An Indigenous former teacher in the Wallaceburg area is being remembered for her courage and advocacy.
The late Harriet Jacobs was the first Native Studies teacher at the Wallaceburg District Secondary School. She passed away peacefully on Sunday, at the age of 88.
The Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) has celebrated her as a “trailblazer whose vision and determination transformed education for Indigenous students.”
Throughout her life, Jacobs served as the first Supervisor of the first Indigenous Child Care Centre in Canada (The Walpole Island Day Care Centre), established the Culture Club, coached basketball, baseball, and volleyball, and established the Indigenous Education and Support Program.
To honour her legacy, the school board has created a graduation award for Indigenous students.
According to LKDSB, the award will celebrate leadership, resilience, and cultural pride, values that Jacobs “championed throughout her life.”
After her retirement in 2004, the Native Studies office was renamed in her honor. It is now called the Harriet Jacobs Centre.
The LKDSB explained that without Jacobs' vision, the programs they rely on today would not exist.
