Archy Beals - Member's Statement
MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South.
MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the last day of African Heritage Month to recognize Archy Beals, the Halifax Regional School Board African Nova Scotian Representative. It's Archy's job to track things like racist incidents in schools.
I was reminded of the importance of this recently when I was contacted by a distraught Dartmouth parent whose daughter, age nine, is now in her second year of being subjected to racist bullying and epithets by a group of her peers - the same aggressors for two years, with no progress being made.
After contacting every level of government, all available resources, Archy is the only person who has given this mother genuine assistance, both personally in terms of practical advice and systemically in terms of bringing forward these issues at the school board level. The teacher, principal, and guidance counsellor at the school could not help, and Archy could.
Archy has been a tireless advocate for African Nova Scotian learners in Dartmouth. In response to the proposed education changes, he has lamented that African Nova Scotian learners will continue to be lost in a system that has not been and continues not to be friendly to them as a community - a marginalized and disenfranchised and disengaged community. At a recent town hall on education, Archy quoted a proverb: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go slow, go together.
Like Archy, I still hold out hope that we can go together and that voices like Archy's will not be lost in our school system.
MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Timberlea-Prospect.
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