Anti-Racism Work is Under Attack in Ontario. Here’s What We Demand:
1. Publicly affirm the province’s commitment to anti-racist work in Ontario, denounce any attempts to undermine or halt these efforts and work to hold school boards accountable for enacting the government’s own legislation within the Education Act and the Better Schools and Outcomes Act that expects competency from principals and educators in equity and Human Rights.
2. Meet with representatives from Black communities and anti-racist organizations to discuss strategies for enhancing and strengthening the fight against systemic racism and oppression.
3. Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to address the root causes of disparities in education and other systems and launch an OHRC inquiry into anti-Black racism within the education system.
4. Release a public statement reaffirming a commitment to anti-racism work, to ensure that organizations like Ontario’s School Boards, the Ontario Principals Council, Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, Ontario Teachers Federation, CUPE and all Catholic counterparts, understand that equity, advocacy and anti-racism work are critical mandates within all aspects of the education system.
5. Provide transparency on the scope and purpose of the review on the TDSB’s 2021 training, and expand this to an equity review of all school boards with proven track record of equity, anti-oppression, and anti-racism work.
6. Pass Bill 16, the Racial Equity in the Education System Act, 2022
7. Allocate increased resources to support the implementation of anti-racism initiatives and programs in educational institutions and other sectors.
8. Publicly denounce the scapegoating of the Kojo Institute.