A strong voice

Rihanna Harris raises her voice for change

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board heard a powerful voice advocating for change at its meeting on October 26. Ten-year-old Rihanna Harris, whom Director of Education Sean Monteith described as a “powerhouse”, made a deputation to have Black history education added to the school curriculum for students in the early grades. Rihanna has been subjected to racial taunting in the schoolyard since Grade 1, and says that she is speaking out for every child who is a minority, in the hope that by changing even one person’s mind, that it could start a chain reaction that will lead to the recognition of diversity as a strength, and promote a more equitable and inclusive environment. “I believe that racism is taught, either through parents, peers or the media, and if we are not educated on these things, then how do we expect to learn, how do we expect a more inclusive and diverse community?” she asks.

The idea of making a deputation to the school board came as a result of a class trip to Shire Hall last school year. “We went on a school trip, and I thought the whole process was interesting, how to make a plan come into action. So I reached out to Lesley Lavender and she offered to let me come to work with her. I sat there and I listened, and I thought, ‘Well, there are ways to make my voice heard, and to make change,’” says Rihanna. Over the summer, Rihanna researched the Ontario school curriculum, and sent an email to Monteith, who arranged for her to make a deputation to the board. “I highlighted bits and pieces of the curriculum that I find could be more focused on, because some of it we are not doing as much as we should be. It says that Ontario’s diversity is one of its greatest assets, but I think that we could make that better by including Black history,” says Rihanna. She noted that topics such as slavery, segregation and apartheid are covered to some degree, and she considers these negative events that should be balanced with positive events such as the civil rights movement. “I would really love to see Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela and the civil rights movement. That’s somewhere we can start. That would educate people on the positive side, and those are things we could be learning as well.”

Rihanna spoke to the board members via Zoom. Citing relevant sections from the curriculum and from the Ministry of Education website, she presented a compelling case for Black history to be taught in schools, something that would meet the board’s own objectives to promote diversity and inclusion. Her presentation would have been remarkable had it come from a high school graduate. Coming from a Grade Six student it was absolutely extraordinary, and several board members and trustees gave her a standing ovation. “Rihanna is an incredible example of someone who’s self-driven and they’ve used all the resources available to them,” said Trustee Jennifer Cobb. “I already kind of knew what she was going to be talking about, but the most exciting piece was that it dovetails right in with the five-year strategic planning that we are doing, and we’ve had a big focus on equity and social justice.” Trustee Alison Kelly was awed by Rihanna’s deputation. “She had a voice, she had a message, and she needed to be heard, and she went through all the appropriate channels and filled out all the applications.” Kelly notes that Rihanna is in good company with two other young County women who have made their voices heard, Talia Epstein and Moira Gaddes. “Seeing all these young women really rising up and making sure they’re being heard is really incredible. It was very exciting and I’m proud of her. There’s been a very loud and supportive response from the community.”

Rihanna’s mother, Barbie Harris, says that Rihanna has been asking her teachers for years to even teach one piece of Black history. “Every time she’s in a class and starts a new year, she will ask if they can teach just a piece of it, because she wants to learn and she finds it interesting. Rihanna has always said to me that she believes kids act the way they do sometimes with her and her brother is because they’ve never really been taught about it or have conversations about anything like that. She ran for Prime Minister of her class last year and she ended up getting elected, and her initiative was to teach Black history. Her teacher asked her to put together a lesson plan for the week, and she gave everybody projects to do, and they all researched on them.” Rihanna spent much of the summer researching for her deputation. “I’m super proud of Rihanna. She worked so hard all summer. I would wake up in the morning and she’d be listening to Michelle Obama’s speeches. She’s very motivated to see things through. I have to sometimes remind her she’s just 10. ‘Okay, you’re taking the afternoon off. Go outside and play.’ She sees something and she goes for it. She puts her all into everything she does. Even today, she was saying to me that anybody would be interested in Black history, because the struggles that Black people went through, they overcame them and she thinks that’s a positive thing for any kid to learn.”

The outcome of Rihanna’s deputation is that she will soon have a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Education to speak about how the curriculum could be changed and updated. In the meantime though, Rihanna remains an inquisitive and energetic kid who loves acrobatic dance and has a keen interest in biology. “Monday night was just a start,” says Barbie. “She’s like, ‘Oh, Mom, I’ve got a lot of work to do,’ and that’s just what Rihanna is like. She’s cool.”