Opinion
Black in Canada
The third thing that holds Blacks back is ourselves. As human beings, we are defined by our circumstances. I was born of a poor Black family in Nova Scotia shortly before the Second World War. My father was a janitor at a university. He swept floors and cleaned washrooms to make a mere $25 a week. He had a wife and five children to support. My poverty has helped to define me. Ours was also the only Afro-Canadian family in an all-white university town. That defined me too. It gave me a powerful drive to achieve. And, combined with my family tradition, it underscored the importance of books, learning, and education – all of which saved me from the monotony of poverty.
In the same way that circumstances shape individuals, I believe that circumstances have a tremendous influence on a group of people. Our history of slavery and segregation continues to erect barriers that stand in our way of being accepted as equals. To break down those barriers once and for all, Blacks must become more powerful agents for change. We must come together to leverage the power of our collective voice.
I remember a time, not so long ago, when Afro-Canadians did just that. In fact, we felt compelled to make change happen. As the acclaimed Canadian author Lawrence Hill wrote:
For people like me, being Black and having access to a good education carried certain obligations. It wasn’t good enough to get A’s in school – you also had to ball up your fists and charge into battle if anybody used the word “nigger.” In the workplace, it wasn’t good enough to merely succeed professionally. You had to change the world, too.
I have witnessed this powerful force for social change first hand. All the members of my family, on both my father’s and my mother’s side, have devoted more than three generations to working for the uplifting of mankind, and, in particular, Blacks. I have seen what hope can do, most recently, with the election of U.S. President Barack Obama. I believe we urgently need to renew that sense of hope for Afro-Canadians today.
That’s because Blacks in Canada still have a long way to go. We must embrace our proud heritage, our true potential, and our hope for the future. We must work together to put an end to racism now. It’s clear to me that no one else is going to do it for us.
By: Don Oliver
Senator and temporary Speaker, Senate of Canada; champion for visible minorities; member, Conservative Party of Canada.
