Freddie P's Blog

May 22, 2008 @ 10:13

The city of Toronto took a giant leap backwards last night with the official approval of an Africentric school which will open in the fall of 2009.

I can’t believe I’m actually sitting here writing this piece.

Here it is, the year 2008, Toronto prides itself in being a multi-cultural city in a diverse country, yet we’ve buckled under to the politically correct again and allowed something to happen that is not only wrong, it’s downright embarrassing.

Everything that Canada stands for crumbles with this decision. Allowing segregation in our schools is nothing to be proud of. This is not progressive and it’s definitely not a solution for what ails black youth in the current school system.

It’s an excuse. Nothing more than a silly excuse for parents who let their kids down at home long before they were let down at school.

It’s a power play. It’s ill equipped parents looking to blame some else for their shortcomings and then standing behind the all mighty “R” word to get their way.

And it’s pathetic. It’s pathetic that this could be allowed to happen in this day and age, especially when you consider what black people have fought against for generations. It’s wrong, and what makes it even worse is that most of the people who voted in favour of this probably know it’s wrong.

But they were afraid to say so.

And the spotlight should go on trustee Maria Rodrigues today. She did the most predictable thing during last nights final vote which will allow this regressive joke to go forward.

She accused fellow trustee Josh Matlow of being racist simply because he apposed to the idea. How predictable, how mindless, how manipulative.

In some respects however, what Rodriques did was a solid argument against the school. It goes back to my point about a power play. This school exists mainly on the strength of the "R" word. During the whole process opposition was stifled by it's use. It stopped rational debate and silenced those who might have had good reason to be against it.

It divided the trustees. Much like the school will divide children.

And this is only the beginning, make no mistake about it.

On the heels of last nights decision to open a school for kindergarten to grade five, demands were made for a high school. It will only grow from here. The segregation will only spread.

It’s a sad day for Toronto, it’s a sad day for Canada.