EMSB to kick off Black History Month & Hooked On School Week by honouring the late Dr. Horace I. Goddard


Montreal, February 4, 2025- The English Montreal School Board will mark Black History Month with programming across the network.

On Thursday, February 6 (10:15 am) the EMSB will hold its formal kickoff at Parkdale Elementary School (1475 Deguire) in St. Laurent in the memory of the late Dr. Horace I. Goddard, a former school teacher, principal and head office administrator and a leader in the Black community. This event will also recognize Hooked on Schools Days  (Journées de la perseverance scolaire), highlighting the value of staying in school and encouraging academic success.  On hand will be Réseau Réussite Montréal Liaison and Development Officer Brigid Glustein, a professional resource official from  Une école montréalaise pour tous  of the Ministère de l'Éducation

Animator Malik Shaheed will first lead a session for students about anti-racism and diversity. Leadership from the Montreal Black community, the EMSB and Dr. Goddard’s family  will be on hand.  In view of the fact he was a one-time principal of Parkdale, the library will be named in his memory. Given Dr. Goddard’s streadfast commitment to school perseverance the twinning of the two events is appropriate.

Dr. Goddard

In the 1980s Dr. Goddard was  president of Barbados House. For a while, he operated a publishing company: Afo Enterprises. At the time of his death, he was a member of the executive boards of the Quebec Board of Black Educators (from 1978 until his death), the Black Theatre Workshop  and the Black Community Research Council of Quebec. He was also a prolific writer and poet. He passed away in the fall of 2020 during the pandemic. Born in Barbados, where he studied at Providence Elementary School and later at the Federal High School, he taught primary and secondary school there before moving to Montreal  where he continued his studies at Concordia University, B.A. (Hons. English, 1975); Université de Montréal, M.A. English, 1977; McGill University, Dip. Ed English and TESL, 1977; Université de Montréal Ph.D. English Studies, 1985; McGill University, M.Ed. Administration and Policy Studies, 1988. From 1977 to 2012, he worked in the field of education as a teacher, vice-principal, principal, coordinator of personnel and director of community services.  

About the English Montreal School Board

With a youth and adult sector population of more than 35,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 73 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca

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Contact:

Michael J. Cohen

Manager, Marketing and Communications

English Montreal School Board

mcohen@emsb.qc.ca


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