SpeakUP! International Inc.

A teacher blocks Black boys from a math club, a student earns a perfect score on an international exam, and the achievement is quietly buried. That story is where our conversation with Kathy McDonald begins, and it quickly widens into a blunt look at how anti-Black racism in education can hide behind “normal” decisions that shape a child’s future. Kathy is a Peel District School Board trustee, the inaugural chair of the Black Trustee Caucus, and a relentless advocate for equity in Ontario public education. 

We talk about her roots in Jamaica and her early years in Canada, then the moment volunteering with youth changed her path from science toward public leadership. Kathy explains why she calls her four children “change makers”, not just for their academic success, but for how they mentor and give back. She connects personal stories to system-wide patterns like low expectations, streaming, denial of giftedness, and the kind of language that can brand children before they have a chance to learn. 

You will also hear what accountability can look like in practice: using reports and local data to force boards to face reality, pushing for recorded meetings and transparency, advocating for targeted hiring, and challenging spending that pulls money away from classrooms. Kathy shares the fight that led to a Ministry of Education review in Peel, plus practical advice for parents looking for help and students looking for confidence, mentors, and real opportunities in STEM and leadership. 

If you care about public education in Canada, school board governance, and what it truly takes to dismantle systemic racism, this conversation delivers both urgency and a path forward. Subscribe, share this episode with a parent or educator, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To see the video version of this podcast, click here: https://youtu.be/UlknaSXA-iM

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Policy is the quiet force that decides who gets protected, who gets funded, and who gets left out. In November 2023, we’re joined by Velma Morgan, an educator and former Ontario government director of policy who has worked across five ministries and now serves as chair of Operation Black Vote Canada, to talk frankly about how real systemic change happens in Canada.

We get into the nuts and bolts of political engagement for Black Canadians and other marginalized communities, including how to stop being connected to government only when something goes wrong. Velma shares what it looks like to build intentional access at Queen’s Park: bringing new voices into stakeholder meetings, getting community members onto agencies, boards, and commissions, and making sure people even know these paid roles exist. She also explains why community-led election debates matter when mainstream forums don’t reflect how issues hit differently under systemic racism.

If you feel strongly about systemic racism, listen to or watch this podcast and decide what you can do to change policy.

Use the following link to watch the podcast: 

https://youtu.be/QLwOsBdcvVg

Enjoy our podcast channel at www.speakuppodcast.ca

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We sit down with Mr. Alex Ihama in November 2023 to get practical about anti-racism work, workplace equity, and how to move from public statements to measurable culture change. We also go personal on youth mental health, educator impact, tokenism, and the belief-driven mindset Alex calls “greatness.”

We also dig into what real DEI and anti-racism consulting looks like behind the scenes: setting clear expectations, doing a needs analysis, gathering qualitative and quantitative data, and creating measurable indices for inclusion, equity, communication, and culture. Alex challenges the “three-month transformation” promises and explains why serious change often takes sustained work, leadership buy-in, and follow-up instead of one-off workshops.

Although this conversation was recorded in 2023, these topics remain relevant today. We initially released the audio format. Today, we are releasing this conversation in video format so you can get the full effect and understand its relevance today.

If this conversation gives you language, clarity, or courage, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more Canadians can find it.

Video podcast: https://youtu.be/otziX39G25A

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A councillor’s job sounds big, but most residents feel it in small moments: the email that never gets answered, the neighbourhood problem that sits for months, the sense that decisions happen somewhere else and you only hear about them after. We sit down with Neil Simon, a community leader, pastor, and small business owner running for Toronto City Council in Ward 9 Davenport, to talk about what local leadership looks like when it is built on responsiveness, visibility, and trust.

Neil explains why he’s stepping from community advocacy into municipal politics, and he makes a clear commitment that sparks debate right away: a 48-hour response time from the councillor’s office. We connect that to his hands-on community work, including a self-made food bank during COVID-19, years of mentoring youth and supporting families, and his Restore Purpose Network focused on healing, coaching, and community care. The conversation keeps coming back to dignity, because the way a city serves people matters as much as the service itself.

We also get practical about Davenport issues that residents and businesses raise repeatedly, especially parking, plus the ripple effects of development, snow removal, and day-to-day accessibility. Neil shares what he’s learned advocating for seniors through his medical transport work, why isolation and fraud prevention need more attention, and how community centres and local programs can help seniors feel seen. If you care about Toronto municipal government, Ward 9 Davenport, councillor accountability, and neighbourhood-level solutions that you can actually measure, this one is for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a neighbour, and leave a review, then tell us: what should a councillor respond to within 48 hours?

Connect to Mr. Simon: City of Toronto Candidate List 

LinkedIn: 

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Systems don’t change because we want them to. They change when we’re willing to admit they were built to produce the results we’re living with, then do the hard work of redesign. That’s the core of our conversation with Dr. Kathy Hogarth, Associate Vice President of Global Strategy at Wilfrid Laurier University, and a scholar-practitioner whose journey spans Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Canada.

We talk candidly about the immigrant experience of credential recognition in Canada and what it means to be told your education “doesn’t count,” even when you’ve done the work and earned the degrees. From there, we dig into community psychology and why a macro lens matters: policies, institutions, and power shape who gets access, who gets believed, and who gets left behind. Dr. Hogarth challenges the temptation to settle for easy fixes, reminding us that many inequities aren’t signs of broken systems, but signs of systems working exactly as designed.

The conversation also moves into higher education internationalization and global strategy, where competition for international students can mask deeper patterns of extraction and brain drain. We push on what ethical internationalization should demand from universities, and why EDI, representation, and data are not optional if we’re serious about equity. Dr. Hogarth also shares the striking story behind why she sometimes begins by saying, “I am Black,” and what that reveals about covert bias and “racism without racists” in professional spaces.

If you care about anti-racism, systemic change, community development, and the future of Canadian universities, you’ll leave with sharper questions and a longer view of what progress really takes. Subscribe, share this conversation with someone who needs it, and leave us a review so more listeners can find Speak Up International.

Video: https://youtu.be/AQwuGvof2LU

Feel free to contact Dr. Hogarth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khogarth/

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 Black History Month in Canada feels permanent now, but it was never guaranteed. We talk with Rosemary Sadlier, researcher, author, and longtime leader with the Ontario Black History Society, about the unglamorous, determined work it took to move Black History Month from community celebration to national recognition. She walks us through the reality of advocacy before social media: missed deadlines, long-distance calls, mailed letters, and the patience to keep pushing even when no one replies.

 If you care about African Canadian history, anti-racism education, or how public change actually gets made, her story lands hard.

We invite you to view the podcast 

https://youtu.be/74fRm18CamI?si=7Atno5ZqiboZ4X7_
 

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A kid is up at 7:30 a.m. for a program that starts at eight not because it’s trendy, but because it means a real meal, real coaching, and adults who actually listen. That’s the kind of front-line truth Kevin Francis brings to SpeakUP! International, and it’s why his work hits so hard. Kevin is a lifelong community supporter and activist, and he’s co-founded Diversified Youth Initiative to build supports around what families say they need, not what a system assumes they need.

We talk about the hidden depth of youth poverty in Canada, and why “subsidized” still isn’t affordable when the choice is groceries or rent. Kevin breaks down how free basketball camps in Cambridge, Ontario combine sports, nutrition, and life skills, with partners like Spice Sisters Personal Chef Services helping provide nutritious, culturally respectful meals including halal options. We also dig into wraparound services that cut through red tape, from quick resume support and employment help to financial literacy, mentoring, and access to counselling or dietitians, delivered in community spaces, online, or by phone so families aren’t forced to travel and wait.

The conversation expands beyond sports into arts and music through Bring the Beat Back in Little Jamaica, plus the Ski School Project at Blue Mountain, where youth get gear, instruction, meals, and exposure to job opportunities. Kevin also names the disconnect between politics and lived reality, challenges communities to unify and “look back” after success, and shares the values that guide him when funding comes with strings attached. 

If you care about community building, youth empowerment, mentorship, food security, and practical grassroots solutions, this one is for you. Subscribe, share, and leave a review, then tell us what barrier you think we should tackle first.

Connect to Mr. Francis:  https://www.diversifiedyouth.com 

Podcast Video Location: https://youtu.be/Yik8KQbaYlU

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Join us on SpeakUP! International for a deeply moving episode with Kwanza Msingwana!
Kwanza opens with “Old Woman, Sing Me a Song,” a breathtaking spoken-word tribute to his mother who held on to her wisdom, resilience and grace. From there, we follow the poetry back to its origins and forward to our own responsibilities.
In this episode, we explore:

• How a music-making trip to Jamaica completely reshaped his perspective on culture and gratitude.
• The heart of African oral tradition, where folktales, drumming, song, and poetry aren't separate lanes—they are one shared road.
• Why stories, rhythms, and a well-timed laugh can carry a lesson so much further than a lecture ever could.

Whether you prefer to watch or listen, you won't want to miss this one!
Available on all major audio platforms and full video streaming!
Until then, enjoy our current collection of conversations:

https://youtu.be/z7XttYl3dUA (video)

Connect with  Kwanza Msingwana using the following link: https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/files/kwanzamsingwanapng-1

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“I don’t see colour” can sound polite, but Nana Dei calls colourblindness an insult and explains why: the problem isn’t colour; it’s the meaning and power we attach to it. We talk about what it takes to teach with critical consciousness in Canada, where anti-Black racism, colonial history, and school gatekeeping still shape who feels valued, safe, and seen. 

Nana Day, a globally recognized University of Toronto OISE professor and advocate for Black African Canadian education, connects anti-racism education to anti-colonial thought, African indigeneity, and the responsibilities we owe our communities. 

Nana Day tackles the backlash to “wokeness” and critical race theory, arguing that anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, and anti-classist education is not a “special interest” but the common good. 

If you want sharper language for talking about race, decolonization, and equity in schools, and real guidance for teachers who aim to be “warriors” for marginalized students, press play. Subscribe, share this conversation with an educator, and leave a review with one idea you want schools to act on next.

You can view this podcast using the following link: https://youtu.be/Wja37mZhOvQ

Connect to Nana Dei: https://discover.research.utoronto.ca/3369-george-js-dei

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A lot of people say they support equity, diversity, and inclusion, but far fewer are willing to challenge the systems that keep producing the same unequal outcomes. We’re joined by Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad, assistant professor in Ontario teacher education and executive director with YACE in Toronto’s Jane and Finch community, to talk about what real EDI work looks like when it’s grounded in service, accountability, and lived experience.

Dr. Eizadirad shares practical examples from campus and community settings: student-led coalition-building, pronoun practices, educator resource lists, culturally reflective programs, and the importance of representation in Ontario’s teaching workforce for student belonging. We also get honest about the personal cost of the work and why going back to community is a strategy for healing, guidance, and sustainability.

If you care about equity in education, community-based prevention, indigenization, or how to create systemic change that lasts, this one will give you language and next steps. Subscribe, share this with someone doing the work, and leave us a review with one idea you want your school or workplace to act on next.

View the podcast using the following link: https://youtu.be/fdkcE77k1eA

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