Fast-forward to today, when I tell my children to be leaders, not followers, I am not unlike most parents encouraging them to think for themselves and stand up for what they believe in

But how can we tell our children to think for themselves and stand up, when school boards are being pressured into dictating which causes are "acceptable" for students to stand up for?

A few weeks ago, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) organized a field trip to the Grassy Narrows River Run rally to educate the students about environmental justice. The event was held to pressure the Ontario government to address mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows First Nation. 

It took a turn when some folks chanted pro-Palestinian slogans. Ontario Premier Doug Ford called it a "Palestinian rally" and complained that teachers were trying to indoctrinate children. There was an investigation by the Ministry of Education, and both the board and the Ministry reviewed field trip protocols to ensure they met educational goals.

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So, what are those educational goals? Removing politics from the classroom?

Unfortunately, for many of us, the classroom has always been political. From anti-Black racism, homophobia, and anti-Indigeneity to Islamophobia and antisemitism, we are told what is appropriate to support and what we should turn our backs on. What message are we sending to kids? “Stand against oppression, but not that oppression.” 

Just recently (September 30), students were asked to wear orange shirts to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Meanwhile, the TDSB cancelled field trips to a ceremony honouring residential school survivors because of worries it could become political. 

We cannot shield young people from what’s happening around us. World events, and what education systems believe is acceptable, will always be political if you belong to a marginalized group.

We’ve seen tens of thousands of people killed by Israel’s military in Gaza. 

Canada’s First Nations are still demanding clean water. 

Black Canadians continue to face anti-Blackness in all the social determinants of health.

This is all political.

Earlier this year, student protests at Canadian university campuses including the University of Toronto and Montreal’s McGill University occupied spaces in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The students demanded their institutions divest from companies linked to Israel’s military actions. 

Ford, along with current Education Minister Jill Dunlop, formerly the Minister of Colleges and Universities, condemned the protests as 'unacceptable,' but what is truly unacceptable is how selectively we choose which forms of activism are allowed.

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Hate speech, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and genocide are wrong, period. I will not downplay the fear that Jewish communities around the world feel. It’s valid and we must recognize that. 

Let me be very clear: Hamas’ killing of almost 1,200 Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023, was an act of terror and evil. Antisemitism across the country has increased, while hate crimes against Muslim Canadians are also on the rise. Standing up for more than 40,000 Palestinian lives doesn’t negate Jewish suffering—it simply values all lives equally.

It is also very obvious that, in this society, some lives are deemed more important than others. I can’t justify silencing Palestinian voices to maintain the status quo and keep us politely Canadian as we watch children and babies blown up.

There are people in our communities who are actively working to silence everyone they disagree with—from potential book bans in Peel Regional School Board to the removal of certain words from the Durham Catholic District School Board anti-racism policy—under the guise of protecting young people. 

These aren’t isolated incidents. Certain people are saying, very loudly, we want you to shut up and sit down somewhere. Do it for the children.

Whose children?

World events and what institutions deem acceptable will always intersect with politics, particularly for those of us from marginalized groups. 

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By telling our children that only some conflicts—the ones that don’t affect Black, Brown and other marginalized bodies matter, we’re telling them that they don’t matter. We’re silencing their voices and removing their agency. 

I’m worried that our school boards and governments, and some members of our communities, believe that actively standing against genocide is too much. 

If it’s too much to stand with Palestinians today, what will we be asked to shut up for tomorrow?