New Black Excellence Award for Thunder Bay high school students aims to inspire, show representation

Two community organizers are hopeful a new award for graduating high school students in Thunder Bay Ont., will help to recognize Black youth for their achievements, while inspiring others to do the same.

The Black Excellence Award was initiated by Thunder Bay Black Lives Matter protest organizers Pitia Modi and Zachariah Leonardi, who are both alumni of the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board.

"After we had the Thunder Bay Black Lives Matter protest, me and one of my co-organizers, we were thinking of ways that we could expand on this because we didn't just want that to be, like, the only focal point of what we do," explained Modi.

Modi said while brainstorming ways of continuing on the momentum of the success of the protest, he and co-organizer Leonardi, began to think of the youth in the community.

Modi connected with the principal at his former high school, St. Ignatius, and began coordinating with the board's awards committee. Together they were able to develop the Black Excellence Award, which will be given to one graduating student at each of the local Catholic high schools.

According to the school board, the recipients will be students of visible Afro-Caribbean descent, who show dedication through academics and activism, and who are proceeding to college or university.

Each recipient will receive a $500 bursary. The funds allocated for the award were raised by Modi and Leonardi as part of their work with Black Lives Matter in Thunder Bay.

"It demonstrates the significance and the importance of awards, and not only for the Black community, but as well for other individuals of colour in our board," said Tony Colistro, the board's secondary coordinator and chair of the awards trust fund.

Colistro said having former students come forward with an idea like the Black Excellence Award was inspiring, adding that the initiative further fulfils the school board's values of inclusivity and compassion.

'Somebody wants the better for my future'

For Modi, having the Black Excellence Award become reality is even more meaningful.

"I think what [the award] can do is it can give people a sense of ... somebody's out there. Somebody wants the better for my future and even inspire some people," said the 21-year-old.

Modi said that's something he didn't see as a student growing up, and recognizes how that encouragement makes a difference, especially for Black youth.

"I would have loved to see, you know, somebody do something like this, when I was coming up. Because I would feel like it would inspire me a lot ...there's somebody that looks like me that's doing big things like this. I can do the same thing as well," he said.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.