Toronto experience - conclusion/some thoughts

When I came to Canada, the culture shock was only a slight one, and one which is easy to get used to. I have experienced the Canadian people as friendly, very polite, and rather liberal concerning tastes, behavior, and tolerance. Well aware that “How are you” is not an actual question but a greeting, it nevertheless took me several weeks not to be tempted to tell people about my business and well-being every time I was asked that question – though in Germany, it is similar and no one expects you to really tell about your life. Of course, things are never as we expect them to be and Toronto is very strange for someone from abroad. I really liked the nice houses and marveled at the contrast which exists within the city: the skyscrapers and very modern and almost sterile buildings on the main streets, side by side with tiny and ancient-looking churches, while when turning into side streets, you encounter small, often run-down houses, very diverse and individual, with beautiful, cute, or funny decorations. And it is nice to see an abundance of different people, which is exactly the thing that does not make you feel like a stranger in Toronto – because it looks like everyone is a stranger, too.

For I can’t tell for sure how many “actual” Canadians I met, for Toronto is such a multicultural city that I feel it is hard to tell who is “Canadian” – and even harder to determine what is “Canadian” at all. The definition of “Canadian,” for me, is not easy. Canada is an immigration country, therefore everyone except the First Nations could be considered immigrant. Many of the cultures seem borrowed from somewhere else, for even the “founding nations” – the French and the British – are, after all, French and British. Thus, most buildings look colonial style, Victorian, or a more modern pseudo-Gothic, and the newer architecture looks basically like everywhere else, while French Canada shows much of the style copied from France and at least one “Notre Dame” in each of the bigger cities. There is also a certain extent of following the style of the USA, such as in the case of Yonge-Dundas Square, which we lovingly named “Wannabe Times Square.” These are the “founding nations,” but we could talk pages about all the different kinds of immigrants that came after the mentioned groups, people from all over the world who have re-created their cultures in the new space. You just have to take a look at Toronto and see what I mean: Latin District, Chinatown, Polish community, Russian-Jewish community, Indian District, etc. Interestingly enough there are no French and British districts – those nations are considered the mainstream cultures, and it seems that they are – outside of Toronto. A friend from Nova Scotia I talked to told me, “The rest of Canada is not like Toronto. People are more homogeneous.” Indeed, most immigrants prefer to settle in the bigger cities, such as Toronto and Vancouver. Many immigrants may experience that in the metropolises, people are more open-minded toward culturally different groups, and also there is an existing social network of immigrants which helps newcomers and makes people feel like home, with all the ethnic stores, restaurants, churches, and communities, which also creates chain migration. Apart from that, I can imagine that living in a big city as Toronto with its cultural diversity is much more fun (I can tell, returning to my small-town residence, and seeing how psychologically constricted and conservative the people are here. If I were to compare German cities to Toronto I would compare it to Cologne or Berlin, cities which are known for their pulsing metropolitan life and cultural diversity and openness).

Yet the people in Canada, wherever they come from, are different from the people back in their countries of origin. This is normal for a diaspora anywhere in the world, because no matter whether people are trying to integrate or, on the contrary, stay isolated, both integration and isolation affect their lifestyle, making it distinct from the life “at home.” Integration leads to assimilation in many respects (though I don't want to generalize here), while isolation tends to increase such things as the keeping of religious norms, language and customs. Thus, visitors from the countries of origin may find that groups are more conservative in a culturally different environment than at home (as, for example, shown in the movie “Bhaji on the Beach” about the Hindu diaspora in the UK). As it is in Germany, immigrants in Canada develop hybrid identities, mixing their cultures, even languages – a phenomenon I observed among Russian immigrants both in Germany and in Canada. It is also typical that the second and later generations become more assimilated, "Canadianized" in this case.

But apart from these general observations, Canada also has a special effect. In my opinion it is exactly the fact that Canada is an immigration country that changes people's minds by bringing them into contact with other nationalities and cultures, by giving them all equal opportunities (in the ideal case, though discrimination exists here, too), and by being proud of Canada’s multiculturalism and liberalism (in the positive sense of the word, meaning that people are liberal in tastes and judgments). People know that they are immigrants and that most of their fellows are immigrants, too, be it in the 7^th generation. They are ready to share their culture and to learn from each other and to benefit from the rich diversity. The fact that multiculturalism – in a sense of the word which is different from the German use of it, Canadian multiculturalism being more kin to “integration” – is part of Canadian national identity, even with its flaws and problems, seems to play a crucial and positive role in people's perception of each other.

It is interesting to draw a comparison here. Germany is an immigration country, too, but recognized that rather late, and lacked the corresponding policy for a long time, immigrants and integration being the problem of local administrations on the regional and local level. Canada, on the other hand, is an immigration country and sees itself as such. It is proud of its multiculturalism and openness and promotes this image of itself internationally. Moreover, Canada's immigration politics – the points system which is supposed to determine the language, professional, educational skills of the migrants and verifies their ability to integrate – are seen as a good example worthy of imitation.

However, thanks to the different courses on migration and different minorities and Diasporas we had during our term, and also by own experience, I have realized that the system here is not ideal either, and that the multiculturalism which Canada is so proud of has flaws, too. Much in Canada's immigration policy is problematic, such as the fact that preference is given to educated people, which results in brain drain in the countries of origin on the one hand, and has little effect on the life of immigrants once in Canada on the other, because credentials are often not recognized, which leads to educated immigrants working in jobs where they are overqualified. Other kinds of migration, such as temporary workers’ migration, exist, too, and their rights are very limited and the workers exploited.

Though the multiculturalism we always think about in connection with Canada is a good thing and the attitude towards people of different cultural backgrounds in general is very relaxed, there is racism, xenophobia and discrimination in Canada, nevertheless. I need not go far for examples: in the neighborhood of Keele campus where many of our exchange students lived, there is Jane and Finch, an area with a high percentage of immigrants, especially African Canadians, known for high rates of crime, poverty, and bad schools. The area has a rather bad reputation and is represented in the media in a biased way. I encountered a different perspective in my class about Black literatures and cultures. Hardly ever mentioned by the negative news coverage are the high rates of racial profiling and police brutality. I think I mentioned the case of Junior Manon in one of my journal entries, so I will not develop the topic any further in order not to repeat myself. Fact is that Canada does have problems such as lack of integration, prejudice and discrimination, problems that are not addressed because the idea of multiculturalism so firmly rooted in Canadian national identity does not allow the idea that something is actually wrong.

However, many things in Toronto surprised me in a positive way. It is nice to see veiled Muslim women walking through university and informing people about Islam during Islam awareness week. We discussed much about religion, minorities and tolerance with my friends from the exchange, and I could not help thinking about the headscarf debates in France and in Germany.[1] It was inspiring to observe how groups that would have to feel more or less restricted in Germany (or Europe in general), are accepted in Canada, how they reach out and inform people, and how they are granted access to such things as education, which is crucial for empowerment and successful integration. Minorities here have the right to live their life and keep their customs and cultures, and what's more, seem more eager to share it with and enlighten their fellow citizens. I have already mentioned the different districts in Toronto, with the ethnic stores, restaurants and churches. It seems that while maintaining certain aspects of the way of life from their countries of origin, immigrants have partly embraced the diverse Canadian identity and culture, too, creating a mix of the things they considered benefiting for themselves, making a mixed culture. This teaches me that when you do not try to force an identity onto an ethnic group, it will take it on more readily and be proud of a culture that is tolerant and diverse.

There is still much to think about in the Canadian experience, for many aspects have remained unmentioned. However, I found the experience very enriching and the possibility to compare Canada and Germany highly educating. Apart from the valuable academic knowledge gained, I also find it inspiring to meet so many different people, not only immigrant Torontonians but also the exchange and international students of which there is a great number in York University. Thus, I have not only seen and come to love the hybrid Canadian cultures, customs, ways of life, and people, but also these “unmixed” cultures and people from all over the world. Canada was one of my best experiences abroad and I would recommend anyone to go and see it for themselves.

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[1] Some superficial background information: in some German federal states it is legally prohibited to wear a headscarf – it being a religious symbol – in certain jobs, such as for teachers. Seemingly simple, the debate is representative of other questions in German society and can be connected to questions about Islam and Muslims in Germany, debates that have started to be very polemic and to take on an increasingly generalizing and partly aggressive tone. At the same time, French universities have prohibited the wearing of headscarves for students. Though the legal reasons for decisions both in Germany and in France seem to consist in the need for religious neutrality, in the media debate, there are also notions of oppression of women and other prejudices about Islam.

The Jewish Russian Community Centre (JRCC)

In the course of our Diaspora studies one of our tasks was to identify and research a diasporic organization. In the face of my Soviet/Russian ethnic and migratory background and my previous interest in Jewish immigration and identity, I decided to take a closer look at Jewish Russian organizations in Toronto. Though my interest at first consisted in Russian organizations, for reasons mentioned in my previous essay – the conflation of “Russian/Soviet” with “Jewish Russian/Soviet” – I found a Jewish Russian organization, the Jewish Russian Community Centre.

The Jewish Russian Community Centre is the main organization to deal with the specific needs of Jewish Russian immigrants in the area of Ontario, taking care of a community of about 41,5 thousand people. Located on Bathurst Street close to Steeles Avenue, the JRCC is a small building with a school and a synagogue headed by Rabbi Yoseph Zaltzman, who is also the head of the Ontario Community Centre and Head Office of the JRCC, coordinating the branches of the organization and functioning as umbrella for the different services and programs offered both by the JRCC as well as by other Jewish, non-Russian organizations. To coordinate the different communities’ needs for religious support, the Head Rabbi, who is appointed by the Rebbe[i] and the board of Directors, keeps a database of all Russian Jewish people in the area. Being neither a state-funded organization nor financed by membership fees, all programmes and services are paid from voluntary donations by the members of the community and provided by the work of volunteers. The services and programmes provided by the JRCC are as diverse as the needs of the community: from facilitation of the immigration process and initial settlement, to counselling and education for young and old, men and women, crisis management and emergency funds, cultural events, life cycle services, and support of introduction into and maintenance of Judaism up to a database of Jewish singles.

A highly fascinating topic connected to the JRCC which would need some further careful investigation is the way how the rabbi identifies the target groups of the Centre. The dilemma with Jews is the conflation of the cultural/religious and biological identity, which becomes obvious in some of the goals of the Centre. Thus, one of the objectives is to reach out not only to the Jews from the FSU who have lost their Jewish identity due to the long years of oppression through the Soviet Regime. The missionary character of the movement is also implying that non-Jews should be informed about the teachings of the Rebbe with the ultimate goal of conversion. On the other hand, community members are encouraged to marry Jewish spouses and for some marriages, even a proof of Jewish identity is required, in which the centre assists. It would be interesting to ask the rabbi the following question: if his son were to meet a non-Jewish woman and wanted to marry her, would the rabbi want that woman to convert, or would he try to discourage his son from marrying a non-Jewish woman? Similarly, someone with Jewish ancestors is considered Jewish and has to be returned into the community.

The JRCC is a small but powerful centre which provides its members with basic and very important services. It encourages solidarity and works for the material and spiritual wellbeing of the Jewish members and seems to be a strongly inclusive organization. It is a special feature that Jewishness is a religion which unites a very diverse population of people from different places and actually different cultures on the basis of religion. Thus, it plays an important role in promoting the cohesion between different versions of Judaism and different groups of people.

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[i] The Chabad Lubavitch is a Hassidic movement founded by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, that fosters outreach and therefore is a missionary Jewish movement trying to attract Jews as well as people with Jewish ancestors as well as no-Jews.

Russians in Toronto

When I found that I will be studying at the York University in Toronto, the first thing my parents did was look for people they know in Toronto. They called friends and relatives, asking whether they had someone who had emigrated from Russia or the former Soviet countries into Canada. As a result, almost everyone we called knew someone who lived in Canada. An astounding fact – at least it would be for someone who hasn't traveled and experienced that there are Russians everywhere, not as tourists as is often noticed of peoples like Germans, but as residents, immigrants in all sorts of countries, both European and American.

So by the time I was flying to Toronto I had a whole list of people whom I could address for advice and help, people from the town of my birth or completely other places, people who had emigrated, as my family has to Germany, about 15 years ago and some who had spent their entire life in Canada. Everyone was very helpful, prepared to offer support to a newcomer, even a temporary one. As I found out, Russian people here are friends with other Russian people, thus creating Diasporic networks and maintaining both ties to the places of their origins and successfully establishing their existence here in Toronto. It is interesting how it is possible to preserve Russian culture – people are viewing Russian television, buying Russian food in Russian food stores, read Russian newspapers such as the “Russian Canadian Info,” and find friends in the Russian community.

At the same time, the extent of their being Russian is questionable indeed, for those people are not only influenced by Canadian mainstream culture but the peculiar experience of living abroad. My friend Marina, an immigrant from Russia of the generation of my mother who was so kind to help me when I arrived, told me: “It is fascinating how Diasporic people can find a common language. When I was talking on the phone to your mother in Germany, we immediately understood each other in a way it never happens when I talk to people in Russia. The common experience is very unifying.” She was telling me this while we were driving up Bathurst Street, and mentioned that they lived there for the first couple of years, but then decided to move away because living in a Russian community made it hard to engage in Canadian culture. After all, having mainly Russian people around and the community publishing own periodicals incites to staying engaged in the culture one is supposed to have left behind, and not only the culture but the economic habits that impede you from entrepreneurship and new ways of earning money.

The Russian community of Toronto is located on and around Bathurst Street, nowadays especially at the intersections of Steeles Avenue, north of Sheppard, and in the direction of Richmond Hill where many immigrants tend to move from the ethnic neighbourhoods into the more middle-class areas. Though famous as the Jewish community, Bathurst locates not only Synagogues but Orthodox Churches, especially closer to Downtown. It is a peculiar experience for a Russian-speaker to walk on Bathurst and see Russian faces, hear Russian speech and pass Russian delicatessen stores, advertisements of Russian lawyers, realtors, and doctors. It is also characteristic that these reside alongside with Jewish kosher shops, synagogues, the Jewish Russian Community Centre, and posters about visiting Israel.

There have been Russians in Canada from the very beginning, starting with people in Alaska. Historically, immigration from Russia to Canada was restricted to certain groups such as the Mennonites, Germans from Russia who emigrated in the late 19^th century, and the Doukhobors, a religious group which was more or less expatriated from Russia and settled mainly in Saskatchewan and partly moved to British Columbia in the early 20^th century. In the same period, many Russian Jews also migrated to Canada (and also USA and other countries), fleeing from the anti-Jewish politics of the Tsarist Regime. A huge wave of immigration from Russia took place in the years following the October Revolution of 1917, with immigration of intellectual elite as well as peasants and workers. More migration from Russia and the Soviet Union occurred after the Second World War, mainly consisting of DPs from Germany and intellectuals who had emigrated to Europe after the Bolshevik Revolution and now fled from Soviet occupation. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a great number of Soviet Jews left the FSU countries and migrated, among other countries, to Canada.

Confusingly – or interestingly, depending on the perspective – literature about Russian and Soviet immigrants to Canada doesn’t make distinction between Russians and Jews. On the one hand, such a phenomenon is typical and explainable for different reasons. Demographically, a great part of the immigrants from the (Former) Soviet Union are Jews, while non-Jewish immigrants often come from Former Soviet Countries other than Russia, like for example Ukraine or the Baltic countries. These groups are more numerous than “Russian Russians” and tend both to demarcate themselves from Russians, corresponding to the tendencies in their countries of origin, as well as to identify with Russian culture. At the same time, many Soviet Jews have lost their Jewish roots and mainly identify with Russian culture, which is the case especially with more recent migrants whose stimuli to leave Russia consisted more in economic reasons rather than the political and religious motivations of the previous generations. On the other hand, most non-Jewish Russian immigrants stress their non-Jewishness and sometimes reveal a certain degree of anti-Semitism, which is widespread in the whole of Russia and the Former Soviet Countries. Furthermore, those Russian Jews who faced discrimination and anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union and are religiously orthodox, tend to set themselves apart from the other immigrants from the same geographic space and identify more with Canadian Jews rather than Canadian Russians.

The whole question of the different groups from the Former Soviet Union and their different identifications requires more examination. It is interesting how the Russians and the Russian Jews both stick together and distance themselves from each other, depending on the different experiences in the countries of origin and the direction their identification took when they arrived in Canada – having more business with the non-Russian Jewish communities or with other groups of immigrants from the (Former) Soviet Union. Other people from Russia embrace a hybrid Canadian identity, picking up economically useful ways of behaviour while keeping their Russian heritage by associating with both Russians and Canadians (of whatever origins those may be). Some kinds of relationships are even not nationally defined but regionally, as it was in the case of the Russian people I met here, all of whom come from the same region as I do, Chelyabinsk, located in the south and east of the Ural Mountains and connected by relationships prior to migration. Furthermore, it is different for different generations – the second-generation immigrants have a completely own story to tell, having been educated in Toronto, having friends among the different ethnic groups of the city and English being at the least a language of value equivalent to Russian – at least, it was easier for them to talk to me in English than in Russian. Even more interesting is the fact that people from two Russian Diasporas in different countries of immigration can find a common language. It seems that the combination of a common origin with the experience of a host culture provide a valuable background for identification and similar experiences – the nostalgia for home, similar challenges to face, such as finding work, adapting to a new environment, managing two cultures, engaging in social networks. It may be different for different groups, but about the Russian immigrants one can say that there is certainly a Diaspora, for Russians across the nations keep up contact and help each other.

“Position as Desired / Exploring African Canadian Identity:” Photographs from the Wedge Collection

On a further occasion, we went to an exhibition in the ROM. Beginning with artifacts of Canadian past, the exhibition seems to be a reconstruction of the formation of Canadian mainstream identity by displaying paintings of cities, explorers, wars, fleets and furniture. However interesting in itself, it looks like simple Canadian history, unquestioningly presenting pictures of happy Natives (ironic, considering how they were dealt with by the Europeans) and glorious victories. Yet, some of the pictures provide valuable sources of information, for the critical viewer more speaking through the absences in this part of the exhibition. Considering what we have learned in our course – the early presence of Black people in Canada and their contributions to Canadian construction and culture – the “traditional” part of the exhibition is highly revealing, for while the British, the French, and the First Nations are represented in the display of Canadian history, African Canadians are not.

Interestingly – and I would have liked to know that before I entered the exhibition – this historical part is only the framework of the actual exhibition, which is said to be “an intervention in the museum space, intended to destabilize embedded limitations on the positioning of black experiences in Canada” (rom.on.ca). Thus, the photos disrupt the traditional image of Canada, pushing themselves in the middle of Canadian identity, screaming to be seen and giving voice to the ignored element of Canadian history. In the question for identity, the works are quite interesting, exploring individual quests and statements of identity as well as the position Black people are assigned in Canadian identity and society.

What I found interesting are the pictures that are more distinctly made by the artists, such as those with testimonies of daily life at different periods of time, first in black and white, displaying African Canadian parents and children, in courtyards and landscapes, looking happy and carefree. The location is indicated by surroundings, such as a Chinese shop passed by by a father and daughter, or the Wonder Bus making the background of the portrait of two children. Such images of daily life seem very intimate and tell of belonging here and having dreams and hopes, creating a bright and warm world – though it is not clear how true these pictures are to reality. Other compositions, such as the Z-formed set of pictures, show portraits of all kinds of people from about 50 years ago, seeming to represent the heterogeneity of the Canadian population. Interesting in this composition is that the artist has put the photographs under glass of different shades, thus making colours a matter of coincidence. Continuing with more recent people, Dawit L. Petros displays pictures of people in homes, in their everyday clothing, or during their daily activities, sometimes mixed and sometimes same, at times contrasting against each other. While the previous compositions seemed widely positive, Petros’ photos are ambiguous, because in many cases the viewer sees Black people looking up to White ones, and it is not clear what intention such compositions have.

Particularly impressive and expressive are the pictures that more explicitly deal with the identity and the problems faced by African Canadians. A particularly interesting work is “You Are Just A Child” by David Zapparoli.

By combining the picture of a child with a document and a stamp – a progress report – Zapparoli shows the cruelty and absurdity of measuring a child’s abilities, a child being a developing and vulnerable being that has all the potential if only given the chance. It occurs to the spectator how brutal it is to load “just a child” with all the official reglementations and decisions, especially considering how school will influence the child’s perception of the world and himself. And even more serious the matter is for a Black child, who will likely face racial discrimination. There are further photographs, such as “Untitled” (from the series Target Market), dealing with problems such as violence young black males are subjected to. This particular picture, together with “You Are Just A Child” is also photograph over which something else is imposed, which, in my opinion, symbolizes the way things and circumstances are superimposed on innocent people. There are more photographs exploring similar topics, demonstrating symbols of identity both typically Canadian and African Canadian. Thus, “Sasha ‘Kalmplex’ Morrison” by Zanele Muholi, is wearing a Toronto shirt with baggy pants and dreadlocks, while in Dawit L. Petros’ “Sign,” the artist is in a warm jacket, referring to Canadian cold, and in the posture of Dürer’s “Self-Portrait In Fur Coat,” which indicates both European heritage and the adoption of the message of his painting – closeness of human beings to God’s image, status, and self-respect).

My general impression of the exhibition is moderately positive. In many cases I am not sure whether pictures give a negative and questionable message or whether they are this on purpose in order to make people think, such as with Megan Morgan’s series of pictures. While some paintings are very explicit in dealing with topics concerning Black identity in Canada, others would probably require more explanation concerning their message. While some of the photographs provide important sources for understanding the search for identity for African Canadians, it seems that sometimes, pictures appear too simple in their messages and style, such as the ones with Canadian symbols in dressing.

Not in the official national identity – some thoughts about race relations in Canada

Wishing to read one of the free newspapers available on campus I took „YU Free Press.“ The title immediately grabbed my attention: “None of us are free until All of us are free. State Oppression, Police Brutality, Sexual Assault, Racial Profiling are a daily reality. The violence doesn’t stop once the masses go away… Be strong, fight back!” Skimming through the pages, I encountered many interesting topics, but one caught my attention in particular. It was an article under the headline “Justice for Junior” (“Justice for Junior”). The article describes a rally of protest against police brutality and racism within the system. The cause of all this is the death of Junior Alexander Manon, a young rapper, who ran from police and – according to the official version – collapsed and died of a heart attack. However, another version of the story seems to exist: some witnesses claim that seven police officers jumped Junior and beat him until he died. There is a police investigation going on, but the author of the article and most activists are sceptic about the investigation. The case of Junior, it seems, is not the first instance of police brutality occurring at Jane and Finch, an area with dense immigrant population, high crime rate and poverty and a bad reputation (Nguyen).

Now, this is not what I expected to encounter when I was imagining my trip to Canada back in Germany. Racism and police brutality in the U.S. – yes, we hear much about that. In the USA, the African American population still suffers under the consequences of slavery and racism and the power relations established centuries ago. But we have never heard such a thing about Canada, the country without a history of slavery and racism, and with a reputation of multiculturalism, tolerance, equal opportunities, a country with an immigration policy that serves as a positive example for many other states facing immigration.

But a more profound study of Canadian history provides a clearer view that disrupts the popular version. While the most widespread history of Black people in Canada traces the myth of the Northern Star – the Underground Railroad, slaves fleeing the USA into freedom – more specific literature traces the history of slavery and discrimination in Canada. Fact is that Canada was a slave society, albeit not the same kind of as America with its plantation slavery. The first accounts of slaves appear as early as 1628 and slavery was legal until 1833. While in the beginning, slavery was not very widespread, an increase in the number of slaves occurred when British settlers brought their slaves and also with the American War of Independence. Here, a paradox situation took place where free and enslaved Black people started to live side by side as White Royalists brought their slaves with them when they fled from the Rebellious forces and at the same time free Black people came to Canada who had sided with the British in exchange for freedom and land. With the bill of 1793 that made all slaves that crossed Canadian borders free people (but left the slaves in Canada in their state of slavery) and especially the War of 1812, Canada gained its reputation as the land of freedom. Ironically, when in a number of U.S. states abolished slavery, many Canadian slaves fled to the USA – while American slaves moved northwards to cross the Canadian borders! With the increase of the number of free Black people demands for the abolition of slavery increased, but there was no drastic act of abolition except for one that was supposed to gradually eliminate slavery. Slaves remained in service, while no new ones were allowed to be imported and children of slaves became free after the age of 25. The total abolition of slavery didn’t take place until 1834, when it was abolished by the British Parliament and Canada followed suit.

Both during the presence of slaves and free black people as well as after the abolition, Canadian White mainstream society retained its consciousness of White superiority and Black people faced severe discrimination. From being the last ones to receive land (if at all) promised by the British to the Royalists, to wage discrimination, violent attacks on Black settlements and lynchings, to segregation in housing and schools, Black Canadians haven’t been able to feel at home in Canada. Thus, the majority of the first free Black people to settle in Nova Scotia left less than ten years after they arrived, and also the second settlers, the Maroons, left within a short period of time. Similarly, even after the abolition of slavery, Black people were tolerated but not welcomed in White dominated society. They were most likely to be exploited economically, had a hard time claiming rights of political participation and had to live in segregated communities and go to segregated schools. The last segregated school in Canada was not abolished until 1954, following the USA.

Though the government officially banned racism from Canadian politics in the 1960s, racism still exists in Canadian society. Black people still face segregation and discrimination on a racial basis, which results in relatively lower socioeconomic status, rates of education, poor housing and neighbourhood qualities, and spatial segregation. The worst thing is that this problem is ignored by the government and therefore isn’t addressed and cannot be solved. The simultaneity of a sense of superior egalitarianism and racial prejudice results in a racism that is subtle and hard to label and reprimand, while the trauma of slavery remains undealt with. There is need to catch Canadians up on the emitted parts in Canadian history, even if that means challenging national identity and facing inconvenient truths. By embracing the groups in this country, acknowledging their contribution to Canadian culture, economy, and national identity, Canada can become the tolerant and multicultural country it claims to be.

Literature

Nguyen, Paul. Jane-Finch.com. n.d. Web. 19.01.2011 http://www.jane-finch.com/about.htm.

Zimmerman, Jesse M. “Justice for Junior.” YU Free Press. Your Alternative News Magazine at York 3.1 (Fall 2010): 5. Print.

Movie: Remember Africville - on Discrimination in Canada

There is this highly interesting class I have had, in which I encountered many inspiring topics about Canadian identity, multiculturalism and problems in the relations between different groups living here which we usually don’t know of. Four of my topics of discussion and musing are inspired by the subjects spoken about in this course, “Black Literatures and Cultures in Canada.”

The first of the subjects is a movie we watched in class. Remember Africville is a documentary on the discrimination of African Canadians, as it found expression in the destruction of the Africville settlement by the City of Halifax in 1964. Revolving around a meeting of former residents in connection with the relocation’s 25^th anniversary, the film traces the history and life of the Africville community and discusses the reasons and processes of its destruction and its impact on the community.

Founded in the 1840s as a segregated Black settlement in Halifax, Africville was a deep-rooted community with its own structures and institutions. Faced with racial discrimination from the start, Africville residents’ living conditions worsened in the decades before relocation. In spite of paying taxes and petitioning against the neglect policy of the City, they never received basic services such as water, sewage, or paved roads. With the city’s growth and industrialization, Africville became encroached by hazardous industries and facilities – a prison, an open dump, polluting industry. Having been considering the relocation of the settlement for a long time for development purposes, the decision was made in 1964. The City Council justified it with the substandard housing conditions and the expectation that residents would benefit from moving into desegregated better quality housing, and promised compensation, help programmes in education and employment, and financial assistance. But reality looked different. The relocatees received low compensation, little assistance, while dubious and rather brutal tactics were applied to those resisting the relocation. Many encountered employment difficulties, financial problems due to the necessity to pay mortgages and rents, and, emotionally, a loss of status due to becoming tenants rather than landowners, and a loss of community ties and roots, regretting the relocation. Africville has become the symbol for structural racism[1] and a warning for other African Canadian communities to organize more actively (Clairmont and Magill[2]).

Remember Africville not only traces the history of the settlement and its destruction. It also uncovers the constant discrimination of the Africville residents before, during, and after the resettlement by the Halifax government. It becomes clear how the City itself caused the increasingly worsening living conditions and the moral resignation of the community by neglect. Considering the Africville residents second-class citizens, the City imposed on them the dump, industry, and pollution other settlements wouldn’t put up with, endangering the lives and health of the residents. The same kind of attitude becomes evident in the way the Mayor calls the Africville residents “these folks” (Remember Africville), othering them and ignoring the century-long historical presence of African Canadians in the Halifax area and the contribution of African Canadians to Canadian history.[3] Moreover, the residents of Africville were disregarded in all of the important decisions concerning their lives, being denied their basic rights as citizens and deemed incapable of knowing what was good for themselves. The hypocrisy of the humanitarian motivation for the relocation comes to light in the way the emotional value of Africville for the residents was ignored, as well as in the actual carrying out of the relocation. It also finds expression in the way universalist standards were applied to people who obviously weren’t considered as being of equal rights.

Remember Africville provides a truly balanced account of the perspectives involved in the relocation of Africville by including the official reasoning, the perception of Africville by others, and, most important, the voices of the people for whom Africville presented the universe and on whom its destruction inflicted pain and anger. The movie is highly critical of the relocation, uncovering the cruelty of the process and the discrimination of the Africville residents and the underlying racism of the officials. But it is also a celebration of the life and spirit of Africville residents in the face of this discrimination, exemplary of the African Canadian experience.

Works Cited

Clairmont, Donald H., and Dennis William Magill. Africville. The Life and Death of a Canadian Black Community. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ P, [1974] 1987. Print.

Henry, Norah F., Joe T. Darden, and John W. Frazier. “Introduction to the African Diaspora in the United States and Canada at the Dawn of the 21^st Century.” Ed. Frazier, John W., Joe T. Darden, and Norah F. Henry. The African Diaspora in the U.S. and Canada at the Dawn of the 21^st Century. Binghamton: Global Academic P., Binghamton U, 2009. pp. 1-12. Print.

Darden, Joe T., and Carlos Teixeira. “The African Diaspora in Canada.” Ed. Frazier, John W., Joe T. Darden, and Norah F. Henry. The African Diaspora in the U.S. and Canada at the Dawn of the 21^st Century. Binghamton: Global Academic P., Binghamton U, 2009. pp. 13-34. Print.

Nelson, Jennifer Jill. The Operation of Whiteness and Forgetting in Africville: A Geography of Racism. Thesis (Ph.D.). U of Toronto, 2001. Print.

Remember Africville. Dir. Shelagh Mackenzie. National Film Board of Canada; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1991. Film.

Walker, James W. St. G. Racial Discrimination in Canada: The Black Experience. Ottawa: The Canadian Historical Association, 1985. Print.

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[1] Structural racism is especially visible in the settlement patterns of African Canadians as a result of the historical legacy of slavery and white supremacy still prevalent in the society. Thus, the lack of accumulated wealth, discrimination in employment and education, and prejudices concerning the cultural qualities of African Canadians enforce the settlement in low quality neighbourhoods. Another important point consists in the fact that the institutions that regulate city development and other crucial policy areas are dominated by white people who reinforce discrimination, segregation, and other inequalities that have persevered over centuries (Henry/Darden/Frazier, 1-4). Racism as the fundamental reason for the dislocation of Africville people from their community is pointed out by Jennifer Jill Nelson in her book The Operation of Whiteness and Forgetting in Africville: A Geography of Racism (18).

[2] I haven’t given a page here because the whole paragraph is the summary of the whole book.

[3] More detailed accounts on the history of African Canadian settlers in Nova Scotia can be found in: Darden/Teixeira, 13-34, and Walker.

First Impressions of Toronto

Hi, everybody!

First of all, this is not a serious post yet, so no reason to start commenting and correcting :)

I don't know what experiences all of you guys are having, but I already got a huge list of stuff I can apply. The problem is to do the Interviews (if any) - there is so much you have to pay attention to, if you want to do it correctly, like if you do questionnaires, you need pre-tests and Cronbach's Alpha and so many things. Furthermore, you have to apply the theories - I think there's not so much a problem in finding ones but to limit the whole thing to the amount of words required.

Another thing which will be hard - at least for me - is to stay on an academic level. Because I'll be imagining you guys reading my essays and it will be like a conversation, or an E-Mail to the people I know. Probably it would be best to find a way to distinguish the formal texts from the more journal-like entries.

However, I wish you all much fun with your blogs and especially nice and exciting experiences wherever you are!!!

I am looking forward to reading what you all write.

Sincerely,

Elena