Abshir is SBL family.  His laughter, intelligence, heart, time, and all of the resources he had available to him were given generously to support our work of acknowledging and supporting the genius of youth in Jane and Finch.

He was a teacher of the highest quality, and had the love and respect of all of his students, because he loved and respected all of his students.  His commitment in the classroom was rooted in his commitment to community.

Not content to only do the important work that comes through one to one connections in the classroom, his pursuit of post-graduate studies at York was focused on bringing forward the experiences of students whose voices and experiences are still under-represented.

Supporting the development of Hip Hop Literacy curriculum, adding input and insight to the Somali Student Achievement Task Force, volunteering in after school programs, and going to Raptors games with our students are just some examples of how he lived and breathed his dedication to ensuring that youth have the opportunities and education experiences that he knew he and his peers should have received growing up.

At the core of it all, he was excellent.  An excellent friend, brother, son, cousin, teacher, community worker, and academic.

As a family, we will carry our work with his heart for youth.

Our condolences to the family, friends, students, and colleagues that are devastated by the loss of this brilliant, loving man.

Rest in peace Abshir.