CDSBEO Receives Black History Ottawa Community Builder Award

On Saturday, January 30, the CDSBEO was proud to attend the Black History Month official launch virtually, where Black History Ottawa recognized Principal of Religious and Family Life Education, Paul Mantha, and the team at CDSBEO, with the Every Child is Sacred’s Safe, Child Friendly Community Builder Award 2021.

Every Child is Sacred’s Safe, Child Friendly Community Builder Award is offered to those who pledge to honour all “children of the maple leaf”; children of “all human colours of the sun”; to honour the sanctity of their human rights; the delicacy of their innate goodness; enable their joy in experiencing the gift of life; and to support them as practitioners of the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12), in the spirit of “Ubuntu.”

Since 2018, this Special Award has been presented at the launch of Black History Month to adoptees of the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent.

Mr. Mantha was extremely grateful to accept the award on behalf of the Board.

“This special award, presented at the beginning of Black History Month, reminds us of the important work we all must do to ensure that human rights are protected and promoted in our schools and communities. We know that together we share a collective responsibility to children who find themselves cast and groomed to be intergenerational traumatizers, or intergenerationally traumatized. At times we feel that we may be the lone voice crying out in the wilderness but as advocates of our brothers and sisters we embrace the call to unity that urges us to see beyond divisive beliefs, challenge inequitable systemic structures and continuously call all humanity to a new vision of unity in the shining love of God.”

The CDSBEO would like to thank June Garvin and Black History Ottawa for their partnership and for considering the CDSBEO as recipient of this wonderful recognition.