Windsor group serving Black families rose out of desire to 'do better' for children
Family Fuse kick starts new chapter with community photo shoot on Tuesday
Seeing her child experience racism at school inspired Christie Nelson to take action.
"The school didn't respond well, the child didn't respond well. My child experienced a severe blow to her self-esteem and her self image, and I said, 'We need to do better,'" Nelson told CBC Radio's Windsor Morning on Tuesday.
Nelson said she joined forces with two other parents whose children also faced racism, and together they formed Family Fuse about a year and a half ago.
The group aims to help parents and caregivers in Windsor-Essex navigate the education system and issues Black children face in school.
"When my child and I experienced racism in the school system I wish I had someone there to guide me through the process of supporting both of us. When there is lack of representation, it makes it that more difficult for any person of colour to be inspired, to feel or be understood," Nelson said.
The organization serves 84 parents and 141 children. Nelson is the organization's program co-ordinator.
For its second year, Family Fuse will be focused on "building unity in the community" — a campaign kick-started with a photo shoot at Windsor's riverfront on Tuesday, Nelson said.
The photos of the organization's supporters will be used in promotional materials and social media, but the project has a broader significance.
"In a larger sense, it's showing the importance of representation not only in the Black community but also in all communities so that we all feel supported and connected," Nelson said.
"When you lack representation and children don't see themselves, it doesn't serve them in the way that it should, which is, if there is representation then they can strive to become whatever representation they see. It's encouragement. It's greater self-esteem, it's a greater sense of belonging."
One parent who participated in the photo shoot on Tuesday, Latosha Cole, has attended the organization's workshops and life coaching.
She said it's very important to have an organization like Family Fuse in Windsor-Essex.
"It helps... let me know there's a community that looks me, and that I can feel comfortable with speaking to them because I know that they'll understand where I'm coming from," she said.
LISTEN | Hear more about Family Fuse and what they do:
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
With files from Windsor Morning and Darrin Di Carlo