Student criticizes college for ignoring Black History Month
Johnny Selemani is calling the delay in recognizing Black History Month at the College of the North Atlantic in Grand Falls-windsor a missed opportunity.
Selemani is the international students’ representative on the campus and the incoming international students’ representative for the Canadian Federation of Students – Newfoundland and Labrador (CFS-NL).
The CFS-NL issued a press release on March 8 to express its concerns and call for action to address structural racism faced by students.
In it, Selemani said Black students at the college “feel unsupported and disregarded by the lack of action on Black History Month." He also says it's a "missed opportunity" for important conversations on anti-black sentiments in Newfoundland.
“Celebrating Black History Month is vital to help Black students feel included and appreciated in all aspects of the college," he said.
"The lack of co-ordination and participation in Black History Month celebrations is creating a silo effect for Black students that makes them feel isolated.”
NO RESPONSE TO INQUIRIES
Selemani is originally from South Africa and has a connection to Grand Falls-windsor, as his parents have lived there since 2011. He has spent time there with them and, in March 2023, moved to the town.
He applied to the college’s business management program in May 2023 and shortly after went back to South Africa to apply for a student visa. He returned in September 2023 to start school.
Interested in what the college might be doing to mark Black History Month in February, Selemani told Saltwire that he started to make some inquiries in January, including speaking with the president of the student union at the campus.
This person offered to contact one of the staff people in the area of equity, diversity and inclusion and student experience.
Selemani had previously emailed that staff member about other international student issues, but did not receive a response.
He also received no feedback from them on Black History Month.
“To be proactive, I sent an email with an attachment with some proposed suggestions (about) what we could be doing to acknowledge Black History Month,” he said.
PANEL DISCUSSION HELD
Still, there was no feedback, so on Feb. 17, a little more than halfway through the month, he wrote “a rather emotive” letter to a guidance counsellor asking that it be sent to the right people.
That letter was acknowledged, but the guidance counsellor gave the first person he emailed the right to respond.
Selemani received a response on Feb. 26, but by then, he’d discussed the issue with the CFS-NL and the statement it released last week was being worked on.
Selemani shared that with campus administration because it felt reactive to him as opposed to proactive.
After some back and forth with the administration, Selemani was given approval to do something to mark the month.
Along with the Association for New Canadians, a panel discussion was held on Feb. 28.
UNACCEPTABLE
Selemani says the lack of interest and involvement by the college to mark the month is not acceptable.
He said Black History Month is not new.
“This is a nationwide initiative,” he said, adding it should not be a surprise to anyone that it was occurring.
He said the college had the means to promote the month and there were plenty of tools available to help it do so.
COLLEGE RESPONSE
In a prepared statement provided to Saltwire by email, the college said it recognizes its role to foster opportunities for dialogue and representation for Black people in the province, giving them the voice to have a say in things that concern them and helping them feel the same sense of belonging that all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians feel.
The college said it did hold several events at its campuses recognizing Black History Month in February and they were well attended by students, staff, faculty and members of the community, from all racial backgrounds.
It said it began the month with posts to all its social media accounts announcing Black History Month and subsequently posted photos and videos from the Black History Month events to the campus Facebook pages.
“We need to continue recognizing and celebrating Black excellence and the contribution of Black people throughout Canadian history. We need to keep moving the bar forward to gain a further understanding of all important perspectives,” it said.
‘A CLEAN-UP JOB’
Selemani said he has not seen the response, but heard what it contains.
“It sounds very much like a clean-up job,” he said. “As a way of saving face, it becomes, ‘We had this thing, and it was well attended.’ It’s very much a situation where it’s reactive, which is sad.”
Selemani said it was a missed opportunity for a conversation, and the college could have asked Black students what could be done.
He said the college needs to do better, and he hopes there will be change next year.
“I think creating awareness is the first step and I think we’ve done that.”
APOLOGY NEEDED
He also would like to see an apology from the college.
“Apology means admitting fault, which I don’t think they’ll do,” he said.
But he hopes the conversations that are needed happen and that discussing and recognizing Black History Month is something that is put on a calendar.
He’d also like to see representative groups invited to talk about how to mark the month.
He said the college knows what demographics it has on campus and knows the numbers that are there.
So, with a growing Black population at the school, he said, it’s inexcusable because the college has that knowledge.
He’s also hopeful that a Black student caucus will be in place by then.