Black History Month: Story of Emmett Till impacting Ottawa students

Students at a Kanata High School attended a special screening of a movie about Emmett Till. CTV’s Peter Szperling reports.

Students at a Kanata high school attended a special screening of a movie about Emmett Till as part of education during Black History Month.

Around 300 Grade 10 students and staff from All Saints High School took part in the ‘Walk Till Justice,’ marching from their school to nearby cinemas to watch the film Till.

The movie is based on the true story of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was murdered in Mississippi in the 1950s. His death became a catalyst for the civil rights movement in the U.S.

“Honestly, this film is really heavy,” said Grade 10 student Kseniia Plavskaia. “This film has really impacted me a lot because it was a good chance to actually see what it’s like.”

Learning about Till inspired her to create artwork. She drew a portrait of Emmett Till that’s on display in the school’s front lobby.

“I really felt really inspired with the movie. Like, I feel like you have an impact. So, I decided to do something more meaningful,” Plavskaia said.

“I cried three times,” said student Aize Agenmonmen. “If we don’t learn our history, we’re bound to make the same mistakes again, over and over and over again.”

The screening and walk were organized by teacher Ann Marie Vanneste, who also did this in 2023.

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“I hope it leads to a better understanding of what racism is really all about. I hope it leads to, ‘When you know better, you do better,’” she told CTV News Ottawa. “The walk back is it’s them actually unpacking what they saw.”

The teacher has garnered international recognition for her work with the project, including receiving the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation Woman of Courage award in Washington, D.C., she said.

“The award ceremony was incredible to walk the red carpet with civil rights activists and actors in the film and producers and writers, and there’s this little old teacher, myself. I just felt truly humbled, to just be in their presence.”

Thursday’s screening included a special video, a personal address to students from Keith Beauchamp, one of the writers and producers of the film.

“He was so impressed with what we were doing,” said Vanneste.

Vanneste says students will now complete an assignment highlighting what they learned from the film.

“That’s where I feel the best, when I’m reading what they have then ingested, and the change that’s being made within themselves,” she said.

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