The Future Reimagined

In a bustling Toronto high school, a group of Black students is getting a taste of university life – minus the hefty price tag of tuition. It’s all part of an innovative program spearheaded by York University’s Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, aimed at addressing costly academic transfers and dropouts among Black youth.

Sonia Lewis (BA ’10, MEd ’13), a PhD student in education at York, created the Beyond High School program after uncovering a troubling pattern.

“What we found was that the students were qualified to go to university. They had the grades or for those who chose to go to college first, they qualified for that too. But as soon as they got into the space, they felt alone, isolated, excluded from the teaching and learning process, and from the curriculum; they were othered by professors and peers alike,” Lewis explains.

The research revealed many Black students bouncing between university and college, searching for a sense of belonging. This costly cycle prompted Lewis to act. Partnering with James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School, she designed a program to give students a real taste of post-secondary life before they commit.

Beyond High School isn’t just campus tours and brochures. Students attend actual lectures, work in labs and learn to navigate university resources such as archives. “They are not lacking the academic aptitude; what they are lacking, we found, was exposure to the space and the ability to make informed choices,” Lewis says.

I believe that our intellectual property is something that we carry with us for a lifetime, and we can reinvent it in ways that can help us secure our needs and our livelihoods

Genelle Levy, program director of the Levy McLean Family Foundation – which funds scholarships for Beyond High School – cites stark statistics driving their involvement. “A 2016 Statistics Canada report indicated that only 60 per cent of Black students in Canada thought getting a university degree was achievable although 94 per cent of students want to get a university degree.”

The foundation, co-founded by Don Levy (BA ’86), funds activities such as academic writing workshops and goal-setting sessions. Students also experience university life first-hand by attending lectures and interacting with current and former students at York University. “We really see education as the pathway to freedom. I believe that our intellectual property is something that we carry with us for a lifetime, and we can reinvent it in ways that can help us secure our needs and our livelihoods,” Levy says.

The Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, currently held by Carl James (BA ’78, MA ’80, PhD ’86), oversees these initiatives and provides wrap-around support for Black students. Honouring its namesake – the first Black woman elected to Canada’s Parliament and a former York University governor – the Chair extends this work beyond education into health, housing, employment and social justice for Black communities across Canada.

Anika Forde (BA ’11), director of research and programs for the Chair and a PhD student in sociology at York University, highlighted this broader impact during an appreciation gathering in October. “Your support plays a vital role in our ongoing work to enhance access, equity and inclusivity in education, and the work we do in health, housing, employment and social justice for Black students and communities across Canada,” she said.

Richerd Edwards, a third-year human rights and equity studies major at York University, credits his involvement with the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora for transforming his educational journey. Edwards, who is of Jamaican heritage, entered York as a student athlete, but has since shifted his focus to academics.

As a research assistant with the Chair’s Black Student-Athlete Research and Mentorship Program, he explores issues facing Black student athletes in institutional athletics, examining identity and community within sports.

We’re seeing positive results, but there’s still work to be done. The real test will be long-term retention and graduation rates

“It’s changed my life in the way I thought of myself,” Edwards says. “It has allowed me to untether myself from the engulfment of sport and it has allowed me to step forward in a new purpose, reimagine myself, and reimagine my future.”

The Jean Augustine Chair’s initiatives, including Beyond High School, are part of a larger effort to address systemic barriers in education. As the program enters its second cohort, early data suggests promising outcomes. Of the first group of participants, 85 per cent successfully transitioned to post-secondary education, with 60 per cent entering university programs and 25 per cent pursuing college diplomas.

However, Lewis cautions against complacency. “We’re seeing positive results, but there’s still work to be done,” she says. “The real test will be long-term retention and graduation rates.”

As Chair, James is now expanding its focus to include support for Black students throughout their post-secondary journey. This includes mentorship programs, research opportunities and initiatives to increase Black faculty representation.

This expansion includes programs targeting high school students, bridging the gap between secondary and post-secondary education. Alanah Broomfield (BA ’22, MA ’23), a PhD student and research assistant, has been working for two years with the Black Internship Program, which brings high school students to the University each July.

“I can see the impact it has on those children in the way that they grow into finding themselves and standing firm in that,” Broomfield says. “When they started, the students were tentative, but as they progressed through the program, they became very comfortable with themselves.”

Broomfield’s observations highlight the importance of early intervention and sustained support in fostering Black student success. These programs aim to create a seamless pathway from high school to university, addressing the challenges identified in Lewis’s research.

“It’s not just about getting students through the door,” James emphasizes. “It’s about creating an environment where they can thrive, where their experiences and knowledge are valued, and where they see themselves reflected in the curriculum and faculty.”

As universities across Canada grapple with issues of equity and inclusion, the Jean Augustine Chair’s work offers a blueprint for meaningful change. But James is clear: this is just the beginning. “We’re laying the groundwork,” he says, “for a transformation in how we approach education for Black students and communities. The goal isn’t just access – it’s excellence, it’s leadership, it’s changing the face of academia itself.”  ■