Quebec Board of Black Educators (QBBE) is a non-profit education and research institution that raises awareness about educational bias and helps communities of colour excel in school. Ciara Huggins, a former student at QBBE, sharpened her math skills and advanced her studies after receiving help from the institution.
Huggins was having difficulties in her secondary three math class. Her healthcare worker recommended QBBE to her. While there, she met Alix Adrien, the board president, who began assisting her.
“What I liked is that he made sure I understood the topic,” Huggins said to the CONTACT. “He was willing to do everything from the beginning, step by step.”
Huggins went to QBBE during her secondary three to five when she needed help with her math.
She is currently in the continuing education program at Dawson College, taking chemistry and math courses. When she finishes, she aspires to work in the biomedical industry.
Huggins added that Adrien motivated her to ask questions whenever she needed to and be confident. She explained how Adrien used to emphasize that every student is different. Some students learn new topics faster than others, but learning the basics before moving on is essential.
She got the Curtis George Memorial scholarship, which, to Huggins, symbolizes how much Adrien believed in her potential and that she could get a higher education.
“The advice that he gave me. I can also give it to my siblings because you know what he taught me; I didn’t know these things growing up. I didn’t know how to study efficiently,” Huggins said.
Adrien explained that he became QBBE president mainly because of his father’s influence. He graduated with a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Ottawa and has taught math and science, primarily physics, throughout his career.
“My dad was also a physics and math expert, so growing out of Haiti, my father had founded two schools. So I grew up understanding the importance of education,” Adrien said in an interview with the CONTACT.
Since joining QBBE in 1986, Adrien has helped many students excel through the High School Preparation, Elementary, and High School Transition programs. Their core program is the Da Costa Hall summer school program for high school students who have not succeeded during the regular school year. Students can take reformatory courses or write supplemental exams to obtain prerequisite credits for graduation.
Adrien explained that several measures are required to raise awareness about educational bias in Montreal. QBBE advocates for families facing discrimination in schools, such as anti-Black racism. He added that they serve as mediators to help navigate communication between the school administration and the families. They also sometimes work with social services and families.
“To be honest with you, we are putting a hotline in place right now in collaboration with another organization, Fonds 1804. We’ve noticed way too many incidents of families facing bureaucracy in schools and not getting heard and, in many cases, discriminatory practices,” Adrien said.
Adrien added that similar incidents are happening in Ontario as well. Many families and Black teachers feel that they are not well supported by their school administration.
He said they are currently working to collect the data from these situations to support their action and intervene by making recommendations for the affected families and teachers.
He said that they are working on creating a committee consisting of a principal, teacher, guidance counsellor, and an education professional who are knowledgeable about anti-Black racism and discrimination in schools. The committee will review discriminatory incidents and make recommendations to the family. In certain instances, they may intervene on their behalf at the school level, which Adrien has done individually.
Adrien said the primary goal when helping students achieve their goals is to improve their social, emotional, and self-esteem.
“I feel so many of our students have been confronted with failure that, to me, the first person they have to believe in is themselves,” Adrien said. “That’s one of the things I’ve discovered: sometimes students are put in a situation where the course is made harder than necessary.”
Adrien explained that when teachers introduce a concept, they should do it gradually and frequently. He said there had been many occasions where students contacted him with a problem they were supposed to solve after only a week of studying the subject.
Adrien emphasizes the need for families in the Black communities to react quickly when they see their child needs additional help to improve in school.
“Don’t let your child be in a situation of failure before you react; be proactive,” Adrien said.
He added there is help in schools and that almost every Black community organization may have a tutoring program.
“If you need perhaps more specialized help, be it in physics, chemistry, or advanced mathematics, reach out to us. We can help your child be successful, and more importantly, we also want to develop a philosophy where our children are not settling for less,” Adrien said.
