Wednesday, December 17, 2014
As events in Ferguson, New York, Oakland and beyond unfold, many Canadians have been quick to distance ourselves from the systemic racism that has plagued the U.S. since the times of the transatlantic slave trade. With most Canadian historical accounts selectively highlighting the Underground Railroad, we overlook the history of enslaved Black people within Canada, de facto prohibition on Black immigration from 1896-1915, displacement of communities from Africville and Hogan's Alley, made-in-Canada segregation laws, foreign policy from Haiti to Somalia, and pervasive institutional and interpersonal anti-Black racism.
The problematic discourse of 'Canada's own Ferguson'
As events in Ferguson and beyond unfold, many Canadians have been quick to distance ourselves from the systemic racism that plagues the U.S. -- but in doing so, overlook anti-Black racism in Canada.