A friend shared this story with me just after Christmas.

His son got a $10 bill from his grandfather. If you’ve seen the new bill, it’s a striking design featuring a portrait of Viola Desmond. After checking out the note for a bit, his son asked him, “Who’s the lady on my money?”

He told him that Viola Desmond was a Canadian heroine who took a stand against racism in Nova Scotia when, in 1946, she refused to leave a whites-only section of a movie theatre. “Oh, you mean she’s like Rosa Parks?,” his son responded.

My friend stopped in his tracks, realizing not only did his son not know about a Canadian heroine, he had some knowledge of Rosa Parks, who famously wouldn’t surrender her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama.

It also struck him that Rosa Parks’ act of resistance happened a full 9 years after Desmond’s act!

After telling me this tale, my friend asked me, “How come our education system doesn’t help kids learn the history in our own backyard? We have many examples in Canadian history of minorities acting to right injustice and bring positive change to our communities.”

His question was a good one and one that I was happy to tackle because we do things differently at Walden.

February is Black History month, and the internet is full of ideas, posters, lesson plans, activities and links to help educators and parents share the story of black resistance. That’s the 2023 Black History month theme - resistance - celebrating how Black people have resisted oppression, discrimination, and prejudice.

We acknowledge these special months and days by undertaking activities and lessons. However, we also know that in order to create good people, we must and do incorporate relevant lessons into our curriculum all year round.

I was wandering around Instagram recently and came upon this illustration. I felt compelled to share it with you. Too often, even those of us who acknowledge Pink Shirt Day, Orange Shirt Day, Black History Month, International Women's Day and so on pay attention for a moment, then move on with life, feeling that we’ve done our bit. I don’t think that cuts it. Especially in ensuring that our students comprehend the full scope of how change is achieved.

Last month I shared some thoughts on how we can all be the change. This month I am encouraging you to maintain that momentum and find methods to bring awareness and understanding to your daily life and those of your kids.