So the real question we should be talking about is how do we progress in the light of these events?
Protests, social media posts, and discussions are one level. They engage us for a time being, but the real danger is that people will return to a sense of normalcy when things quiet down and real change does not occur. Specifically I believe people need to be made aware of the systems currently in place in Canadian society which allow invisible racism and discrimination (this really does touch on different ethnic and religious groups as well, and socio-economically undermined communities) to continue.
We should not only focus on the screaming racist in the street, or the bigoted person who sneers or looks at others a certain way. We need to unmask unjust policies and institutions that operate in the shadows, without anyone being the wiser. We need to drag, kicking and screaming, the political, economic and social degradation that sits at the heart of continued systemic racism into the light of real public scrutiny. There are laws and policies which unfairly target segments of our population. There are social programs, tax breaks, zoning distinctions which limit and contain people to keep them down. Let’s start talking about those issues.
I’m trying to continue this discourse by sharing more information that has enraged and bothered me about our society in Canada.
Reimagining the Urban: A Canadian Perspective
This is a paper by Beverly-Jean Daniel from 2010 which identifies and covers issues related to the term “Urban” and how we relate to it as a Canadian, and specifically Ontario society. The paper touches on a lot of elements and problems with our label urban, how it infects and distorts how we interact with those communities, and way in which they continue to be marginalized and mistreated. It is more in the context of education, but it is definitely worth reading and considering, even if you do not fully agree, it is important to hear arguments such as this to educate ourselves.
Access to the original article here: Reimagining the Urban: A Canadian Perspective
This is my Blog Response during teachers college. My response is mostly geared as an educator, but rereading it now, it helps put the issues back into context and I recognize some of the feeligns and emotions I felt then.
To help give an idea of whats in the paper, I want to highlight and share a segment of the paper in full to help illustrate some of the real life consequences of systemic racism and also the real life consequences of supposed methods to help fight it. This is so incredibly important to know, that a lot of the issues are being exasperated, compounded and spread by efforts to actually help. It is misinformation and misguided efforts that allow systemic discrimination and social inequality to continue.
The gentrification projects within the city increasingly result in repeated displacements of lower income populations to suburban spaces to facilitate the housing and consumption needs of the higher income workers. These gentrification projects create upscale neighborhoods that place the cost of housing out of the reach of the vast majority of the population. In the Canadian context, to fully understand the impact of these gentrification projects may require ongoing and longitudinal research. In the inner core of Toronto, a government housing project named Regent Park has been the focus of a major gentrification project. This area has been historically marked by significant poverty; however high levels of community engagement and support along with various community organizations have provided support to members of this community. The gentrification project has resulted in the movement of families that have resided in these neighborhoods for generations, many of whom have been relocated to suburbs a significant distance from the downtown core effectively separating them from the nodes of support and interactions that have been important aspects of their life. This relocation to the suburbs, which has been primarily financed by the government, has had several impacts that are relevant to our understanding of “urban” and the practice of education in Canada. There have been limited, if any, attempts to provide stable employment support or education retraining for these families to enable them to support a more expensive lifestyle in the suburbs. This creates a social-economic dynamic that runs the risk of replicating their experience of poverty, but this time in a house rather than an apartment. Suburbs have historically had limited transportation systems thus requiring increased use of personal transport to attend school or work or to complete basic tasks such as shopping. The financial constraints that have accompanied these families to the suburbs limit their options for access to work and their “regular dietary foods.” Additionally, the increased cost of food in the suburbs adds another level of expense for these families which can result in ongoing health concerns. In such instances, families may be forced to make choices between maintaining their shelter and eating. The organizations that have provided unprecedented levels of assistance to these families are not located in these suburban neighborhoods, therefore the options for academic, personal, and social services as well as culturally relevant counseling which could support their effective transition into Canadian society have been curtailed.
This is an incredibly powerful film about the experiences of immigrant youth coming to Canada. It is not specifically about the issues facing Black Canadians, but rather those facing ethnic minorities, immigrants and refugees, a lot of which touch the Black Community as well. It is raw, heartbreaking and eye opening. I encourage you to allow yourself to be uncomfortable and watch it. Here is my initial response and reflection after watching it in teachers college a few years ago.