INTERVIEW
GRADE SIX AND JUST GETTING STARTED
VOICE IN CONVERSATION WITH STUDENT ACTIVIST RIHANNA HARRIS
VOICE: Tell me a little about yourself and how you became an activist. What grade are you in? What is the community like where you live? How have your personal experiences informed your activism?
RIHANNA HARRIS: My name is Rihanna Harris and I am cur- rently in Grade 6 attending Hastings Prince Edward Virtual School. I am looking forward to starting the Destinations program at Queen Elizabeth School in Belleville for Grade 7. I live in Wellington, which is in Prince Edward County. It’s a small
village. Prince Edward County is a beautiful place, but it is not a very diverse community. I am proud to be a county girl, but I´d love to see our community become more inclusive. I became an activist because I have had many experiences of
racism in our local school community and in our community in general. It really started for me when I was in Grade 1. My teacher taught a lesson about segregation and apartheid. We discussed how people of colour were not allowed to attend the same schools and use the same bathrooms as white people. When I went to use the bathroom at school that day, a bunch of kids from my class blocked the door and told me that I could not use it and did not belong at the school. I spent a few days using the janitor’s washroom and I eventually told my parents about it. We went to the school and talked with the principal. Over the years, the incidents of racism I experienced grew and my parents told me to use my voice. This inspired me to find ways to make change.
14 ETFO VOICE | SUMMER 2021
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