First Black woman to serve as an Edmonton public school principal remembered as ‘true pioneer’
Rosalind Smith remembered as trailblazing mentor for other Black educators
The first Black woman to ever serve as a principal in Edmonton’s public school system is being remembered by Alberta’s education community as a trailblazing educator who broke a significant glass ceiling when she became the leader of a school.
Rosalind Smith passed away on Jan. 6. Her death was announced on social media by the Black Teachers Association of Alberta, which said it plans to hold an event to commemorate Smith’s life and legacy this spring.
Smith’s career was defined by the leadership she provided for other Black educators in the province, according to Andrew Parker, a teacher at Ross Sheppard High School.
Parker was Smith's student before becoming a peer of hers in the education system.
“She's greatly impactful to not just myself, but a number of educators and students across the province of Alberta,” he told CBC’s Radio Active on Thursday.
“As a member of the Black community, … she was one of the leaders. Every single time we needed her advice or her counsel, she was there for us.”
In an interview with CBC News in 2021, Smith said she spent 18 years in the classroom before becoming a principal in 1996. After 15 years in that role, she transitioned to supervisory consulting work, training district staff and principals on equity and diversity in education.
In an emailed statement to CBC News, Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides called Smith an "extraordinary advocate."
“Rosalind was a true pioneer in Alberta, her unwavering commitment to excellence in education set a standard that inspired countless others,” he said.
Edmonton Public School Board Chair Saadiq Sumar and Supt. Ron Thompson issued a joint statement after Smith’s death, praising her for breaking systemic barriers.
“As the first Black woman to serve as principal in Edmonton Public Schools, she opened doors for educators to follow,” they said.
Reflecting on her career
In her 2021 interview with CBC News, Smith recalled that she wanted to pursue education because of the adversity she faced during her time as a student.
“My own school experience as a young person was not always positive,” she said. “I had teachers who were blatantly racist … and I thought that maybe if I became a teacher, I could do something differently.”
Smith said she ultimately wanted to become a principal because she felt it was the most impactful position to change the culture of a school.
“I felt that many of the students that I had worked with were underserved, and that we needed a new experience because we were a growing city and needed to accommodate,” she said.
Smith recalled that one of the major challenges of her career was “the lack of ability to see me as a credible leader.”
“Oftentimes people would not believe that I was a principal because I was Black and I was a female, and they had never ever seen or met a Black principal before.”
But Smith said she hoped her legacy would be to show people the importance of having a willingness to keep an open mind about different ideas.
“It is our moral responsibility to try and meet the needs of students no matter where they come from,” Smith said. “I’ve left some very good leaders in the district who, to this day, … see themselves as great stakeholders in the community for all students, no matter what their ethnicity or diversity may be.”
