Public input wanted after teacher reportedly utters N-word in class
An emergency town hall meeting is giving people the opportunity to weigh in on how the community should respond to an incident which saw a Windsor teacher reportedly use a racist slur twice in front of students.
“There's a lot of anti-Black racism practised in all of the schools that is not dealt with in a way that leaves our children harmed in some ways,” said Leslie McCurdy, chair of the Black Council of Windsor-Essex.
Earlier this month, students spoke out after they said a teacher at Kennedy Collegiate said the N-word in class.
The teacher is said to have been expressing disapproval over the word's use in a song being played in the classroom by students.
According to students, the teacher used the word again during a separate meeting about the original incident.
“In terms of equitable treatment, the teacher should've been suspended for a day just like a student would have been suspended for a day,” said McCurdy.
The incident prompted the council to call an “emergency town hall” Saturday afternoon over Zoom where the public was invited to suggest next steps for how “people in power” and the general community should respond to the incident and seek accountability.
But, according to the council, the call-to action goes far beyond the incident at Kennedy Collegiate.
“It's a very complicated issue, the N-word, its historic use and the duality of the use that exists within the Black community and the fact that we in the Black community request that it not be used by anyone else in any way,” added McCurdy.
The Black Council is calling for the teacher to make a public apology and briefly step away from teaching to reflect on the impact of uttering the racial slur.
“Yes, Black people use the word sometimes, but we have received the same kind of cultural conditioning as everyone else,” said McCurdy.
“For any person who is non-melanated to say that word in any capacity is wrong.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull dies at 84
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull has died at the age of 84. He played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and Hartford Whalers as well as the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets over a 23-year pro career.

Girl, 6, dead after accident at ski resort north of Montreal on Sunday
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
New alcohol recommendations could speed up changing drinking habits: businesses
Advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say new guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular.
WHO: COVID-19 still an emergency but nearing 'inflection' point
The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an 'inflection point' where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths.
All countries 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics: report
The world is 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) say in a report published on Monday, calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end.
Are you a Ukrainian who recently moved to Canada? We want to hear from you
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine displacing millions of people, many refugees have begun to lay their roots in Canada. If you or someone you know has fled the war-torn country and settled in Canada, we want to hear from you.
NDP to call for emergency debate in House of Commons over private health care
Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will call on the House of Commons to hold an emergency debate on the privatization of health care.
COVID-19 global emergency isn't over: 5 things to know about the WHO decision
The World Health Organization decided Monday not to declare an end to the COVID-19 global public health emergency.
Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet set to retire after overseeing Vatican's bishops' office
Marc Ouellet, the Quebec cardinal who oversaw the Vatican's powerful bishops' office and has been recently accused of sexual misconduct, is retiring.