The Challenges and Agency of Black Mother Educators in Canada

• In Event: Racial Socialization of Black Children: Families' Sociopolitical Preparation in and out of Schools

Abstract

In Canada, targeting parental engagement in schools has been an explicit policy priority at the provincial level (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010), and school board levels (see TDSB, 2014) for a number of years. However, the general lack of de-aggregated raced-based data in Canada makes advocacy and questions addressing equity and inclusivity in schools more elusive.

In September 2009, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) opened up its’ first Africentric-focused school amongst much debate by mainstream media and politicians (Allen, 2010). The decision to create the innovative alternative school was credited to the TDSB amid reports on the failure of public school to successfully engage more than 60 % of Black/African Canadian youth. Missing from this narrative is the action of community groups like the Organization of Parents of Black Children (OPBC) who have been advocating for an African-centred educational alternative since 1980 (OPBC 2008).

This study comes at a time where there is a growing concern for the attention to anti-Black racism in Canadian society and in the education system in particular. The 2015-2016 TDSB data upheld that the "web of stereotypes" (Howard, 2008, p. 966) that operate to "racialize and marginalize these youth and structure their learning process, social opportunities, life changes, and educational outcomes" (James, 2011, p. 467). While stories of parents are often disregarded as "anecdotal," raced-based data from the TDSB support the narratives of Black youth and their parents throughout the GTA as evidence of a broader, systemic issue. These stories remind us that behind the data are parents who have dreams for their children, and Black children who are hard-working, ambitious, and most deserve the quality education offered to other children in Ontario (James & Turner, 2017).

It follows that, for the sake of supporting Black youth to become full and successful participating Canadians citizens, more attention should be paid to the unyielding and multidimensional sources of support they receive from their parents and family members (Mickelson, Cousins, Williams, & Velasco, 2011). This study explores the experiences of Black mothers that challenge their involvement in schools across Ontario and how these experiences motivate a strong parental agency. By privileging the voices of Black Canadian mothers this study provides a nuanced context of Black-working class agency in Canada.

This study draws on critical race theory (CRT) as its theoretical framework. CRT is appropriate for this study as it allows for the examination of racial inequalities in education as an institution and centers the discussion of inequality in a context of racism.

The evidence reported deepened the notions on Black working-class agency of parents in Canada. The findings showcase the school climate that explains the sporadic, and in some cases the absence of, parental participation in schools but more importantly delineate the different forms of black agency in Canada.

More work is needed on supporting Black-working class agency that is closer to the mainstream because that is where more stakeholders and members with power can publicly address bias, exclusion and microaggressions in public schools.

Author

• Desiree Fleure Sylvestre, University of Toronto