At Girls Inc. of Durham, one of our guiding principles is to address the race and racism at the center of our girls’ experience. Our programming focuses on the whole girl—addressing the disparities at the intersections of gender and race. February is Black History Month—a time when we commemorate and celebrate the culture, history, and contributions of African Canadians and people of African descent. This month our staff engaged in trainings to strengthen inclusive and equitable outcomes for our organizational culture. As well, our girls continued our year long celebration of Black history with projects and virtual events like poetry readings and history presentations.
In celebration of Black History Month, we are acknowledging Zanana Akande. Zanana is a social justice advocate, educator and Canadian politician. Zanana is known for her work within the Ontario Legislature and was the first black woman to hold a cabinet position in Canada (University of Toronto – par. 2). For more information on Zanana’s impact, visit: https://governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/zanana-akande.
Join us at Durham District School Board who is hosting the Parent Engagement Series with guest speaker Bee Quammie as she discusses:
How to Talk to Your Children about Anti-Black Racism on Feb. 24, from 7 pm – 9 pm. To register visit https://bit.ly/ParentEngagementSeries #DDSBengagement