firstblacksproject

[firstblacksproject]

SHORT PROFILE

Name: Maedith Radlein Place of birth: Kingston, Jamaica Current Occupation: Retired First black person to: First Black principal for the Waterloo Region District School Board

"I now use my voice to bring awareness and to remind people of these things, because these barriers certainly exist. I find that increasingly as a result of things like Black Lives Matter. You know, the great advocacy being done by the Indigenous peoples in Canada, Me Too movement, there's a lot more awareness that the status quo is not okay."

Did you aspire to become the first Black person to become a principal for the Waterloo Region Public School Board?

No, it was not an aspiration. It happened because I think timing, having become vice principal after a couple years I applied to the principal's pool and was successful. At that time, I was the only principal appointed. So, there was another Black VP, but she applied later than I did to become a principal.

What obstacles did you face getting to your position generally and racially?

It's hard to say, I can't say a faced any obstacles. I think when I started thinking about barriers was when I was being assigned to schools, because every year you were asked to, you know, indicate your interest in your goals. I always asked that, I put in a school that had that had, you know, a lot of ethnic diversity and so on, and I never was. I always wondered about that, why I was sent to schools where there were very few people that look like me, because once I started on the principal path, it occurred to me that the importance of my doing that lay the fact that I was a role model for students, the board had done an equity audit in 2009.

"A student said, you know, I can't be a teacher, because I'm not white."

I realized that the role modelling was really important. And despite my request to be placed in schools that you had a high percentage of racialized students I never was.

You're currently running for elected Board of Trustees. Are you facing any obstacles running for that right now?

I do a lot of volunteer work, and I use those positions as an opportunity to bring awareness. So, I use those positions to give voice to concerns I have about decision making that forget, you know that not everybody has the same life experience. Not everybody has the same life background, many cases. 

It can be something as simple as economic status, a lot of what we do, and a lot of what is offered, you know, is forgetting that not everybody is able to afford certain things or has access to certain things, and I think that applies also to race. The fact that many decision makers are for the most part, Canadians, and so they assume that everybody's experience is like their experiences, which of course it's not.

When I was working as an administrator, it was common for me to go to meetings, where issues came up in schools, and we'd be talking about parents and you know, it could be a racialized parent. The administrators at the meeting would make the comment, "oh, the parent came into play the race card," no reflection in terms of what do they mean by that? And what would lead them to say something, and immediately demonized the parent for calling attention to the fact that there may have been some prejudice, bias, discrimination, racism, and not reflecting at all and practice.

I think this continues in our schools, which is one of the reasons I'm going to continue to speak up, but the importance of self-reflection, where if somebody says, this is my experience, instead of dismissing it, to say, so tell me about that, and to validate the person and to understand that your experience is not everybody's experience. So rather than dismissing and demeaning, we want to listen and to accept that there are different realities.

What did you enjoy about your position? And what did you learn?

I love the students; I had a great time with students. I had a gift, I was able to remember names, so I knew my students’ names. I learned about them, and I enjoyed the students. I enjoyed the parents that I got to know in terms of their child's learning, but also you know that their children have lives outside of school and you become a part of that.

I think teaching is a wonderful profession, you have young lives that you have the privilege of being a part of and children are just delightful. They have no hang ups, they have no agendas. They see what they think, they are what they are, and I think it was a real privilege not only to teach, but to teach in the public system because it keeps you humble. It makes you realize that you live in your bubble, you are middle class or whatever bubble you live in, and there is a world outside that bubble that thinks may think differently, lives differently, has different values, an extremely enriching experience, and a real privilege to be there.

So, I learned a lot I learned about people I learned about cultures I learned that, you know, we need to respect each other. 

"In a public school, there is every religion, every culture, every language, and you realize that we are people, we are all the same, there is no other. Because we are the same, and so that was a great learning. I had fun."

[firstblacksproject]

SHORT PROFILE

Name: Darren Hamilton Place of birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Current Occupation: High School Music Teacher and University Music Instructor First black person to: First Black recipient of the Juno’s 2022 MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award

"I've always been passionate about diversity being present in music education"

What current what positions Did you hold? Or what did you do that made you the first Black person to accomplish what you did?

In 2022, I was the recipient of the music counts, Teacher of the Year Award at the Juno'. It's the Juno Award that recognizes music educators across Canada once a year, and I was the first Black music educator to be the recipient of this award in 17 years of the award being established.

Can you tell me what led you to become a music educator?

I worked four years full-time as a personal banker, and one of the things I discovered in that role was my passion for teaching and educating. And it was through that, I discovered I had a passion for teaching, so I then started to explore that passion further by volunteering at an elementary school, and I also volunteered as a camp counsellor.

Then I thought to myself, you know what, I have this passion for teaching, but I really also love music, which is what I did for my degree and maybe I can put the two together. So I decided to go back to university, I did some upgrading courses in music education, and then I applied to Teachers College, and then finished teachers college and got a full time job immediately after and the rest is history.

"There's also pressure, I think to perform at a particular level with anything, when you are awarded something. It's almost like you now have the microscope or the spotlight on you, and everyone's looking to see what you're going to do next. Or there's pressure for you to continue excelling an upward trend."

Do you feel a lot of pressure being the first?

Yes, I do feel pressure being the first Black music educator, it is an honour, I'm not going to negate that is extremely honoured, and I'm humbled and thankful for the opportunity. But there's also pressure, I think to perform at a particular level with anything, when you are awarded something. It's almost like you now have the microscope or the spotlight on you, and everyone's looking to see what you're going to do next. Or there's pressure for you to continue excelling an upward trend.

To see the work that I've done and the impact that I'm making at the school is something that just reminds me that, although there's a certain amount of pressure, there's also a certain amount of pride in terms of being proud that I've actually accomplished something. And what I've accomplished was not just for me, but it's for a community of people. It's for the next generation for them to be able to see that excellence is possible, achieving your goals and your dreams is possible.

[firstblacksproject]

SHORT PROFILE

Name: Ingrid Berkeley Place of birth: Georgetown, Guyana Current Occupation: Retired Deputy Chief / Peel Regional Police First black person to: First Black female police officer with the Peel Regional Police (1986) / First Black female superintendent in Canada (2016) / First Black highest ranking female Deputy Chief in Canada

"I think the one thing I would say, to anyone coming in, and this is, you know, whether they're black, or female, and I and I'm going to look at those two parts, because that's the two parts, you know, for myself, I would always say you have to be remain authentic, be yourself, policing, I could have joined that organization and be this rough, tough, you know, but that's not that was never who I was, and I was not going to change to be that person."

Can you tell me what led you to become a police officer?

My father was a police officer in Guyana, my father died when I was 6. 

So, you know, I really didn't know a whole lot about policing, per se. I was doing volunteer work for probation and parole, and I happened to meet a Black police officer from Toronto Police. His name was Sid Young, and he told me, have you ever thought of becoming a police officer?

So, when I went to Toronto Police in 1981. Back then there was a height weight requirement to become a police officer. So, you stepped into this recruiting area, and the first thing you did was step on the scale. I was disqualified from the process because I was told I was underweight. But I still continued, I decided to join a gym, you know, get a little bit buffed, I suppose to gain that weight. 

"I always say I was always tempted to go back with weights in my pocket and step on the scale. But I thought, yeah, that wouldn't work, right."

Did you feel a lot of pressure being the first, did you know that when you applied for these positions that you know that you're going to be the first Black or not? And if you did, did you feel any pressure from holding this position?

So, I'd say when I when I applied to be a superintendent and Deputy Chief. Superintendent, I didn't think I was going to be the first black female. I had a young lady that went through the Police College with me this was back in 86, we really were only two black females in a group of 300, and she was promoted to inspector before me.

Then I became the first black female superintendent, and I didn't know that. But the Deputy Chief, I knew that I was going to be that first black female.

I did feel pressure. Because I knew that there's kind of two ways, right? I knew the community was, depending on me, too. They're all supporting me. But I also felt (pressure) inside the organization. I think there were people that were looking for me to fail. 

As I moved up, they were just looking to see if I made an error, and I made mistakes along the way, it was magnified. So, I knew there was that pressure, because now you have to be that perfect individual, right?

You know because I was very active in the black community. I feel like I had that support out there when I was called on to do a lot of speaking engagements sitting on panels and stuff like that. It can be overwhelming. But it was also my way of giving back to them for what they did for me on the way up as I moved up the ranks. So, appreciate it.

"I just felt I could not do anything to disgrace the Black community. "

What advice do you have for younger self, or others coming up in the same way that you did, whether becoming the first Black, or just within your, your own field of work?

I think the one thing I would say, to anyone coming in, and this is, you know, whether they're black, or female, and I and I'm going to look at those two parts, because that's the two parts, you know, for myself, I would always say you have to be remain authentic, be yourself. 

Policing, I could have joined that organization and be rough and tough, you know, but that was never who I was, and I was not going to change to be that person. So, you have to be authentic because that's what's gonna guide you, you don't change who you are, to fit in. Because you're not being yourself, your true self, when you're doing things. You'll be who you are, and I think that takes you a long way. 

So, for me, that's the key message I would give to anyone going into any organization even if it's a male, right? Just be true to yourself, and I always like to say be authentic and remain authentic throughout? It's gonna guide you, and it's gonna take you very far.