In Aurora, Windsor and Winnipeg, the buzz of trimmers could faintly be heard underneath the voices of thought-provoking men and women who have seen and felt things within the education system that only their lived experiences could give credence to.
Not everybody has seen or felt the things they have, and not everybody could understand the trials and tribulations that come with being a Black person — student, parent or teacher — in the education system.
On Tuesday night, C.R.E.A.M. Barbershop in Aurora, Hayder Barbershop in Windsor, and Freshair Boutique in Winnipeg opened up to all those interested in a discussion about the role race plays in the education system.
Hosted by Dr. Warren Clarke, who has spent much of his academic and professional career helping Black youth overcome social barriers in educational institutions and in the Ontario judicial system, found that barbershops have always been a place where Black men can open up.
“Young black men are in barbershops,” he said. “This is a way for us to connect in the community.”
Clarke started the Barbershop Talk series as a way to provide a safe space for Black men and boys to share and explore ways to support Black young men and boys, and their families, while they embark on the school year.
“How are you supporting a young Black child experiencing these barriers because while parents are saying education is important, (Black youth are) still facing a barrier in education,” he said.
When Black youth face barriers on an everyday basis, it can lead to long-term impacts, especially when they happen within the education system, which is why it’s so important to empower them, said Troy Crossfield, one of the panellists
“The education and the love and support they need at home is so important so that when they go to school, they know who they are,” he said. “If you don’t know who you are when you go to school, you’re walking in there as a mess with your parents' traumas, your own traumas, and the traumas of your friends.”
Chad Hopson, who authored the children’s book the Fear Theory after working with a therapist to figure out why he was dealing with depression, believes there are many Black youths dealing with mental health problems as a result of being marginalized.
“Ever since I’ve been (researching) the information I have and looking at why the community is the way that it is and why the same things that happened when I was a child are still happening today, I came to my answer,” he said. “A lot of what I was dealing with was forms of attacks of having to constantly see my self image in a negative sense.”
Nigel Hunter, a teacher in the Toronto school system, touched on the importance of parents allowing their Black boys time for extracurriculars, not only as a way of expression to build self-worth, but a way to learn and nurture skills for later on in life.
“When it comes to sports, for Black boys, we gain skills and discipline through sports,” said Hunter. “A lot of the time, we learn from sports and music. We don’t have to make it as a rapper or basketball player, but you’re gaining that skill and discipline within that process. We need to remember that skills from sports are transferable to other things in life.”
Sometimes the most important role models are those coaches on the basketball team and finding role models within the education system who are willing to take the extra time when it’s needed can be critical for Black youth, said one parent.
While the education system can be stacked against them, there are people within it and around it who will take the time to help make a difference.
“The guidance department in general are great people,” added Matteo Pinchera, owner of C.R.E.A.M. Barbershop. “There’s a lot of good support groups and people in the community. Not all teachers are good, not all teachers are bad.”
Often Black students can be tagged as “troublemakers” or “disruptive,” but that isn’t the reality, said Hunter, there’s just a lack of understanding between Black youths and educators who don’t know their life experiences.
“Black students don’t fight against education, what they push back against is the oppressiveness of authority,” said Hunter. “They’re not pushing back against the education, they never push back against that. When they feel the oppressiveness coming into it — you have to do it this way, you have to walk this way, you have to dress this way — that’s what they’re pushing back against… not education.”
Hopson, who has been researching the impact of the education system on Black youth, pointed to the sheer amount of schools within the GTA that are lacking representation within their teaching staff.
“I’ve noticed a huge lack of Black male teachers in the educational space,” he said. “Something that goes unnoticed is the fact that when you do get a Black male teacher in a school, that becomes the teacher to go to with all the ‘problem’ children. They come in with enthusiasm and vigour to make a change for their community, but they get burnt out within the first two or three years. They end up leaving the education system."
The consensus within the rooms was that not only are the few Black teachers leaned on more when it comes to youths struggling, but there’s a clear understanding within faculty that these students need help. The issue is that help isn’t being provided because there are a lack of resources.
“It’s not just about bringing Black educators into the system, we also have to change the system and what the system is perpetuating,” said Hunter. “If the policies are not changed within the system, we’re going into a system that’s fighting against us. We have to change things in place.
“We need anti-Black racism protocol in place in order to empower us to build up students and educators. Putting me in a class where I can be a ‘saviour’ isn’t changing anything. Policies need to be in place to eradicate old systems so there can actually be equality.”
Crossfield said for the change to happen in the education system, it starts with the Black community because if they don’t do it, nobody will.
“You cannot use the master’s tools to fix your issues,” he said. “If we don’t create our own opportunities, nobody will. We have to do stuff on our own. That’s why it’s crazy to me that people were upset when Toronto started the Black school, what other way do we have? We have to create this.”
