As part of Black History Month, Natasha Henry-Dixon, assistant professor in the Department of History, was a guest on TVO's "The Rundown" discussing the importance of teaching Black history in Ontario classrooms. The Ministry of Education recently announced plans to introduce new courses on Black history in grades seven, eight and 10. Henry-Dixon discusses how this new curriculum is important for locating people of African descent within Canada, since this community has been there for 400 years alongside people of European descent. She discusses current issues with Black history education and the importance of training and “unlearning” for new educators who are teaching Black Canadian history. Henry-Dixon also discusses ways to enrich the Black history curriculum in Canada and shared her favourite piece of Black history.
Henry-Dixon is a 2018 Vanier Scholar whose research examines the enslavement of African people in early Ontario. Her publications include Emancipation Day: Celebrating Freedom in Canada (June 2010), Talking about Freedom: Celebrating Freedom in Canada (2012) and several entries on African Canadian history for the Canadian Encyclopedia. She has developed educational resources for several projects on the Black experience in Canada. Through her professional, academic and community roles, Henry-Dixon’s work is grounded in a commitment to research, collect, preserve and disseminate the histories of African Canadians.
Watch the full interview on TVO.