Opinion
Black in Canada
Canada’s self-image as a tolerant nation perversely allows racism to flourish.
If you are a Black Canadian, studies continue to show that you are less likely than a member of any other ethnic group to get a job or a promotion. You are more likely to get pulled over for “driving while Black,” or to be discriminated against in the courts. What is more, you know that there are very few Blacks occupying the corner offices of Canadian companies, or in key roles in the academic world. And, over the past two decades, you have seen the representation of Blacks in federal, provincial, and municipal governments drop significantly. Why does this systemic racism persist? What is holding Blacks back? I believe there are three things that continue to impede our progress.
First, there’s the fact that, unlike that of Blacks in the United States, the black experience in Canada has been largely ignored. For example, in Canadian history books, there is little mention of the fact that slavery once existed in the territory that is now Canada. Most Canadians don’t know that segregation was accepted in many parts of this country well into the 1960s. They believe the myth of a Canadian tradition of tolerance because most history books gloss over the overt racism that has afflicted Blacks in Canada throughout our country’s existence.
Equally significant is the fact that few Canadians are aware of the many contributions that Blacks have made to Canadian history, beginning with Mathieu da Costa, a Portuguese navigator and explorer, who arrived here in 1605 in the company of Samuel de Champlain. They have never heard of William Hall, who became the first Canadian, and the first person of African ancestry, to receive the Victoria Cross.
They don’t know that the “The Real McCoy” was a Black Canadian engineer named Elijah McCoy, whose inventions for lubricating the engines of ships, trains, and factories were patented worldwide. And they’re unaware of the achievements of Portia White, who broke the colour barrier in Canadian classical music, performing in more than 100 concerts around the globe. These Afro-Canadians, and many more, made their mark on Canada, all during times characterized by pervasive racism. And these great Canadians not only endured, they succeeded.
The second factor holding Blacks back is the existence of old and tired stereotypes stemming from our legacy of slavery and segregation. For instance, segregation meant there were white schools and Black schools; white churches and Black churches; barbers for white people and barbers for Blacks. In other words, segregation forced people to look at our differences, not the things we shared in common. It led some people to conclude that Black was not as good, as worthy, or as able as white – that Black was inferior to white.
Still today, we watch television and see Blacks portrayed as poor, with no chance for success, or as criminals or inmates in prison. What is the impact of this constant stream of demeaning images on young Black people? It’s not pretty. I have seen the lack of self-esteem, the shame in our culture, and the humiliation at the place we have been assigned in our own country.
