Thread by @TorontoStar

She joined a masters of social work program, hoping to have real discussions around anti-Black racism to create a more equitable society for the Black communities. Instead, she was silenced in the classroom.

#InTheirOwnVoices by Breanna Phillip:
thestar.com/opinion/contri…

"There was no shortage of discussion in the classroom, Dialogue about gender inequality, reconciliation for Indigenous peoples, and the impacts of capitalism. However, whenever I raised the topic of anti-Black racism, I was met with silence," she writes. thestar.com/opinion/contri…

Once, a student suggested that white individuals touching Black individuals’ hair was possibly their attempt at “learning.” When she explained that this is an inappropriate way to express curiousity she says she received a backlash.
thestar.com/opinion/contri…

"The following day, the student cried and claimed that I attacked her, which resulted in her “never wanting to speak on topics like this again.” The professor, classmates, checked in with that student to make sure she was OK. They never checked in with me" thestar.com/opinion/contri…

Silenced in the classroom: the invalidation of Black voices in social work.

#InTheirOwnVoices by Breanna Phillip
thestar.com/opinion/contri…

"In my experience as a Black student in this program, racism wrung the joy of engaging in thought provoking and challenging discussions in the classroom," Breanna Phillip writes. #Opinion
thestar.com/opinion/contri…