UPDATES OCTOBER 25
Diversity Magazine wanted to know what will happen if Una goes to school to drop her son Emmell and got this response from the school:
“Sir, Edmonton Catholic Schools has never barred the student from Christ the King Catholic School. We have always stated that he is welcome and that he needs to be in school. Of the more than 900 students, a great many of the students are driven to school by their parents and are simply dropped off allowing them to walk onto the premises. This would be no different for Emmell and his family”. Lori
This week we had the opportunity to share with you this sensational story of a single mother, Una, protesting her ban, demands an apology, and wants her 11 years old son back in class in an Edmonton school called Christ the King Elementary and Junior High. Her son Emmell was not let into class for wearing a durag as the school considered the durag to signify gang affiliation. Well, we must say that Una embodies all the traits of black hospitality as she is not looking for any one to be punished or hurt, but just being the lioness in a mother that our mothers are.
Christ the King will not tell Diversity Magazine their own side of the story but said the story as we know is is untrue. The Catholic School Board too will not comment or answer questions on this issue. Una secretly recorded her conversation with the principal, Switzer, which brought to light a failure on the part of the principal in engaging a parent on a topic as sensitive in our community as gang membership. During the period of the heated exchange with Una, the principal will bring up the gang affiliation stuff multiple times. Instead of taking the gang accusation back quickly and diffuse the situation, the principal went on to press the panic button, invited the police and Una was force to leave, followed by her ban to the school.
This week, if the Catholic School Board has the objective to make black parents not to enroll their kids into catholic schools, then they did an excellent job with the negative PR they got from this story. Going forward, if the Catholic School Board wants to show their inclusion and family side as they say they are a family, I guess students like Emmell, and parents like Una are all part of that one happy family who can disagree, but somehow figure out how to move on without using the force of the police, then yes, there is still the window of opportunity to do that.
Diversity Magazine described the Catholic Board as a colonial-styled organization because in a colonial setting, you have to do what the organization ask you to do, or they will make you do it, in worst cases, they will use force on you as with the touch of a button, the police will appear, and whisk you out. In other words you are treated as a subject and not a client.
Well, in a modern day setting, say a bank where you might have had issues before, the tiller does something that you found sensitive or offensive, you invite a supervisor for a chat, he or she acts as a calming force, brings a voice of reason, calms down the situation or in some cases, invites you to the office, and the problem is resolved without the knowledge of the person standing by your side. This is because the bank treats you as a client and as such, wants to make you happy and keep you as a client, of course while staying inline with bank policy. This is called problem solving excellent communication skills.
Who calls the police on a client who poses no thread? Police is bad news for an organization to call on a client because you just proved that you have power over the client (subject) and you can use it any time with no second thought. On the other hand, a single mother and her 11 years old son feels oppressed and fights back using modern day tools – social media and the community and the media, which the Catholic School Board seems not to have an effective reply, thereby leading to a PR disaster.
You know what, all is not lost. In as much as we appreciate the wonderful job, and must say difficult work that the schools do to give our kids the best education that there is out there, the colonial approach has led the Catholic School Board this far. Now is time for them to leave their computers and the comfort of their offices and try the community approach. The good news is, Una only needs the ban lifted and her son back in class. The bad news is the Catholic School Board still has to clean up the mess in the community.
The Catholic School Board Superintendent and Board Chair should reach out to the black community leaders; ask the Africa Centre to host the meeting, invite all the leaders in the community, including influencers like MLA David Shepherd and the African Liaison Committee of the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) to have some friendly police presence. Tell the leaders how you appreciate their children in your schools, the importance of diversity, share with them how the class misses Emmell and wants him back, detail why hair garments are not allowed in class without being offensive to the black culture. Highlight the importance of discipline and the need to follow the school rules and regulations to help Emmell and every child grow to their full potential. Release a statement after that meeting to thank everyone for their support, do a small welcome party for Emmell when he comes back to class, create a multiculturalism day to share and celebrate different cultures in Catholic Schools.
After all, family will always be family, and will stick together despite their differences.
The story from Una in her own words
Last month, an 11 year old Black child named Emmell decided to wear a durag to Christ the King School. He was immediately treated with suspicion by the principal, Phebe Switzer. She told him to remove the durag due to “gang affiliations.” Emmell said no and was sent to the School Resource Officer by Phebe. The officer continued to question Emmell and pushed the gang accusation. The officer then listed off a number of gangs that Emmell could potentially be apart of due to simply wearing a durag. The officer then called Una, Emmell’s mother. The officer told Una that Emmell won’t be able to return to class without removing the durag. The short conversation focused on the “gang” implications of a durag.
A week later, a meeting was organized between the principal and Una. The meeting lasted 10 minutes. Throughout the meeting the principal refused to apologize for the gang accusation and even doubled down and even suggested that Emmell could be in a gang for simply wearing a durag. The principal then said that the tone of the mother was unacceptable and pushed the panic button. This triggered a school lock down where additional officers arrived and found no “threat” to the principle. Una was then subsequently banned from the school for one year. Una is the one who drives Emmell to school so Emmell hasn’t been able to go to school for a month. We have the receipts.
The entire meeting was recorded and shows no “anger” or “Screaming” at the principle. This recording will be released soon. The tone policing and punishment of Una is another clear case of racial profiling. Until now, the school has not apologized. All Una and Emmell want is an apology. It is time to go public and ask for that apology. Una, Emmell, and the community are calling for the following actions from the Catholic School Board.: – An immediate apology to Una and Emmell. – The removal of the one year ban on Una to Christ the King School – For school officials and officers to undergo training on the cultural importance of durags and the dangers of racial profiling.. Community Members will hold a gathering where Una and her child will speak and tell their story. The gathering will take place at 6:00 PM at RJW Mather Park
