The celebration of Vaisakhi around the world is held on either April 13^th or 14^th every year.  To honor, educate and celebrate Vaisakhi this year, our very own Gr 12 student Marcus Dhasi, has put together a power point presentation about Vaisakhi.  Thank you Marcus!

Vaisakhi Presentation

The contest is inspired by the stories that artifacts tell.  Artifacts, a vital part of our living history, exist all around us. Students at Burnaby Central are invited to photograph an artifact and tell its story.  What memories of your cultural and family heritage exist within the objects of our lives? How does an artifact reveal these heartfelt and insightful stories?  How does an artifact transcend time, revealing our collective memory?

To check out the contest details, please go to the THIS IS US tab on the SS webpage.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 16 @ 1PM

Teacher Sponsors

Ms. Pereira, Mr. Steko, Mrs. Morabito, Mr. Katsionis, Ms. Uhren, & Kwakwee Baker

In celebration of the 25th year of Black History Month in Canada, a number of Metro Vancouver School Districts (Burnaby, Vancouver, Surrey, Maple Ridge, Coquitlam) participated in the Lifting Black Voices Youth Conference.  This was a unique opportunity to see an official address by the Honourable Jean Augustine, who is the first Black woman to be elected as a Member of Parliament.  Augustine is also responsible for securing unanimous legislative support for Black History Month in Canada.   We heard from the keynote speaker Kamika Williams, who is the chair person for the Anti-Racism Coalition of Vancouver and the organizer for the Black-Shirt Day initiative this year.  Williams stressed the importance of representation, particularly in schools, as a way to dismantle racism, microaggressions, and harmful stereotypes.   Representation plays a pivotal role in fostering safe spaces where all people can feel connected and valued.  Cecily Nicholson and Khari McClelland are both activists, organizers, and spoken word artists who gifted us with a greater understanding of the experiences of Black Canadians and Black people around the world through poetry and song.  The conference culminated with an extraordinary student panel who courageously spoke of their experiences as Black Canadians and Black students in the public education system.

A big thank you to Beth Applewhite and Kenneth Headley for facilitating such an memorable, moving, and inspiring event!

In the words of Kamika Williams: “See Something.  Say something. Do something.  No movement is too small!”

Happy Lunar New Year!

February 12, 2021

This new year celebration is also called Lunar New Year and celebrated also as Spring Festival.  Lunar New Year,  celebrated in January or February, is an important public holiday for many countries including China, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

May the year ahead bring your family, friends and community, the steadying strength and perseverance of the Ox!

Please see the Lunar New Year tab on our Social Studies web page to explore some interesting facts about how this celebration is observed around the world!

During Black History Month, Canadians celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation it is today. Throughout February, the Burnaby Central community aims to increase community awareness about the contributions of Black Canadians and to foster an understanding of the history of Canada as the history of Black Canadian experiences.  We strive to encourage a critical understanding of the challenges Black Canadians have faced, and continue to encounter, and lay the foundation for the necessary conversations around how these challenges are a reflection of a larger social prejudice in Canadian society.  While February has been recognized as the national month  honouring Black Canadian History, these efforts to raise awareness and to nurture critical dialogue, must not be restricted to the month of February, but rather be a responsibility that we embrace and carry out every single day.

January 27th, 2021

Today commemorates the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during the Second World War. The Holocaust  refers to the Nazi’s mass persecution and planned slaughter of the Jewish people and other minorities.

It began in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and ended in 1945 when the Nazis were defeated by the Allied powers. The three allied powers were Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

After the surrender, Allied forces discovered concentration camps like Auschwitz, and were horrified to see the prisoners of war.

Many holocaust victims were ultimately displaced and had no place to call home, which also saw the establishment of Israel in 1949.

Leo’s Journey: A Story That Must be Told

Our annual Open House (which will be virtual this year) will be POSTED LIVE on our school’s website on Thursday January 28th, 2021 by 3PM.

JANUARY 18th, 2021: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

Martin Luther King’s Day celebrates King’s birthday and his legacy as a leader and as a non-violent activist during the Civil Rights Movement.   Martin Luther King day isn’t the only day to celebrate Black History and recognize the struggle for human rights as it is followed by Black History Month in February.

Black History Month dates back to 1926, when Carter G. Woodson, an African-American historian and Harvard graduate, proposed that time be set aside to honour the accomplishments of African-Americans and to heighten awareness of Black history in the United States. Not too long afterwards, Negro History Week was created that same year, with Canada celebrating Black history shortly afterwards.

For 50 years, Negro History was celebrated for just one week, until 1976 when it turned into Black History Month.

The Canadian House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month in December 1995, after a motion was introduced by the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament, the Honourable Jean Augustine.

Source: Sydney Walcott – https://humbernews.ca/2020/01/what-martin-luther-king-day-and-black-history-month-means-to-black-canadians/

The March on Washington was a peaceful demonstration for racial equality.

A TIME TO REFLECT AND ACT…

Today, the Burnaby Central community took the time to listen to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Had a Dream” speech and reflect on the following question:

“What positive change can you create in your world?”

Below are some images of what our community shared.

The Burnaby Central Secondary School community stands alongside our school District’s commitment to take a more active role in developing anti-racism policies and opportunities. We have taken up the call of a local group – the Anti-Racism Coalition (ARC) Vancouver – to participate in a “Black Shirt Day” and have embraced the opportunity to recognize the struggle for civil rights fought by Black and racialized Canadians.  We display our commitment to be part of the solution to the systemic racism we know exists all around us, including in our schools and in our community.  Please join us in wearing a black shirt on Friday January 15^th, Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, to show support for the anti-racism work we all need to do together.

For further information on the call for Black Shirt Day, please go to the link below.

Anti-Racism Group Calls for Black Shirt Day in B.C. Schools for Jan. 15 (CBC)