Fergus high school students working to reduce racism

FERGUS – The high school experience for students of colour in Fergus is changing for the better, thanks to the Students of Colour Alliance (SOCA) at Centre Wellington District High School. 

That’s according to four-year SOCA member Timi Banjo, who said, “I know for sure my high school experience wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for the group.” 

For Banjo, SOCA is a space where he feels safe and connected to other students of colour.

The group plans initiatives and events with the goal of raising awareness and helping students of colour feel welcome at school. 

In Grade 9, Banjo felt nervous about being a minority at school, but joining SOCA helped him feel connected with his peers. 

His sister will be starting Grade 9 next year, and Banjo is encouraging her to join, as he’s confident it will improve her high school experience. 

The student-led group meets each Tuesday at lunchtime, under the guidance of teachers Jose Martinez and Alannah Sawatsky.

On Feb. 10, SOCA held a Black Brilliance party with pizza and music in Sawatsky’s Spanish classroom. 

She welcomed each student as they entered the room, making small talk about their lives and the Super Bowl halftime show. 

“You all made it through semester one, and we are so proud of all of you,” Sawatsky told the group, before reminding them the ways she and Martinez can offer support. 

She said they’re happy to be references for scholarships and other  applications, and if students are called down to the office, whether the reason is good or bad, she and Martinez are always willing to accompany them. 

“Remember, in that moment, you always have us,” she said. 

Elnor Walsh is a social worker and member of Centre Wellington's diversity, equity and inclusion advisory committee who attended the Black Brilliance party.

She said she's looking forward to getting to know the SOCA students and to support the group.

With nearly 50 members in Grades 9 through 12, Banjo said the group has grown into “something that’s pretty well known around school now.”

It began with a group of Grade 11 students who Banjo said “had seen a lot of racism and didn’t want other people to go through the same.”

He said, “It really just blossomed from there.”

Those students who started SOCA are aiming to return to the school for a club meeting later this month. 

Banjo has noticed a shift at school since the group formed. More teachers recognize and respond to racism now, he said.

For Black History Month, students are participating in
an annual school-wide Black Brilliance in Music Bracket. 

“Every day in the morning, homeroom teachers play two songs from Black artists,” Banjo said, and each class votes for which song they prefer in a tournament determining what artists the school likes best overall. 

It’s become a tradition students look forward to, and leads to fun debates, he said. 

Some of this year’s contenders are SZA, Beyoncé, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd, said Banjo.

“I try to get Drake to win every year.”   

SOCA students also organize a Ramadan party, something Banjo is particularly excited for as it’s a holiday he celebrates. 

Whenever a group member suggests a religion or tradition they feel needs increased awareness, SOCA will research and share what they’ve learned in a range of ways, such as a morning announcements.

When Grade 8 students visited the Fergus high school for a tour, SOCA members were on hand to share information about the group. 

SOCA students also go on trips, including a recent outing to hear author Lawrence Hill, who wrote the Book of Negroes and a collection of other fiction and non-fiction work. 

Banjo said it was “very empowering” to hear Hill speak, and trips like that help show SOCA members “even though they’re part of the minority, that doesn’t make us less than anyone.” 

The group meetings are a mix of social time and organizing, Banjo said, sometimes with snacks for everyone.

“We want people to feel welcome and comfortable,” he said, and the meetings are not very structured.

“We’re socializing while trying to figure out what’s the next move – what do we feel like would help the school next?”