Students, parents disturbed after TDSB teacher in Parkdale wore blackface to class

A teacher at Parkdale Collegiate Institute is under investigation after he came to class Friday wearing blackface as part of a Halloween costume.

In a letter sent Saturday night to parents and students of Parkdale Collegiate Institute - and shared with the Star - principal Julie Ardell called the incident racist and dehumanizing."

As you know, many staff and students were dressed up for Halloween, but late in the morning, a number of students alerted the Vice Principal that a white staff member was in Blackface,'" she wrote.

Caricatures of peoples' race or culture are not appropriate and are offensive and hurtful."

The teacher, identified to The Star by parents, students and the TDSB as Gorian Surlan, is being placed on home assignment until an investigation is completed, Ardell said in the letter.

As soon as the incident was brought to our attention, we took immediate steps to address it, including having the staff member immediately wash their face as to not cause further harm," she wrote.

Ardell adds that she acknowledges and regrets the harm the incident has caused the community and the school must do more" on anti-Black racism. She also explains that anti-Black racism including blackface is against the school's code of conduct and staff or students can face serious consequences" for engaging in that behaviour.

However, members of the community the Star spoke with said the school did not act quickly enough to remove Surlan after students alerted administration to the incident.

Two Grade 9 students who were in the 9:30 a.m. business class, and several parents, told the Star they are deeply disturbed by the incident and are calling on the Toronto District School Board to hold the teacher accountable.

I was devastated, I was shaking. I can't believe it, there's no excuse in 2021, in Toronto, in Parkdale, for a teacher to make a mistake,' if that's what anyone wants to call this," said Liz Ikiriko, an art curator whose 14-year-old son Otis is in the class.

My son was really upset. Grade 9 is really difficult ... It's just such a transitional year and we're in a pandemic ... I just can't believe in the midst of all of this, this is also another thing the kids are navigating," said Ikiriko, who identifies as biracial and Nigerian.

He was really shook about it," she said.

In photos sent to the Star by the parent of another student, who do not want to be named for fears of being targeted for speaking out, Surlan is seen wearing black face paint.

The Star contacted Surlan early Saturday afternoon but has not yet received a response.

The blackface incident comes as an educator at another school in the Parkdale neighbourhood, Queen Victoria Public School, received anonymous racist hate mail on Oct. 22, targeting her for being Black. The school board's human rights office and Toronto Police are investigating, the board said in an Oct. 28 letter.

A report from the TDSB's human rights office published earlier this year also outlined that the board has a serious" problem with anti-Black racism and most complaints to the office are around anti-Black racism specifically.

Ikiriko's son Otis told The Star his entire class was shocked when they saw Surlan in blackface. Students asked him directly what his Halloween costume was supposed to be.

He got really defensive. He said I thought it would look cool,'" said Otis. I think it's so immature, and as a teacher too, I was really shocked. I didn't know what to do at that point, I didn't know if I was going to walk out."

The students then went to the gym for what they described as a meet-up with other Grade 9 students, and he said the teacher wore the blackface to the gathering and it didn't seem like any other teachers were confronting him about it.

He was in there with like 100 students, and other teachers," he said. I think the other teachers took it really chill, way too chill to be honest. They should have told him to take it off or to leave."

The TDSB told the Star Sunday afternoon that the school had organized small group mentorship sessions for students in different locations throughout the building that day.

Otis said his class includes other Black students and that it was upsetting, and offensive, to see their teacher behave this way. I come from my mom's side of Black culture, and I think it was offensive personally to me. I really didn't understand what he was thinking."

He also said fellow classmates reported the incident to the office that morning, but were told Surlan was likely dressed as a ghoul or zombie.

Ikiriko said her son has also had to talk to other students who feel he is overreacting to the blackface, which has been a challenge.

The TDSB needs to create more speedy consequences to these issues, she said.

In the last year and a half, the TDSB has implemented new policies around anti-Black racism and creating a better learning environment. A new policy that came into effect in late October 2020 around reporting and responding to anti-Black racism required that all hate incidents be reported to the schools Human Rights Office within 24 hours.

Ikiriko said she spoke to the principal of the school Friday.

I was really emotional and said someone better call me back immediately. The administrator didn't seem to know what I was talking about, but it was 2 o'clock," she said, adding this was well after the teacher had been walking around the entire day in blackface. Ikiriko said the principal, Ardell, assured her that the superintendent had been notified about the incident.

I said I'm not interested in apologies where [he] can say this is a grave mistake and then be back in class," she said. There's so many levels of wrong that happened."

The Star also spoke to another parent and student in the class, who took the photos of the teacher, who The Star is keeping anonymous due to concerns about backlash.

The student said the teacher wouldn't give the class an explanation for the blackface. It was really uncomfortable for me, and a lot of kids were really insulted, and I thought it was just disgusting," he said.

Parent Cathy Gatlin has a son at Parkdale CI and said she heard about the incident Friday from other parents. She's sending an open letter to the school calling on anti-Black racism to be dealt with at the school and is encouraging other parents to sign.

Gatlin went to the school Friday afternoon to ask to discuss it. She said the secretary was unaware of the issue.

The vice-principal came out and said yes, he's been asked to wash it off.' I was like, but I feel like there needs to be more happening here,' " she said.

An issue the human rights office addressed in the February 2021 report is that a backlog of complaints sit in their system and need to be resolved faster.

There has to be more accountability," Gatlin said. I would like there to be a really easy anonymous way for a child to address this, because no child should have to sit in a class and feel that uncomfortable in that situation. That's not acceptable."

It has to be addressed more quickly," she said.

Olivia Bowden is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach her via email: obowden@thestar.ca