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By RON FANFAIR
War and famine have taken a toll on millions of Ethiopians. Many have fled to other countries, seeking better opportunities not only for themselves, but for their children and future generations.
That was Theodros Girma’s plan when he arrived in Canada in 1992 at the height of the civil war in his country.
To watch the younger of his two sons, Noam Girma, receive a scholarship at the Alliance of Educators for Black Students’ (AEBS) annual achievement awards ceremony was very fulfilling.
“I am so proud that he is seizing those opportunities that I didn’t get,” said the father whose wife was unable to attend the ceremony because of work commitments. “We paved the way for him and his brother to succeed. Noam has been a good student his entire life. We are blessed.”
The Bill Hogarth Secondary School graduate was the recipient of a scholarship from Revolution Now which is a social movement that aims to provide visibility, opportunity and a community for racialized and marginalized people.
In addition to awarding scholarships, they provide employment opportunities for youths with a strong interest in graphic arts.
Appreciative of the award, the teenager reflected on his high school experience.
“It was fun and very positive,” he said. “There was a strong and vibrant Black community at our school that helped me get through the four years. I made a lot of new friends and will always cherish the experience.”
Girma is pursuing Commerce studies at Queen’s University Smith School of Business which is among the best in the world. This year, the Financial Times ranked it the number one Business School in Canada.
“I have always had an interest in Finance and Business and Queen’s has a reputation,” he said. “My goal is to have a financial firm.”
Struggling in Grade 11 and failing courses, Keira Salawu was desperate for help.
“My teachers were not supportive at the time,” the Pierre Elliott High School graduate recalled. “When I was having issues with homework, they told me I had to figure it out on my own rather than trying to help me.”
Enrolment in the Student Success Program which provides student advocacy and mentorship to support young people facing challenges was a game-changer.
“The Child & Youth worker helped me a lot,” said Salawu. “She encouraged me to start a Black Students Association at the school which I did and was the treasurer before becoming co-president in my final year.”
Salawu was the recipient of the Black Foundation of Community Networks (BFCN) scholarship that recognizes students excelling in the arts.
Founded in 2011, the BFCN offers advocacy and resources to Black communities across the province.
Salawu is a first-year student in the University of Waterloo’s Social Development Studies program which offers students the opportunity to develop skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, interpersonal relations, leadership, civic engagement and global citizenship.
Her goal is to become a social worker or psychotherapist.
“My parents, who are from Nigeria and the United Kingdom, wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer,” Salawu said. “I am not good in Math or Science because I didn’t get the help I needed in those classes. I thought that being a lawyer would be boring. I want to help people and I can do that in the fields I am looking at.”
Other award winners were Chad Dume, Jaylah Hall, Ethan James, Nia Wright, Timothy Eze, Mikayla Coore-Pascal, Arianne Jackson, Amelia Bork, Caswell Vickers, Merveille Uwase and Kaden Golding.
Since 2002, AEBS has been recognizing elementary and secondary school students at the annual celebration that honours excellence in the classroom and community.
Kien Nam Luu, a YRDSB superintendent, supports the event.
“Through the data, we know that Black students do not get the recognition they deserve,” the veteran educator said. “Having a special event like this, recognizing Black excellence across our school district is crucial.”
Tisha Nelson was honoured in the inaugural year for her contribution to the academic program at Vaughan Secondary School that, in 2021, was renamed Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School to memorialize the Somalian-born entrepreneur and community activist who, with her husband, were among 26 people killed when terrorists stormed the Asasey Hotel in Kismayo, a port city about 528 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu, in July 2019.
“It was one of the first awards I received as a student,” said the YRDSB elementary school principal. “That year, I and a few of my friends decided to fast-track through high school to complete our Ontario Academic Credits. It was affirming that our efforts were recognized. At the time at Vaughan, there was a growing Black population and we felt targeted at times by some of the school policies. To be given a space where our academic and school contributions were acknowledged was reaffirming.”
After high school, Nelson completed a History & Sociology degree at York University, a Master of Teaching degree at the University of Toronto Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and a PhD in Philosophy.
An instructional leader for the last 15 years, she has invited educators to reimagine dominant narratives in education through Black feminist orientation for identifying, interrogating and disrupting barriers that perpetuate racism, classism and other forms of systemic oppression.
Nelson has contributed to the landscape of learning in the field of education in Ontario as a teacher, curriculum coach, blogger and facilitator of workshops.
The former AEBS chair recently served as a full-time seconded course director at the Faculty of Education at York University and course developer and instructor for the three-part Additional Qualification, ‘Addressing Anti-Black Racism To Change Pedagogy & Practice’ at Lakehead University.
The author of three books in the Sankofa series, Nelson was promoted to vice-principal in 2017 and principal five years later.
Former AEBS co-chairs, she and Shayna MacDonald are the only two academic award winners who have become YRDSB principals.
Nicole Bynoe and Pierrette Walker replaced them a few months ago.
“York Region District School Board covers a vast geographical area and often Black staff and students feel isolated,” said Walker who is a vice-principal at Cedarwood Public School. “When I first came to this Board, it was at the AEBS awards that I realized this is the space most representative of Black students in our Board.”
Bynoe, the principal at Kettle Lakes Public School, said the students’ feeling of joy is evident on awards night.
“You can see it in their faces when they walk in to get that award,” she said. “We are in a space where sometimes their excellence is not looked at as something to be celebrated. This is a platform for that to be done.”
Darcie Sutherland, the first Black woman principal of the Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy in the YRDSB, has supported the awards program for the last two decades.
“When you think about the importance of these awards, this space creates a voice, an affirmation where students can see their potential that is sometimes not highlighted,” she added.
Ron Lynn, the Chair of the YRDSB Trustees, acknowledged the award winners.
You are here because you are a role model for current and future YRDSB students,” he said. “You are representative of the amazing accomplishments that students of all backgrounds can achieve in the classroom and beyond. Just for a moment, I ask you to reflect on the past year…I hope you can feel the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.”
Lynn thanked AEBS for investing in Black youth and empowering communities.
“We are extremely fortunate to have organizations such as AEBS working alongside YRDSB to identify opportunities for and celebrate Black students and their achievements,” he added. “By honouring the identities of Black students and their lived experiences, we are better positioned to support them in reaching their goals. Thank you for your individual and collective efforts in fostering partnerships with families and community organizations, as well as supporting the Board in our ongoing work toward equity and inclusion.
“We look forward to continuing to work with you to create environments where students of all backgrounds can reach their dreams.”
Retired York Region District School Board administrators Vilma Cornelius, Paul DeLyon and Cecil Roach along with Camille Logan, who spent 29 years with the Board before joining Peel District School Board as an associate director three years ago, founded AEBS in 1998.
“The stories of underachievement of Black students have been told too often,” said Roach. “Our students are capable of achieving and having a fantastic educational trajectory and they deserve to be celebrated.”
