As you may have heard, February is Black History Month and yes, there’s only one week left! But don’t worry if it seems as though the shortest month of the year has gotten away from you; Follow this link for a collection of short videos featuring Black Canadians speaking to the question of “What advice do you have for the younger generation? / Quel conseil voulez-vous transmettre à la jeune génération?” (Oui, il y en a plusieurs en français aussi!). Adaptable for any age group, this could be a great place to start a discussion with your class about being a member of a diverse community. The videos offer a celebrational, optimistic lens which is great for the ‘and now what’ at the end of a lesson about oppression of Black people. They could also be the centre of a strictly optimistic lesson sequence for those of us feeling the compassion fatigue!
Remember, it’s never too late to bring Black history and Black voices into your classroom, and as many scholars affirm, Black voices can and should be part of the curriculum we present to our students throughout the year.
For ideas on guiding questions for your class, you are welcome to reach out to the Social Justice committee!
Keep up all your great work,
Ariana, she/herNOSTA Social Justice Chair