The Snake Under The Grass: Why Black History Month?

By: Ben Kwashigah

As Black History Month draws to a close, you may wonder why we even honour this annual observance. I mean, black people aren’t slaves anymore, we can vote, one of us is even a president! Yes, our society has progressed a lot since the 1960’s and does (most of the time) reject blatant racism, but what about when it’s hidden behind subtlety? In Ghana, there’s a saying that the snake under the grass is more threatening than the snake on the tree. You can see the snake on the tree and deal with it accordingly (fight it, or run away), but, you can’t escape from the snake under the grass. It kills you before you even see it. Modern day racism
exists similarly to this.

For most of our lives, we’ve been taught that racism is prejudice and discrimination based on one’s race. It is. But it’s much more complex than that. The expanded definition of racism recognizes that it is systemic, institutional, and normalized within our culture. It’s covert, and like the snake under the grass, it can be more sinister. In the form of profiling, racism can become deadly, as seen by the tragic and unnecessary deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and countless other black men and women. But don’t fool yourself into thinking covert racism is just an American problem - it’s a Canadian one as well. In 2009, researchers doctored 6000 fake resumés, all with the same experience, to 2000 job postings in the GTA. They found that resumés with English names such as “John Smith” were 40 percent more likely to be offered an interview than names such as “Sana Khan”. In a study done in 2012, it was found that a Canadian man who was a part of a visible minority earns 18 percent less than a Canadian white man. In a report done by the Correctional Investigator of Canada, black inmates were discovered to be “over-represented in maximum security and segregation, incur a disproportionate number of institutional charges, and are more likely to be involved in use of force incidents.” Racism is alive, well, and existing in our own backyards.

Racism also creeps its way into our entertainment. For example, the movie Exodus: Gods and Kings, which takes place in Egypt (in Africa), is made up of a primarily white cast (except for the slaves, of course). Even the Great Sphinx of Giza was altered to have more “European” features. At the Oscars, all 20 of the acting nominations were white, with 94 percent of the Academy being white. Looking through other movies and TV shows, it becomes hard to find adequate minority representation. Why is that?

All in all, racism is an issue that still exists today. There are multitudes of issues that affect black people, and other people of colour, right here Canada. That’s why Black History Month is important. We must recognize that certain groups of people are oppressed, while other groups benefit from this oppression. After all, the snake under the grass is more dangerous than the snake on the tree.

2015 Grammy Awards Recap

By: Ben Kwashigah
 
On Sunday February 8th, the Grammy Awards took place, recognizing outstanding achievement in the music industry in the past year. With performances from artists like Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige to Paul McCartney and Rihanna, this year’s Grammy Awards truly kept us entertained. Here are the winners for the big categories:

Internal Awards Celebration

By: Ben Kwashigah
Photo Credit: Julianna Kosturik

Mrs. O'Grady provides opening address.

On Wednesday, November 5th, the Internal Awards ceremony took place in Holy Trinity's theatre, where

students, teachers, parents, and superintendent Lorrie Naar gathered to celebrate academic achievement.

Preceded by the Jazz Band's cheerful rendition of James Brown's "I Feel Good", the first sets of awards

were given to our Special Education and Life Skills students. The junior and senior KEN Literacy awards

were received by Meredith Gallinger and Kinga Cabaj, respectively.

Meredith receives her award from Mrs. Burns.

Kinga receives her award from Mrs. Boelhouwer.

Next, the grade 9, 10, and 11 subject and excellence award winners were presented. Grade 9 student

Veronica Lee was the recipient of 3 awards, including the Principles of Mathematics award, an Award of

Excellence, and a Pascal Medal in the Waterloo Math Contest.

After, Mr. Harkin and the Jazz Band performed "All of Me". This was followed by the presentation of the

Titan Top Scholar awards (given to the student with the highest average in each grade) to Carolyn

Martinko (grade 11), Sam Marchetti (grade 10), and Ashlee Azizudin (grade 9).

Gr. 9 winner, Ashlee Azizudin.

Sam Marchetti (Gr. 10) receives his certificate.

Carolyn Martinko receives her Gr. 11 Top Scholar Award.

With the Jazz Band concluding with "Green Onions", the students, parents, and teachers were treated to 

desserts, fruits, and refreshments in the library.

The Jazz Band jamming out.

With so much incredible achievement in Holy Trinity, it's difficult not to have school spirit! Many familiar

faces, and more, celebrated at the Honour Roll Breakfast, which occurred during period one in the

cafeteria on Thursday, November 6th.