Life
Feature: Toronto’s Africentric school – 3 years after it’s inception
A grade one class from the Africentric school perform a poem in honour of Martin Luther King Jr. PHOTO/Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star
Located in an ethnically diverse area of the city’s west end, the atmosphere at Toronto’s Africentric Alternative School has an undeniable jubilant spirit and unique charm. The students’ high-pitched laughter is punctuated by drumming that reverberates throughout the building. In the school office, kente cloth hangs on the wall, as does African art. There are posters depicting African-American historical figures (including Barack Obama, today’s symbol of Black success) with the words Greatness, Struggle, Achievement. The office is adorned with the accomplishment of Black people and the students who frequent the office are reminded of this.
Thando Hyman-Aman has been the school’s principal since its inception in 2009. She carries herself in a dignified manner and, in a soft voice, articulately explains the origins and objectives of her school. “The Africentric school is a product of 40 years of advocacy,” she says. “Members of the African-Canadian community have been really looking at alternative solutions. Ways in which to re-engage students – Black children – into the education system so that they can see themselves positively reflected, and as leaders in their communities.”
