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), poet, and recognized educator (Governor-General Award for Teaching Excellence Finalist, 2011, A.H.E.N. Excellence in Teaching Award winner, 2016). He has served as a curriculum consultant for the OBHS (Ontario Black History Society) and has written curriculum for the Ontario Ministry of Education. He has also written freelance for the Toronto Star, and was featured in an article in Sway Magazine highlighting his innovative approach to classroom teaching and education. Two plays that Greg wrote, Do You Remember Me and Pieces of a Black Woman’s Soul, were performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival, Toronto’s largest theatre and performance festival, and for sold out audiences at the Sandbox Theatre in downtown Toronto respectively. Greg is the founder of G.I.A. Productions, a youth-focused organization that uses the artistic mediums of spoken word, drama, dance, and music to stage original productions that promote education, history, and positivity in the community. He is a Senior Writer for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Kids website and the co-developer and co-presenter of See Us, Learning Us: Teaching the Black Canadian Experience, a nation-wide webinar for educators in partnership with Nelson Education.

Coleen Birkett is an educator with the Toronto District School Board. She has over 20 years of classroom experience in Canada, Bermuda, and Central America. In addition to her work in the classroom, Coleen has also worked as an instructional coach. Her volunteer experiences include presenting workshops to educators and students in Ghana, West Africa and serving as a school accreditation committee member in New York. Ms. Birkett has also been a contributing author to a Black History textbook used in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Bermuda.