This past week, leading members of the Guelph Black Heritage Society visited the St. James Catholic High School community for a virtual discussion on the importance of #ChangeStartsNow.
#ChangeStartsNow is an initiative championed by the GBHS. Inclusive of #ChangeStartsNow was the recognition of February 2021 as Black Heritage Month, rather than Black History Month with the purpose of calling on the community to honour our past, celebrate today, and look toward the future.
“From the commencement of the presentation to the concluding statements, I felt so very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to attend this informative and inspiring presentation as it opened my eyes to how far we have come to make positive change, but also acknowledging that there is always room for improvement to bring light towards having a diverse community,” shared Giselle Castillejos, member of the St. James Social Justice Club. “Kween and Denise, both incredibly empowering and inspiring Black figures, spoke to those who attended the Microsoft Teams meet regarding the history of the Guelph Black Heritage Society, the importance of the #changestartsnow initiative, changing Black History to Black Heritage, and how we as a community can honour the past, make an impact in the present, and look towards a brighter tomorrow.”
The Social Justice Club and St. James school community reached out to Denise Francis, President of GBHS and Kween, Executive Director of the GBHS, requesting an opportunity to gain more insight and to hear empowering voices that continuously make strides to ensure the entire BIPOC community and their stories are heard, seen, and celebrated.
“During the presentation, Kween of the Guelph Black Heritage Society stated, ‘Nothing good brings you to activism’. Among all of the empowering things that were mentioned at this talk, that particular line stuck with me as when humanity desires to fight for change, it has been derived from something discriminatory or uncomfortable to bring up the activism in the first place,” said Castillejos. “As we know, in order to see and be the change, we must begin to talk about the things that make us uncomfortable or make us feel unsettled. We must know that where there is systemic racism, this presents the opportunity for all of us to utilize our voice and platform for the greater good. The power and impact of change begins with a simple statement or the question being, ‘What can we do now to benefit the present and future?’ Black Lives Matter was more than just a movement; it was a significant shift that was necessary for society to ensure we rise above acts of racism, hate, and adversity. You have to develop the courage to stand up and call racism out. Opportunities are being presented to us to recognize the spaces that need to change and grow.”
As Castillejos shared, the #ChangeStartsNow initiative is important for creating a better future for our community.
“As students and educators, we must remember that we don’t have to hold a position on a council, club, or on any team with a specific position to classify ourselves as leaders. If you inspire somebody to be more and do more towards the pathway to bettering our society, you are a leader. Change starts with you and truly begins with a single step,” said Castillejos. “As a community, we must acknowledge that Black Lives Matter is not a trend, nor it is something that you can post for one moment. It is a continuous thing. It is a movement. It is up to us, the changemakers of today, to inspire and help generate more changemakers for tomorrow. There is an abundant amount of power within the present and what we can do as a community to ensure a brighter future for everyone. St. James, keep raising your voices and be the change. I am with you every step of the way.”
The Guelph Black Heritage Society will be hosting #ChangeStartsNow Anti-Racism Summit from Thursday, April 29 – Sunday, May 2. The multi-day summit and bi-monthly activities will bring together speakers to address racism, with the goal to engage and educate the community. More information will be available at https://www.guelphblackheritage.ca/ by next week.
The St. James Social Justice Club continues to focus on making the world a better place, to follow along with their events and initiatives please follow them on Twitter.