On Racism and Reverse-Racism
On Racism
Many Canadians would have been shocked by the news that the government of Canada had declared that the Canadian Human Rights Commission have been deemed by the as a bastion of discrimination against their racialized employees.
Ottawa says Human Rights Commission discriminated against its Black employees | CBC News
Did this come as a surprise? Not to those who have been tracking Canada’s human rights record and her history from the days of the slave trade to recent times. The infamous “Freedom” Truck convoy of 2022 finally exposed the soft underbelly of the Canadian mosaic, cementing the hitherto unspoken fact that when it comes to our treatment of people of colour, we are only marginally better than the USA. But it is certainly jarring to learn that the agency taxed with ensuring that basic human rights are available to all Canadians is itself unable to walk the talk, so to speak. The takeaway from this is that we, as a country, in spite of the progress made over the years, still have a long way to go in terms of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. DEI is a buzzword that has been trending in recent government announcements, but it will remain just another cliché, until Canadians of all stripes see it in action.
On Diversity Equity and Inclusion
And speaking of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, how has Canada’s Black community in embracing this concept? The evidence is that at the different levels of government, municipal, provincial and federal, new positions have been created, with various labels: Director of DEI, DEI Specialist or DEI Officer, and most of those positions have been filled by people of colour. The idea is that this individual would initiate, promote and sustain programs in the workplace, that ensure that Canadians of all stripes are treated fairly and with dignity without reference to their race, ethnicity, gender, religious affiliation, sexual orientation and all other parameters of human rights. It is probably too early to assess the success of these appointments but everyone one of us should be vigilant and watchful that this is not another of the well-known and tested strategy of giving crumbs to marginalized communities, while the masters eat their sumptuous dinner at the main table.
On Reverse racism
Now here is something else to wrap our heads around. The “blackout” showing of the play “Is God Is”, last February, put the publicly-funded National Arts Centre in the cross-hairs of a backlash, with charges of “reverse racism’ clogging the airwaves and social media.
National Arts Centre’s 1st ‘Black Out’ night sparks debate — and backlash | CBC News
Exactly what was the motivation for the organizers to create a situation, where only Black Canadians were given access to an event in a government-funded organization? And excluding non-Black Canadian tax-payers? Objectively speaking, one would want to know what the justification is, of going from preaching and advocating diversity, equity and inclusion, while practicing the exact opposite. Is this not like providing weapons and ammunition to your enemies, while in the middle of a vicious civil war? Now, our oppressors can now rise up and point to people of colour and say: “They call us racists but look what they are doing themselves!” As a community, we need to do a lot of soul-searching, before embarking and embracing activities that have the effect of turning back the clock on the gains made over the years, in terms of equitable civil rights for all Canadians.
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In other news
Welcome to our new and improved Black Ottawa Scene. We are excited about our new website format, which came from our awesome web designer Elom Tsiagbey and is largely based on feedback from our readers. We hope you will embrace this attractive update geared to increase our engagement with our readers and share it with your families and friends..
Our Top Story for May 2023 is the appointment of Dahabo Ahmed-Omer as Chief Executive Officer at BlackNorth Initiative. Another important news we are following this month is the award to the Foundation for Black Communities of the stewardship of the $200 million Black-Led Philanthropic Endowment Fund by the Federal Government of Canada. Canadians of African descent are looking forward to the roll-out of disbursement plans of this fund to our diverse communities. Our Guest Columns feature Peggy Taillon with an update of her experience as a single white Canadian who had adopted a young child from Kenya several years ago. Readers may recall her first telling of her journey as reported on Black Ottawa Scene in our May 2016 edition. Devlin and Peggy – An African Love Story | Black Ottawa Scene
In this edition, we also celebrate Mothers’ Day with our best wishes to all mothers, step-mothers, foster mothers and grand-mother for their dedication in raising our children and grand-children
All these and more in the May 2023 edition of your favourite newspaper.
Here is the result of the April 2023 poll:
Should Canada cut its ties with the British monarchy and declare itself an independent republic? Yes 84% No 16%.
Thank you to all who voted. Be sure to take part in the May 2023 poll: Do you support the strike by Federal Government workers?
Wishing you and your loved ones an enjoyable summer.
Godwin Ifedi
Editor
This edition of Black Ottawa Scene is funded in part by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation
Brother Godwin,
Regarding your comments on the NAC Blackout night… First, the play ran for 9 nights only one of which was a Black out night. Second, you suggest, as many have, that government funded organizations should provide services and access to everyone. What about entire government departments dedicated to specific groups like Women and Gender Equality Canada and Crown and Indigenous Affairs? (Note there’s no department for Black folks). Why do folks, including Black folks, only complain about things dedicated to Black people?