{"id":493887,"date":"2026-02-23T10:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/493887\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T10:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:22:11","slug":"isolated-in-high-school-now-this-woman-is-seeking-out-black-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/493887\/","title":{"rendered":"Isolated in high school, now this woman is seeking out Black community"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

CBC Ottawa’s Creator Network<\/a> is a place where young digital storytellers from diverse backgrounds can produce original video content to air on CBC and tell stories through their own lens.<\/p>\n

Get in touch to pitch your idea, or check out our other Ottawa Creator Network stories at cbc.ca\/creatornetworkott<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Monica Anthony looked around her high school classroom, she didn’t see many other students who looked like her. She doesn’t remember having any teachers who were Black, either.<\/p>\n

When she graduated in 2018, she said she felt disappointment at not having connected with more people in the Black community, at least during those crucial years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like going into university I was behind,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For her, it meant she hadn’t felt like she had a friend group, or a community that understood her. Outside of her family, she hadn’t had a role model who looked like her.<\/p>\n

“I just felt like I had missed out.”<\/p>\n

Now, nearly a decade later, Anthony has been reflecting on that time and its lasting impact on her identity for a podcast she started, The Art of Memories.<\/p>\n

She decided to ask other current and former Black students about their own experiences in a documentary called Black in School for CBC Ottawa\u2019s Creator Network.<\/p>\n

WATCH | \u2018Was it just me?’ Monica Anthony asks Black students and educators whether they felt isolated \u2014 or represented \u2014 in high school:\"\"<\/p>\n

How important is it to see yourself represented in high school?<\/p>\n

From not seeing teachers who looked like her to being singled out in class, Monica Anthony says she wishes she had seen more Black representation in her education. She asked other Black students whether they felt a sense of belonging in high school, in a short documentary with CBC Ottawa\u2019s Creator Network. A lack of representation<\/p>\n

Anthony attended Carine Wilson Secondary School in Ottawa\u2019s east end in 2014, where she and her sister were part of a small handful of racialized people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said she felt singled out when class texts such as To Kill a Mockingbird mentioned the N-word. When school staff called home, they would often mix up Anthony and her older sister.<\/p>\n

“It was isolating,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"TwoMonica Anthony and her sister Sydney Fondjo at a school \u2018multicultural night,\u2019 where they say they were asked to wear bold African patterns and headdresses, despite having Jamaican heritage. (Submitted by Monica Anthony)<\/p>\n

In the years since, Anthony has gone on to seek out stronger connections with Black communities, while at school at Carleton University and by attending Black History Month events.<\/p>\n

But she says having Black friends and teachers back in high school mattered for developing her sense of self. <\/p>\n

“High school is such a pivotal time,” she said. “I think having those people [who looked like me] during those years of transition … truly would have made all the difference for me.”<\/p>\n

\"ASince graduating high school, Anthony says she\u2019s sought out connections with Black communities. She decided to attend Carleton University because she saw the school’s soccer team as an opportunity to connect with other Black women. (Submitted by Monica Anthony)Looking forward<\/p>\n

\u201cToday in high school there\u2019s still not many Black teachers,\u201d said Grade 12 student Jordyn Pemberton in an interview for Anthony\u2019s documentary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pemberton said at her school, students took it upon themselves to create a space where they could find connection with their community, starting a Black 365 club. As a member, she and her peers get together to talk about issues that affect them, ranging from afrofuturism to global conflict.<\/p>\n

She said the club has been a source of community for her.<\/p>\n

“They were like my second family,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"TwoJolie Campbell-Hill, left, and Jordyn Pemberton, right, students at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School, attend a barbecue event for the school’s Black 365 club in June 2025. Pemberton said the club has provided her an opportunity to make Black friends. (Submitted by Jordyn Pemberton)<\/p>\n

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, which oversees Carine Wilson and Sir Wilfrid Laurier secondary schools, said in a written statement that it is “critical that every student feels a true sense of belonging and is supported to achieve their full potential.<\/p>\n

“The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is deeply committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive environment that prioritizes improving achievement and well-being for Black students. We are focused on creating meaningful, positive change.”<\/p>\n

Anthony said she’s looking forward to that change.<\/p>\n

“I want to see some Black teachers, I want to see Black administrators,” she said. “I want to see more of my people in places that matter. “<\/p>\n

\"CompositeCreators Benjamin Shimwa, Monica Anthony and Ro Sullivan collaborated on Black in School for CBC Ottawa’s Creator Network. (Submitted)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":493888,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194295],"tags":[49,48,20739],"class_list":["post-493887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ottawa","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-ottawa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}