This report was published by the Global Centre for Pluralism.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

As the topic of systemic anti-Black racism took hold of the national discourse in the summer of 2020, the Global Centre for Pluralism (GCP) partnered with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO) to offer professional development on anti-Black racism online to 500+ teachers and administrators from across Canada. This policy brief presents recommendations based on the feedback of participants during and following this training.

Based on feedback from 500+ teachers and non-teaching staff from schools across Canada in the summer of 2020, this policy brief makes recommendations in the following areas:

• Professional Development: Confronting anti-Black racism needs to be a core component of teacher education. Teachers report needing opportunities to understand the dynamics of anti-Black racism as well as how to facilitate dialogue in the classroom on sensitive issues such as racism, racial/ethnic discrimination, and racist language.
• Curriculum Development: Building an inclusive curriculum that encompasses all subjects—from history to math, science, and the arts—should include representation of racialized groups. Courses should both highlight contributions as well as provide necessary context to understand systemic racism.
• Strategic Planning: Teachers report feeling unsupported in their efforts to discuss and address anti-Black racism. Any effective strategy will require administrative buy-in and involvement and concerted efforts to engage parents/carers.