#First Blacks Project

[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."

[zondearts]

Dove/need

[murmurmurl]

request thingies from over on the evil site that I particularly liked doing

[thetownsroyalmuseum]

context: trans reggie

Regulus Black has this deep urge to tell people stuff.

He obviously he couldn’t tell his parents everything because “You never shut up. You should learn to be more ladylike” so he learned to keep his mouth shut around them.

But he would burst into Sirius’ room all the time just to tell him small, meaningless stuff

“I just stubbed my toe, but then Kreture got me strawberries so i dont care anymore”

”what were to happen if you mix a poison with a growing potion?”

”SIRIUS! A butterfly just flew by my window!!”

”look look look! My socks are fuzzy!” (Andy secretly got them for him)

“siriuuuuuuus, my hair hurts”

“I drew something cool!” (Proceeds to show Siri a drawing of the same thing he’s drawn non-stop for a week and has shown sirius every single time) (“woah reggie thats amazing”)

etc. etc. etc.

like he just has a need to externalize all of his thoughts

so when Sirius left for hogwarts, Reg started writing them all down, and that’s how he got into writing.

by the time Sirius came back for Christmas that year, Reg had filled three notebooks full of just meaningless thoughts

obviously then they had a falling out and Reg hid his emotions even more, and he started writing even more

and thats when the whole emo poetry boy thing started

Eventually (around third year) he felt comfortable enough with the Skittles to tell them his thoughts

so randomly throughout the day he would whisper nonsense to them and they’d just smile at him, knowing that (unless he’s exited) theres no need to answer.

if he is exited than you best fucking believe they’re exited with him

but i just think he needs people to know his thoughts and to validate them. Because if not then are they even real? Like obviously they’re real but do they don’t count if it’s just in his head. They don’t actually exist.

and it’s the same thought process as to why he hides his emotions

if people aren't aware of them they don’t exist

i could keep going into deep thought about this urge and how it relates to his character and his relationships but for the point of this post, which was supposed to be cute, i’ll shut up here.

But yea

Regulus Black gives out his thoughts as if they were nick nacks

//This is MY opinion, if you don’t like my characterization of Reg, either scroll by or add something RESPECTFULLY. If you think this fits another character better, or would like to add something please do!!//

[jjuicejunior]

this middle aged man falls asleep on the train across from you and is snoring loudly after calling you "sweetfaces" - how do you open?

keralis for hermit-a-day may! check out the fundraiser!

[mothhue]

[Tutorial]- It's time to wake up!

Woke up 10 minutes ago, immediately fell twice on their face. You're doing great sweetie everyone wish them luck

[mikimeiko]

Black Doves | Season 1 (2024), Joe Barton

[ghastlycrew]

The simulacrum, whose peculiar function lies in what Sartre would have called the derealization of the whole surrounding world of everyday reality... The world thereby momentarily loses its depth and threatens to become a glossy skin, a stereoscopic illusion, a rush of images without density. But is this now a terrifying or an exhilarating experience?

Frederic Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism

[uhhlifeig]

Aparecium - April 1st - word count: 129 - @wolfstarmicrofic - Happy April Fools!!

Remus’s book lay forgotten as he inspected the blank sheet of parchment in his hands.

Sirius had just dropped it in his lap while walking by with no explanation nor context. 

What was he up to now? 

Remus flipped the parchment over, looking at it this way and that- until it clicked.

“Aparecium,” he muttered, watching as ink bloomed across the page.

Look in a mirror, the note read.

Remus sighed, going back to his book- until he noticed a strand of hair in front of his face. To his utter shock, it was Gryffindor red- surely it was Sirius’s doing.

Grumbling, Remus turned his hair back to its normal color, which released a mini shower of fireworks, spelling out April Fools, Moony! in shimmering gold.

April Fools, indeed.

[stargazelasagna]

HAIIIII Julie n sally my beloved,, ,

[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.

[padfootastic]

harry’s ‘saving people thing’ comes from james potter and if you disagree, u can bite me because that is the TRUTH

[ukioshi0]

?⠀ ⁱⁿ ᵃ 𝓑𝑙ack 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝒲ℎite ˢᵒᶜⁱᵉᵗʸ ˚ 𔓕 ᩙ

[where-is-vivian]

reckless first year barty, angry at the world out of his father's grip, picking fights with everyone, trying to fight first year regulus. who's looking him dead in the eye, one eyebrow up, like "what are you going to do? beat me up? like my parents?" and that shuts barty's fighting urges fast.

and they become friends.

[drsantosgf]

hen: i don't want anything serious right now

also hen: i need to get her pregnant right now we've known each other 48 hours

[barryslighting]

Evolution of Daredevil Television & Film Media 1975-2025 👓🦯