Marlene Green facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marlene Green
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Marlene Green
9 November 1940 |
| Died | 31 October 2002 (aged 61) |
| Occupation | community activist, educator, and NGO field worker |
Marlene Green (born November 9, 1940 – died October 31, 2002) was a Canadian activist, teacher, and aid worker. She is best known for starting the Black Education Project. This group was run by volunteers and worked to fix unfair differences in Toronto's school system.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to Canada
Marlene Green was born in Dominica, an island nation. In the late 1960s, she moved to Canada. This was a time when many people from the Caribbean came to Canada because of new immigration rules.
Making a Difference: Activism
Helping in Toronto
In 1968, Marlene Green started working with young Black people on projects about social justice. These projects aimed to help end unfair rules in places like South Africa.
A year later, in 1969, Green started the Black Education Project. This group helped Black students and spoke out against unfair treatment in schools, workplaces, and by the police. Green created the project because many Black students were dropping out of school. Also, too many Black children were being wrongly placed in special education classes.
The Black Education Project wanted to make big changes by starting with local communities. The group taught about Black history and gave support and learning tools to parents of Black youth. They also offered many programs, including:
- After-school programs
- Summer camps
- Evening and weekend tutoring sessions
Green's work in the late 1960s and early 1970s was part of important social movements. In 1969, she helped raise money for students involved in the Sir George Williams affair. This was an important event for the Black Power movement in Montreal. In 1970, Green also supported projects linked to the Black Power Revolution in Trinidad.
In the early 1970s, Green joined groups that supported African freedom. She also became a community relations officer for the Toronto Board of Education. In this role, she led training and workshops about racism. In 1979, Green helped write a special report. It was the first report to show problems like Black students not doing as well in school because of their race. In the 1970s, Green also started the Brotherhood Community Center Project. This place was used by other groups working for the rights of black Canadians.
Working Around the World
For the next twenty years, Marlene Green worked internationally. She took part in activities that fought against apartheid (a system of racial separation in South Africa). She also focused on helping communities grow and develop.
She became a leader at CUSO, which is an international development organization. In this job, Green helped projects in eastern, southern, and central Africa, as well as the Caribbean. She stayed as the CUSO coordinator in Grenada until 1983. Green had to leave Grenada when the United States invaded the island.
