About This Webinar
The recorded presence of Black people in Canada dates to the 1600s. This session will focus on forging an identity in a new environment with emphasis on:
• Why See Us, Learn Us
• The first Black man in Canada, Black Loyalists, and Jamaican Maroons
• Enslavement in Canada
• Freedom Seekers, The Underground Railroad and Black Settlements

The goals of this session are to:

• Provide educators with knowledge of the integral role of Black people in helping to establish Canadian society as we see it today
• Make curriculum connections that will provide educators with strategies for incorporating the session’s content in the classroom to provide students with an understanding of the longevity of the Black presence in Canada—from the time of the Europeans’ arrival
• Enable educators to bring this learning to students so they will have a more all-encompassing picture of all the people groups present at the onset of the establishment of what is now Canada

Presenters
1611806510-c9f2ed1d1449c860
Greg Birkett
Greg Birkett is a published co-author (Black History: Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas – Emond Montgomery Publications, The Great Black North Poetry Anthology-Frontenac House Poetry) and recognized educator (Governor-General Award for Teaching Excellence Finalist, 2011, A.H.E.N. Excellence in Teaching Award winner, 2016). He has written curriculum for the Ontario Ministry of Education and has served as a curriculum consultant for the OBHS (Ontario Black History Society) in the past. Greg is a Senior Writer for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Kids website and has also written freelance for the Toronto Star. He has appeared on CityTV News and Breakfast Television, Global News, and CTV News to discuss issues pertaining to anti-Black racism, its impact on the education system, and strategies to address these ongoing challenges. Greg is a poet and playwright. Two plays that Greg wrote, Do You Remember Me and Pieces of a Black Woman’s Soul, were performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Sandbox Theatre in downtown Toronto respectively. Greg Birkett is the co-developer and co-presenter of See Us, Learn Us: Teaching the Black Canadian Experience, a nationwide webinar for educators and education stakeholders in partnership with Nelson Education. He has and continues to create material and resources for Nelson’s digital learning eco-system Edwin.
1611805974-4d646c635f12812a
Coleen Birkett
Coleen Birkett is an educator with over twenty years of classroom experience. In addition to teaching, Coleen has, as a freelance writer, written many articles for community publications. She has also coauthored the textbook Black History: Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, which is in use in school boards throughout the GTA, Nova Scotia and Bermuda. Additionally, Coleen is instrumental in providing leadership in the development, organization, and facilitation of very successful educational forums for youth during Black Heritage month. Coleen’s experience as an educator is quite diverse as she has taught in Central America, Toronto, and Bermuda in both public and private schools. She has developed and presented workshops to educators in West Africa and Bermuda. Additionally, Coleen was selected to be a member of an evaluation team to assess the eligibility of a private school in New York for accreditation. In 2009, she was a recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching for her work in Bermuda. Miss Birkett has also worked as an Instructional Coach for the Toronto District School Board’s Literacy and Numeracy initiative. Coleen is a co-developer and co-presenter of See Us, Learn Us: Teaching the Black Canadian Experience, a nationwide webinar for educators in partnership with Nelson Education. Coleen is currently involved in writing resources for Nelson Education based on the material presented in the See Us, Learn Us Webinar.