As newcomers to Brandon navigate challenges, solutions are ‘in the works’
As newcomers to Brandon navigate challenges, solutions are ‘in the works’ The path to a new life can be faced […]
The recent attack on a Brandon high school student was not an isolated incident but rather “the boiling point of unchecked racism” that Nigerian students in the city have been silently enduring, a spokesman for a local Nigerian group told school trustees this week.
More than 20 concerned parents, many dressed in black, joined representatives of the United Nigerians in Brandon Association at Monday’s Brandon School Division board meeting to share their concerns about safety and racism in local schools.
The emotionally charged meeting followed the recent attack, described last week by Brandon’s police chief as racially motivated, on Chinonso Onuke, a Nigerian-Canadian Grade 10 student at École secondaire Neelin High School.
United Nigerians in Brandon Association spokesperson Ade Adeyemi addresses school trustees on Monday evening. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)
“Many Nigerian families in Brandon no longer feel safe,” Ade Adeyemi told the board. “We don’t feel safe sending our children to school, and many of our children no longer feel safe … because of the colour of their skin.
“We are here not to blame, but to urge this board to protect and partner with us,” he said.
Adeyemi shared findings from the group’s preliminary survey of the city’s Nigerian community. Of 50 responses received within 24 hours, he said, 43 per cent reported experiencing racial discrimination, while half of the parents said they had raised concerns with schools only to see no change.
“The data also showed that students in Grades 5 through 8 are especially vulnerable,” Adeyemi said.
The most common issues reported were racial slurs, verbal abuse, exclusion, and in some cases, physical violence, he said, adding schools identified with the highest number of reported incidents were Neelin, École New Era, Waverly Park, Maryland Park and George Fitton Read more…
Highlighting our community’s role in building safe and inclusive schools
A video presentation at the meeting that led to the creation of the Safe Schools Advisory Committee provides helpful context for our nominations and association.
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