Hundreds of students from high schools across the Greater Essex County District School Board gathered at St. Clair College on May 26, 2026, to celebrate Black identities, history and excellence.
The Black Joy Black Excellence symposium is organized entirely by students, the school board and the Black Student Advisory Committee.
"It's our culture and our community. It shows who we are," said Abel Biru, a Grade 12 student at W.F. Herman Academy. "It brings people together. This whole event is about inclusivity, so bringing people together is just amazing to me."
The day of events and activities featured poetry, a hip-hop performance, and break-out activities across the College campus, exposing students to programs and spaces at St. Clair, including Esports and Graphic Design. The students also attended sessions focused on financial literacy, pathways to becoming an educator, storytelling of local history, protecting mental health and well-being, a 'Let's Talk About It' session, and a session focused on self-love.
"This day is about making sure you feel proud of who you are, no matter where you come from. It's just feeling excellent for who you are and not embarrassed by it," said Ozegho Aliu, a Grade 12 student at Tecumseh Vista.
"In Grade school, I went to a mainly white school, so it's crazy seeing this many Black students all together at once – I think we have over 400 students here today," Aliu said. "We have elementary school students here too, so knowing I didn't get that chance to do this in elementary, makes it so awesome that they got a chance I didn't get. And especially now that I'm graduating, this helps because we get to leave something behind for the future Black students."
Students were also treated to an engaging keynote address by award-winning GECDSB educator, historian, and PhD candidate, Shantelle Browning-Morgan, who highlighted the history of Black excellence.
"Remember who you are," she called out to the audience, who were encouraged to respond back with "I know who I am." This was an opportunity for students to reflect on their roots and history, with a chance to repeat words of affirmation and empowerment.
"There will be people who may speak to you as if your Blackness is something to overcome, instead of something sacred, ancient, brilliant, and beautiful. And if you ever find yourself in those moments, I need you to remember who you are," Browning-Morgan said. "Remember who you are if someone mistakes your confidence for arrogance, remember who you are when you carry yourself into every room, remember who you are if your history is reduced to a single paragraph in a textbook."
"Remember who you are when stories about Black people focus only on struggle and not on greatness," she added.
Students were hanging on every word while Browning-Morgan spoke to the packed room at the Student Life Centre.
"Sometimes we focus a lot of the negatives of the history of being black, but she said that there's also positives of the history," noted Aliu. "I think a great takeaway is that when you do your research, don't only look at slavery, look at our celebrations like the first black woman to fly a plane."
Jimmy Parsons, the Chair of the Zekelman School of Business at St. Clair College, welcomed students to the event with inspiring words of encouragement.
"It's also about possibilities – it's about helping young people achieve what they want to do, what they dream to do and what they believe in," said Parsons. "I encourage everyone in this room to tell their story. Not only your story, but other stories. I think today, the next CEO, the next entrepreneur, the next teacher or professional athlete are in this room today… that next success story is you."
"A big thank you to St. Clair for seeing potential in this whole program and having us here and seeing that the greatness this can cause and believing in us," Aliu said.
