February 14th, 2024

The celebration of Black Brilliance isn’t limited to the month of February. In December, students from secondary schools across the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) came together at the University of Waterloo (UW) for the Black Brilliance Secondary Conference.

The theme of the WRDSB Black Brilliance calendar of events this school year is Diaspora, explained Teneile Warren, Equity and Inclusion Officer with the school board. With this in mind, students were greeted at the event by two large maps of the world, inviting them to stick a pin representing their roots. Students were eager to represent their heritage on the map, and to find shared connections with students from schools around the region.

“We’ve heard from the students that they not only want to hear about Black history, they want to hear about their identity,” said Warren. “The map is a simple way of asking students ‘what’s your heritage, where are your roots?’ We have significant representation across the Caribbean and Africa in our school board, and with these events we’re bringing it all together.”

Hani, an Eastwood Collegiate Institute (ECI) student, explained that hearing from speakers like Timaj Garad that share her identity as a woman who is Black and Muslim allowed her to open up, and be her true self.

“I do kind of shy away from that part of myself, because some people do not want to know that much about you,” said Hani. “Here I can be, just me. All of me.”

Hani is also this year’s Black Brilliance Student Keynote speaker. Hani is a committed academic, with the goal of attending university to study in the sciences. On top of all that, Hani is a talented wrestler who has competed at the OFSAA level.

Events like this go beyond supporting students in feeling seen and represented, Hani explained.

“I feel embraced and prideful, and not only am I celebrating myself, but other people are celebrating me too,” she said.

Bethelyn, another of the WRDSB students who attended the event, shared similar thoughts about how it felt to hear from the panel of speakers: Timaj, Laura Mae Lindo, and Antonio Michael Downing.

“It’s a feeling I don’t feel very often – an environment where I feel like I belong; feeling seen, feeling heard and getting to be proud of who I am. Feeling comfortable in my own skin,” said Bethelyn.

For Bethelyn, the experience of connecting with peers, and mentors who share her identity and lived experience was “almost overwhelming.” She shared that seeing so many people proudly representing their heritage and culture inspired her to work towards rebuilding her own connection to her roots.

Baldhina, also a WRDSB student, had a similar experience, sharing that it inspired him to open up, and explore parts of his identity that he usually keeps under wraps.

“Being around my people, really brought that part of myself forward, that I keep buried,” he said.

At the end of the day, he found himself looking ahead to the next opportunity to come together with people with shared identities and lived experiences, to celebrate one another, and in turn, celebrate himself.

“The fact that we’re strengthening our community and our connection with each other, that’s what’s inspiring about this experience,” said Baldhina. “I hope we can do this more often.”

The learning, joy and celebration was clear to see for Lisa Scheerer and Sheila Fraser, two teachers at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School (WODSS) who attended the Black Brilliance Secondary Conference with their students.

“In a place like this, they can see themselves reflected in the people around them,” said Scheerer.

“It’s about creating the space for Black students to connect with one another and be able to see their lived experiences reflected in other students throughout the WRDSB,” added Fraser.

Early in the day, Scheerer saw a student’s excited reaction when the DJ played a song from her country of origin, demonstrating the power of supporting students in feeling a sense of connection and belonging.

“As an educator, it reinforces that representation matters,” said Scheerer.

Ola Idris is the Community Engagement Manager with the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism at the University of Waterloo, and she shared what she witnessed with students during the event.

“I saw a lot of laughter and joy. I saw acknowledgement and validation,” said Idris. “They get to be in community with each other, to laugh with each other, to learn with each other and have the space to be themselves.

Idris explained that by inviting Black students from all across the WRDSB to the University of Waterloo (UW) provides them with the opportunity to engage directly with university staff and students, allowing them to ask questions and explore what opportunities may be available to them on campus. With this in mind, Black representatives from departments across UW were present during the event, to help students feel welcomed and to see themselves in post-secondary education.

“I hope that they are able to see themselves reflected in each other, and see themselves reflected in this space,” said Idris. “I hope they know the opportunity for them to chase their dreams, in whichever way that means, is available to them.”

In addition to the laughter, singing, dancing and conversation, there is a lot of learning happening. Warren explained that students were encouraged to represent their cultural clothing at the event, prompting students to learn about one another’s cultures. Speakers and attendees also had the chance to use their mother language skills, as they interacted with each other.

The level of student engagement tells an important story about the need for events like this, and the success of the efforts to better support Black WRDSB students. This year saw 230 secondary students in attendance, up from 150 the previous year.

Warren sums up what this event provides for students simply:

“It’s just a space for Black students to be themselves, to talk about things that matter to them and to experience some joy.”

Celebrating Black Brilliance at the WRDSB

At WRDSB, we’re celebrating Black Brilliance all year long. The theme for the 2023-24 school year is DIASPORA. In our school board, African, Caribbean and Black identifying populations represent a wide cross-section of cultures, ethnicities and identities.

The African Diaspora is unified through shared experiences of making home across the globe. The result of displacement and migration, African descendant peoples’ stories are written here, there and everywhere. From Jamaica to Ghana, the USA to Mauritania, Canada to Sudan, Africanness is here.

We are recognizing Black Brilliance across the diaspora in the classroom, hallways and student events.