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The Centre for Black Studies in Education (CBSE) at OISE launched its first book on Jan. 27 during OISE’s second annual Black Education Symposium.

Held at the OISE Library, the symposium brought together educators, scholars, students, and community members for a day of networking and three panel discussions focused on Black education, research, and lived experience. 

The book marks an important milestone for the CBSE, celebrating its very first publication since the centre was established in 2022.

Edited by Dr. Andrew B. Campbell, Assistant Professor at OISE and director of the CBSE since May 2024, The ABCs of Blackness in Our Schools is a practical toolkit for K–12 educators and anyone working with Black children and youth. Addressing anti-Black racism in schools, the book provides strategies to support Black students, affirm their identities, foster belonging and and integrate Black culture as an essential part of learning.

Campbell also wrote the book’s opening chapter, which focuses on flourishing across all identities. “The ways in which many of us have had to struggle and to constantly be in resilience mode and resistance mode, the way many of us have to disrupt racism and anti-Blackness and homophobia, deficit thinking and exclusion,” he explained.

Campbell’s research aligns closely with the themes of the book. His scholarship is centred on Black queer experiences, decolonization in Black communities, and the experiences of Black educators, leaders, and leadership in education. Through his research, teaching, and community-engaged work, Campbell emphasizes the importance of Black people telling their own stories and shaping the narratives that inform educational theory, policy, and practice.

“It’s a personal mandate for me to tell Black stories,” said Campbell. “I have done some amazing work in the past with Pembroke [Publishers] so it was only natural for me that one of the next books that I do is with Pembroke.” He added, “It’s very personal to tell my story as well, especially as a Black immigrant gay man here in Canada.”

In addition to helping publish the book, Pembroke Publishers decided to support the centre’s ongoing work with a $3,000 donation. 

Created as a practical toolkit rather than a traditional text, the book offers valuable insights for anyone working with Black youth and children—including educators, community practitioners, and organizations. 

“Educators literally complain we don't know what to do. Please, help us. We have heard the call,” said Campbell. “There are no magical tools in this toolkit… people have to be intentional about how they come to it. And I'm also hoping the book will inspire people to create some tools and add to the toolkits.”

The book is divided into three sections, affirmation, belonging, and celebration and features contributions that address early childhood education, mental health and well-being, Black queer experiences, art, and identity development for Black children and youth. All authors who’ve contributed to the book are involved with the CBSE, supporting the centre’s goal of promoting Black-led research and community-focused work in education.

One of the contributors, Jamie Phillip – an OISE alumna who earned her Master of Education in Developmental Psychology and Education – served as Vice President of the OISE Alumni Association (OISEAA) from 2020 to 2022 and has been an alumni member of the U of T College of Electors since 2022. She is a kindergarten teacher and CBSE volunteer, and authored a chapter focused on uplifting Black identities in kindergarten classrooms. 

“The early years set the foundation for the rest of our lives,” said Phillip, “so if we are not highlighting and uplifting Black students in kindergarten, I think we're doing them a disservice. I think they should see themselves and their culture and their ways of knowing in the school, materials that we use, in the lessons that we plan in the environment, in the experiences of the classroom.”

She’s hoping that “the resource that I've created will help teachers combat that so that we have our little Black students that grow up to be adults who love themselves and believe themselves and are open to learning more about their own culture.”

Phillip also emphasized the importance of mentorship and leadership within CBSE. “Dr. Campbell is an inspiration as an educator. He's been a mentor of mine, and I'm just so thankful the for the opportunities that he gives all of us.”

The launch of The ABCs of Blackness in Our Schools highlights CBSE’s role at OISE as a centre for Black educational research and storytelling. As the centre grows through publications, partnerships, and community work, this book marks the first of many initiatives to support and transform learning for Black students. 

“There are a million more Black stories to be written,” said Campbell. “This is just the first of many books to come.”