About This Webinar
Black Canadian communities are very diverse. As a result, there is an emerging culture comprised of elements from the many Black populations in Canada today. This session continues the dialogue concerning how Black Canadians are defining belonging with emphasis on:
• The influence of Caribbean, African and American nation languages on Black Canadian communities
• Hair Politics: cultural retention and conformity

The goals of this session are to:

• Create an awareness of how Black hair can be weaponized or become a point of discrimination
• Provide a conduit for creating classrooms that allow all students to be their authentic selves, and enhance their sense of belonging
Presenters
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Greg Birkett
Greg Birkett is a published co-author (Black History: Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas – Emond Montgomery Publications, The Great Black North Poetry Anthology-Frontenac House Poetry) and recognized educator (Governor-General Award for Teaching Excellence Finalist, 2011, A.H.E.N. Excellence in Teaching Award winner, 2016). He has written curriculum for the Ontario Ministry of Education and has served as a curriculum consultant for the OBHS (Ontario Black History Society) in the past. Greg is a Senior Writer for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Kids website and has also written freelance for the Toronto Star. He has appeared on CityTV News and Breakfast Television, Global News, and CTV News to discuss issues pertaining to anti-Black racism, its impact on the education system, and strategies to address these ongoing challenges. Greg is a poet and playwright. Two plays that Greg wrote, Do You Remember Me and Pieces of a Black Woman’s Soul, were performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Sandbox Theatre in downtown Toronto respectively. Greg Birkett is the co-developer and co-presenter of See Us, Learn Us: Teaching the Black Canadian Experience, a nationwide webinar for educators and education stakeholders in partnership with Nelson Education. He has and continues to create material and resources for Nelson’s digital learning eco-system Edwin.
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Coleen Birkett
Coleen Birkett is an educator with over twenty years of classroom experience. In addition to teaching, Coleen has, as a freelance writer, written many articles for community publications. She has also coauthored the textbook Black History: Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, which is in use in school boards throughout the GTA, Nova Scotia and Bermuda. Additionally, Coleen is instrumental in providing leadership in the development, organization, and facilitation of very successful educational forums for youth during Black Heritage month. Coleen’s experience as an educator is quite diverse as she has taught in Central America, Toronto, and Bermuda in both public and private schools. She has developed and presented workshops to educators in West Africa and Bermuda. Additionally, Coleen was selected to be a member of an evaluation team to assess the eligibility of a private school in New York for accreditation. In 2009, she was a recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching for her work in Bermuda. Miss Birkett has also worked as an Instructional Coach for the Toronto District School Board’s Literacy and Numeracy initiative. Coleen is a co-developer and co-presenter of See Us, Learn Us: Teaching the Black Canadian Experience, a nationwide webinar for educators in partnership with Nelson Education. Coleen is currently involved in writing resources for Nelson Education based on the material presented in the See Us, Learn Us Webinar.