The Ontario Human Rights Commission (the "Commission"/ "OHRC") launched Dreams Delayed: Addressing Systemic Anti-Black Racism and Discrimination in Ontario's Public Education System, an Action Plan outlining the Commission's strategy to address systemic anti-Black racism and discrimination in Ontario's publicly funded education system.
Developed through extensive consultation with communities, Black students, and people in the education system, the Action Plan identifies 29 calls to action, with targeted timelines for implementation by duty-holders, including the Ministry of Education, school boards, trustees, unions, and all education professionals. To meet their legal obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code), education duty-holders must work to improve outcomes for Black students and Black educators so that they can learn and teach in school environments free from discrimination and harassment.
The key themes of the Action Plan are accountability, transparency, students' well-being, and monitoring and evaluation:
- Accountability is essential to ensure equality and non-discrimination for Black students.
- Transparency is to ensure that the public can see if and how duty-holders are upholding their human rights obligations and to increase the public's awareness.
- Students' well-being is central for ensuring that Black students feel safe, supported, and empowered in a learning environment where they can thrive emotionally, academically, and socially.
- Monitoring and evaluation are vital to measure progress, consistency of the education system's performance, and outcomes. Essentially, the Commission is calling for duty-holders to collect and analyze data to identify and address systemic barriers.
"Bold, systemic action is essential to address anti-Black racism and discrimination in education. Black students must be actively supported and empowered to thrive. This Action Plan is a blueprint for change. It places human rights at the core and outlines clear actions for education duty-holders to create learning environments where Black students can flourish and reach their full potential. The OHRC will continue to demand pragmatic leadership, including accountability, and an unwavering commitment to dismantling the barriers that have long denied Black students their right to education success," said Patricia DeGuire, Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
The release of this Action Plan is an important milestone in the OHRC's commitment to hold all duty-holders accountable for their legal obligations under the Code. The OHRC will continue to work with all parties to improve opportunities and outcomes for Black students disproportionately affected by discrimination in Ontario. Visit ohrc.on.ca to learn more.
Quick Facts
- On March 28, 2023, the OHRC announced an initiative to address anti-Black racism and discrimination in the publicly funded education system (English public, English Catholic, French public, and French Catholic) in support of these longstanding calls.
- The OHRC held roundtable discussions in April 2023 with Black Anglophone and Francophone students and duty-holders in the education sector to hear directly from them on solutions to address anti-Black racism in education. Following the roundtable discussions, the OHRC released the What We Heard Report.
- The OHRC also published a Compendium of Recommendations comprised of 83 reports spanning seven decades (1948 to 2023) that collectively demonstrate the existence and impact of anti-Black racism in education on students, families, and communities.
- In addition to the roundtable discussions, the OHRC consulted with community organizations, students, education workers, the Ministry of Education, an Anti-Black Racism in Education Advisory Group, key informants, and written submissions.
- This Action Plan builds on preceding and existing anti-Black racism and discrimination initiatives, including ones led by community organizations, advocates, unions, and the Ministry of Education, to address discrimination in education.
Action Plan
The following reports contributed to the development of the Action Plan:
Learn more
