M.M. Robinson High School hosted an Evening of Black Excellence, a powerful celebration of culture, empowerment, leadership and learning.

The event brought together students, families, educators and community partners for an evening that highlighted the achievements, creativity and contributions of the Black community in Halton and beyond.

Organized as a collaborative initiative with community organizations, the event featured a series of engaging workshops, keynote speakers, performances and interactive community booths, all with the goal of inspiring excellence and igniting conversations about identity, success and future pathways.

The evening featured dynamic keynote speeches and performances from Al St. Louis, one of Toronto’s foremost spoken word artists, and Oh! The Artist, a musical artist focused on empowerment through song and lyricism.​

Participants also had the opportunity to take part in a variety of workshops led by professionals from different fields:

• Al St. Louis: Spoken Word workshop.
• Chef Delvon Greene: Learning how to create delicious Caribbean culture-inspired culinary delights. 
• oH! The Artist: Creating lyrics, writing songs, empowerment and leadership. 
• Empowering through your strengths with Michael Hagley: Understanding your strengths and how to apply them more often to be your best, most creative self. 
• Equity In Every Pathway with Nina Sharma-Hansra: Celebrating the skilled trades and ways to promote it so that it becomes a possible pathway option for all students. 
• Black Health Matters with Melissa Jamieson: Highlighting the importance of Black representation in every area of healthcare, and learning about the reality of working and being successful in the healthcare sector. 
• Empowering Futures with Joseph Enriquez: Engaging students and families with the Graduation Coach Program for Black Students. Through interactive activity, participants reflect on systemic racism within the education system, the power of racial advocacy and the celebration of Black excellence.
• Roots Community Services with Rabab Salim: Through programs and services, we create pathways to wellness that help empower and inspire clients to build on their strengths and find solutions to overcome the challenges they face.
• SCWI with Alijcia Gibson: Learning about the School College Work Initiative (SCWI), which empowers students to complete their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and transition to college, apprenticeships or the workforce.
• Steel Pan with the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton (CCAH): Learning to play a song on the Steel Pan. 

Throughout the evening, attendees visited booths hosted by a range of community organizations including Roots Community Services, BLING ENTERTAINMENT, Onyx, the University of Toronto Future Black Undergrad Team, Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton (CCAH), TD Insurance and the Halton District School Board. These booths offered valuable resources, mentorship and networking opportunities for students and families alike.

"The Evening of Black Excellence was an amazing and inspiring event,” says Nicole Hagley, Guidance Counsellor at M.M. Robinson HS. “Seeing MMR and Hayden's current and future students, families and community partners brought together in an evening to celebrate excellence, empowerment, following dreams and speaking one's truth was so powerful! Through experiential workshops, participants of all ages learned and actively participated in authentic ways to bring forth Black leadership and skills, while opening possibilities as they envisioned working towards their dreams and goals.”

In alignment with the Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion commitment in the HDSB’s 2024-2028 Multi-Year Strategic Plan, M.M. Robinson’s Evening of Black Excellence created a space for celebration, connection and vision, spotlighting the strength and brilliance of the Black community and reaffirming the HDSB’s commitment to inclusive, respectful, accessible and equitable learning experiences where every student can see themselves reflected and valued.