Deadline: February 15, 2022
Edited By:
Eyitayo Aloh
Eric Lehman
Katrina Keefer
“Is Canada racist?” asked an American delegate at an international convention held in British Columbia, after it came to light that a young black delegate and member of Black Canadian Studies Association (BCSA), Shelby McPhee, had been profiled for theft. His surprise is shared by many who hold on to the belief that Canada is a land forged on peaceful treaties, as opposed to the United States of America that was created in battlefields and outright land theft. This myth has many versions but one central theme is of Canada as the land that respects diversity and welcomes everyone. What makes this a myth is the fact that statistics will point to the presence of systemic racism in Canada. History too will point to the gradual dislocation and eventual destruction of a thriving Black community in Africville, Nova Scotia by instruments of the state for no other reason than racism and prevention of the social development of Blacks in the area. While statistics may rely on numbers and history may rely on the books, the lived experiences of Blacks in Canada reveals more compelling stories of the contemporary marginalization, discrimination and deprivation that has been suffered by Black bodies. These stories have forced many Blacks to ask the question, “Black like who?” (Walcott, 1999) in Canada because the mythologized environment is far removed from their lived experiences.