In March 2025, the Ontario Human Rights Commission released Dreams Delayed: The Right to Equal Education for Black Students. The report confirmed what Black families have long known: systemic anti-Black racism is deeply embedded in Ontario’s education system and continues to deny Black students their right to safety, dignity, and opportunity.
Parents of Black Children (PoBC) welcomes the release of this report, but we are clear: Dreams Delayed is not a solution. It is a starting point. More than 285 days have passed since its release, and the Ministry of Education has offered no plan, no timelines, and no commitment to act. This silence is not neutral. It is a refusal.
Our response to the 29 recommended actions in Dreams Delayed is rooted in lived experience, years of advocacy, and deep community consultation. All actions outlined in this response are grounded in the Sankofa Framework for Dismantling Anti-Black Racism in the Ontario Education System, which centres truth-telling, community governance, accountability, and repair. We outline what education duty-holders must do to deliver real justice for Black students and families.