If we want to truly fight racism, we need to talk about it with our children and commit to learning more together along with how we can take action.
Racism is a spectrum, and presents itself as…
Systemic Racism:
Institutionalized structures in society that benefit white people and put BIPOC at a disadvantage.
Examples:
- Black students are more likely to be suspended
- Black graduates are more likely to be unemployed and paid less
- Black and Indigenous folxs are more likely to be victims of police brutality
Racial Bias:
The racist beliefs and prejudices that exist within each person, often learned at an early age through the media and societally learned stereotypes and generalizations.
Examples:
- Black folxs are angry, dangerous
- Indigenous folxs are lazy
- Asian folxs are smart, immigrants
- Latinos are rhythmic
- White folxs are educated
How to unlearn your racial biases:
- Learn to recognize them, and make a conscious effort to correct yourself
- Try to see things from another person’s point of view and expose yourself to different cultures
- Look at people as individuals rather than assigning them stereotypes based on their racial group
Micro-aggressions:
Subtle verbal and non-verbal actions that are rooted in stereotypes or false assumptions made about a person’s race. They can be both intentional or unintentional, but are often not detected by dominant groups as “racist.”
Examples:
- “You speak English so well!” or “You don’t sound Black!”
- “Where are you really from?” or “What are you?”
- “Everyone can succeed in society, if they just work hard enough.”
- A white woman holding their purse tighter as they pass a Black man.
- Failing to say a person’s name correctly after being corrected.
Racial Gaslighting:
When someone manipulates or denies information to make the victim question their own experience, memory, or reality.
Examples:
- “It was just a joke” or “What I said/did is not racist.”
- “Racism doesn’t exist anymore” or “Are you sure that’s what happened?”
- “Why do you always make it about race?” or “I’m not racist, I have Black friends.”
Understanding White Privilege
White Privilege:
Inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society built upon racial inequalities and injustices.
Examples:
- being dominant in the media
- being chosen first for jobs
- not being assigned stereotypes based on your race
- not being harassed in public because of your race
- not having your citizenship questioned
- you’re not asked to speak for your racial group
Having white privilege does not mean that you haven’t faced challenges; it means the colour of your skin doesn’t play a role in those challenges.
White privilege often causes white folxs to be ignorant of race issues. It is important for white folxs to recognize their white privilege and use it to amplify marginalized voices.
White Fragility:
The tendency of white folxs to have a defensive, wounded, angry or dismissive response to accusations and corrections of racism. They tend to make excuses to explain away racist behaviour rather than acknowledge the role they play in structural racism.
White fragility can also cause BIPOC to be more hesitant to correct white folxs, to spare their feelings and avoid being villainized instead. This is recognized as tone policing.
When getting involved in discussions about race, white folxs must be prepared to make mistakes. Therefore, it is important to get comfortable saying things such as: “Thanks for correcting me, I didn’t realize that” or “I should do some more research before I argue this point.”
#BlackLivesMatter
Anti-Black racism is deeply embedded in societal structures and in everyday micro-aggressions, as a result of the history and experience of enslavement and colonization. In institutions, it affects their success in schools and the workplace, and harms them in the healthcare system and judicial system. Read more.
Misogynoir: this term describes the intersection of race and gender for Black women, manifesting in many ways. The adultification of Black girls causes them to be viewed as less innocent than white girls, and the many stereotypes of Black women – including sassy, angry, strong and hyper-sexualized – can result in a high chance of sexual violence. The strong stereotype also reflects itself in racial bias in the healthcare system, by dismissing Black women’s pain. The cultural appropriation of Black women’s hair devalues the history and meaning behind it.
In Canada, the Black community makes up 3.4% of Canada’s population, but 9% of police fatalities. Read more.
#StopAsianHate
Model Minority Myth: the myth that all Asian Canadians are quiet and hard-working, and have overcome the barriers of racial discrimination, so other communities of colour can too. This myth is meant to create a divide between Asians and other POC, as Asians will be seen as aligned to ‘whiteness.’ The myth ultimately harms the Asian Canadian community, as it erases the oppression they face.
Yellow Peril Myth: the idea that Asians, and China in particular, is a threat to the West. This dangerous sentiment resulted in the Japanese Internment Camps during WWII.
Asian Fetishization and Yellow Fever: Asian women are often stereotyped as weak and submissive, as well as hyper-sexualized, creating a greater chance for gender-based violence. There is a deep history behind these stereotypes.
During COVID, racism against Asian Canadians has increased due to Trump’s naming of the virus, the “Kung Flu” and the “China Virus.”
In 2020, covidracism.ca received more than 800 reports of anti-Asian racism across Canada. 65% of incidents included verbal abuse and harassment; 30% included targeted coughing, spitting and physical attacks. Read more.
