At Ecole Melody Village we are committed to dismantling anti-Black racism from within the walls of the school. We are dedicated to cultivating healthy identity development for all of our students and we are resolved to empower our Black youth to obtain excellence and success in all of their pursuits.
We have always strived to ensure that our students can see themselves represented in their learning and learn about other people as well. People from different races, cultures and with different beliefs are not just talked about during heritage months or on international/national days; we talk about them year round.
Our school took a strong stance, entered into uncomfortable conversations and was very implicit in speaking out against hate by talking about race, diversity, racism, and acceptance. Every morning, coupled with our Land Acknowledgement, we read and reflect on the African Ancestral Acknowledgement that recognizes the harm and racial trauma caused by colonialism. We pledge to transform our education system, to decolonize our practices and challenge our ideologies.
We highlight and celebrate Black Canadian Trailblazers who, “have made the world a better place by identifying where change is needed and taking action.” We continue to build our library with culturally responsive and relevant texts for our students. We meet with students and enter into uncomfortable, yet important, conversations about racism, the N-word and talk about what we plan to do to combat hate and racism. Ecole Melody Village is working towards cultivating anti-racist students who will speak up, speak out and act against racism and hate in all of its forms.
Our presentation, the Black Excellence Virtual Assembly, was created for African Heritage Month and addresses hate by addressing excellence. We focus on the amazing contributions that Black people here in Canada and around the world have made in helping to create a more accepting, loving and inclusive world by opening doors and creating paths to education, knowledge, freedom and success for their people. We are working towards showing our Black youth that they are capable and have always been worthy, and deserve to be treated thusly because their life matters. We hope that you enjoy our Black Excellence Virtual Assembly below.
Click here to view our Black Excellence Virtual Assembly Slide Deck