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#BlackInSchool

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  • Date:
    Created
    2022
    Summary:

    A young Black writer documents the systemic racism in her high school diary and calls for justice and change. The prevalence of anti-Black racism and its many faces, from racial profiling to police brutality, in North America is indisputable. How do we stop racist ideas and violence if the very foundation of our society is built upon white supremacy? How do we end systemic racism if the majority do not experience it or question its existence? Do our schools instill children with the ideals of equality and tolerance, or do they reinforce differences and teach children of colour that they don't belong? #BlackInSchool is Habiba Cooper Diallo's high school journal, in which she documents, processes, and resists the systemic racism, micro-aggressions, stereotypes, and outright racism she experienced in Canada's education system. Powerful and eye-opening, Cooper Diallo illustrates how our schools reinforce rather than erode racism: the handcuffing and frisking of students of colour by police at school; one-dimensional, tokenistic curricula portraying Black people; and the constant barrage of overt racism from students and staff alike. She shows how systemic racism works, how it alienates and seeks to destroys a child's sense of self. She shows how our institutions work to erase the lived experiences of Black youth and try to erase Black youth themselves. Cooper Diallo's words will resonate with some, but should shock, appall, and animate a great many more into action towards a society that is truly equitable for all.

    Contents:
    • Foreword: Narrating the black body in high schools : put your ears to the ground and listen!
    • Part I. #BlackInSchool
    • #HighSchoolAndTheBlackBody
    • #ToBeABlackStudent
    • "That English class was f*cked!"
    • The worst countries to live in are Uganda, Sudan, and Congo...
    • #OnRacismAgain
    • Part II. Pon di dancehall
    • #EquatorPeople
    • Bouna Traore and Zyed Benna : #MortsPourRien
    • "Light people cannot survive in Africa" #BiologyClass
    • #BiologyClassAgain
    • #Guidance
    • "I said it is my business deh"
    • On posters in school
    • A walk for water #CognitiveDissonance
    • On school spirit days
    • #ElevatorUseAgain
    • Just another reflection about school
    • The grad house incident
    • Appreciate the unfortunate
    • Black students : an economy overlooked
    • "Tu viens d'où?"
    • Epistemic violence through selected texts for English courses
    • Obstetric fistula : a black woman's burden?
    • On remembrance day assemblies
    • #MyEmailToTheMinister
    • Part III. On wearing the Kente sash
    • My ib graduation and the black burden
    • On the edge : a black girl's pursuit of quality hair care
    • "I don't think there will be anything for us"
    • On the "fist pump"
    • On the name game
    • Graduation deh! #BeingAWarrior
    • The academic elite
    • Social entrepreneurship and black youth
    • #Legacies
    • #MikeBrown #Ferguson #Halifax
    • Conclusion
    • I Am Done deh!
    Original Publisher: Regina, Saskatchewan : University of Regina Press, 2021, Toronto, Ontario, Center for Equitable Library Access
    Language(s): English
    ISBN: 9780889778191, 9781039554955, 1039554954