TORONTO, ON – The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Naomi Graham, a teacher with the Peel Elementary Teachers’ Local, with its 2021 New Member Award.  

The award recognizes a member of ETFO with five years or less membership who has shown a commitment to the objects of ETFO and been significantly involved at the local and/or provincial level of the organization. 

Graham is an active participant in PETL’s Who Me a Union Leader? leadership development program for racialized members, and is also a member of PETL’s Dismantling Anti-Black Racism in Education (DARE) Council. This group of Black PETL members advises the local on advocacy that is needed at the school board level and beyond.  

Despite being new to her school and the unprecedented challenges of this year, Graham has had a profound impact on her colleagues and school community. She has connected with them to plan lessons and has spoken at staff meetings about the importance of students seeing themselves in classroom resources. Graham creates a sense of community in her classroom and school, and creates safer and braver spaces for students to express themselves.  

She believes it is her responsibility to organize and mobilize resources for equity and justice in the fight against anti-Black racism and other forms of discrimination. Graham started an organization with a group of Ontario educators to advocate for a more representative curriculum. They have identified the lack of overall expectations about Black history as anti-Black racism, and have engaged members of provincial parliament, colleagues and community members in advocating for a truly representative and historically accurate curriculum.  

“Naomi exemplifies ETFO’s objects in the work she does as a teacher and a community member. She is an outstanding leader and a strong advocate for publicly-funded public education, in particular the important role that education plays in building a just society,” says ETFO President Sam Hammond. “We all benefit from her strong leadership and it’s no surprise that she is widely respected and appreciated by colleagues, her students and their families.” 

ETFO represents 83,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across the province. Its Building Better Schools education agenda can be viewed at BuildingBetterSchools.ca. 

Media Contact: Carla Pereira, ETFO Media Relations, 416-576-9074 or cpereira@etfo.org.