Dozens of African Nova Scotian high school students marked Black Excellence Day at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, diving into deep conversations and exploring their identities and history.
“The theme is for students to come together to understand who they are in terms of being black, within their skin,” said event organizer Karen Hudson. “To understand they have a powerful history and culture and identity.”
Step into the Africentric Leadership Summit and ideas come alive.
“A day like this, a Black Excellence Day, is so important to us,” said Zion Ash, a student at Auburn Drive High School. “It empowers us. It teaches us about our history and somethings that maybe neglected from us are not taught in class.”
Students broke off into small discussion circles where they asked and answered key questions like who they are and what they have learned at school.
“It’s important to learn about your history and your culture,” Nate Slawter said to the room as he presented his group’s discussion points.
They defined micro-aggressions.
“Micro-aggressions are hidden, racially-motivated comments,” another student said.
The students at the leadership summit come from different schools in Nova Scotia but share a similar experience. They study some of their subjects, such as English and math, in Afri-centric cohorts -- classes made up of African Nova Scotian students.
It’s a learning environment where students have found a lot of support through which they have gained more knowledge and confidence.
“The cohort really elevated my learning in school and outside of school and I’ve had a really positive experience,” Nate Slawter said.
Adding to the conversation was Tanya Hudson, the event’s keynote speaker.
“Did you understand that we have a rich past, created by our ancestors for an amazing future for Black youth?” she said in her speech.
Hudson is originally from Cherry Brook, N.S., but is now an associate professor of the Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle Grades, Reading and Special Education Department at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, where she also serves as Interim Chair in the College of Education.
“Just seeing all this youth here. It’s just greatness waiting to happen,” Hudson said.
“Being able to have events like this, it makes us feel like we can come together and just be happy about who we are and just experiencing things together and just growing as a community and as people,” said Navaijah Slawter.
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