacher at W.C. Kennedy Collegiate Institute (“Kennedy”) uttered the N-word in a class with students present. The students were playing a song that referenced the N-word. She turned off the song and spoke the N-word as she said she did not want to hear it in class.

Less than a week later on Nov. 15, at a “restorative circle” organized by Kennedy’s administration, the teacher reused the N-word when explaining what had happened and how. This restorative circle was an attempt by the school’s administration to respond to students’ complaints as well as bring understanding to the teacher and healing to the Black students in the class. However, this failed attempt at reconciliation only exposed Black students and educators to more trauma. This comes on the heels of the Black community working with the Greater Essex County District School Board (“GECDSB”) to develop a directive on the use of the N-word on school grounds. 

What We Want
Our demand is clear: We call on the teacher to make an immediate apology to the Black students, staff and educators at Kennedy Collegiate and take time away from teaching to meaningfully reflect on the harmful impact of uttering that racial slur.

What We Did
Dec. 6, 2022
• 6:30 PM | Protest outside GECDSB Office (451 Park St. W.)
• 7:00 PM | Black Council addressed GECDSB Board of Trustees 

Dec. 3, 2022
• We held a follow-up town hall to collectively organize the upcoming protest. 

Nov. 26, 2022
• We held an emergency community town hall with over 40 participants. Our community stressed the crucial role of the GECDSB, and the rest of the education sector, in combatting anti-Blackness in our schools. The school boards’ success is our students’ success. To this end, there must be accountability for systemic change.
• The community produced calls to action, including an educational protest, a zero-tolerance policy on the N-Word’s usage with a clear accountability process, and reimagined ways of educating students and staff on the N-Word’s use.

Nov. 23, 2022
• Statement on Kennedy Teacher’s Use of the N-Word