Truth about Racism

4 years ago a young man arrived in Canada from Zimbabwe. For a short time he lived in Toronto before moving to North Bay, and when asked about facing racism as a visible minority in this community he told BayToday.ca that he hasn't felt its sting.

"Not really, but people always notice me, I fit in more in Toronto."

However part of being a teenage student of colour at times does have others taking liberties that they shouldn't, he explained.

"Sometimes at school some people are like saying ‘what’s up nigger’ and stuff like that."

These types of statements need to be examined further to determine if they are bias-based or if they stem from the current pop culture of movies, TV and music.

But behaviors such as those described do catch the attention of groups such as Communitas Canada and they coincide with a three city Anti-Racism Initiative report released last week.

The report is founded on Debwewin, the Ojibwe word meaning 'to speak from the heart' or 'truth,' and that is what the organizing committee wanted the report to reflect.

Don Curry, Director for Communitas Canada, said racism in North Bay is still an issue despite the number of years his group has focused on educating people here about it.

Curry, who started working in the area of race relations 17 years ago following a Canadore College project for urban and inner-city kids based in Detroit, said he has received great support from community leaders since releasing the report. But at the same time, Curry was disturbed with the feedback on the BayToday.ca site.

"Police Chief Paul Cook called me and said the report is excellent and has volunteered to sit on the committee. Some get it, some never will."

The results show a concentration from the Aboriginal population which Curry indicates is reflective of the north-eastern Ontario demographic.

"While other minorities such as Black and Asian populations were identified in Sault Ste. Marie, that populace is low in North Bay, expanding but low. The Native population is the largest visible minority in the north and is a growing population."

What Curry had a concern with was the apathy of the minority communities when conducting the research, with only 110 respondents for the study.

"What is disturbing is Native People not wanting to get involved, they have seen it (racism) their whole lives. Now there are the fighters who make change by writing letters and confronting the issues, and they make change happen, but many say they have seen so much it's a fact of life."

Curry was quick to point out that it is not just an issue in North Bay, that all the centres had similar results and from that study were able to point out where the issues need to be addressed in order to move forward and stem the tide.

"The number-one area people identified issues of racism was in the retail sector with the education system running second, but it was not an issue in the health or police services sector. Noted in retail have been issues around status cards, such as needing to produce them before purchase, or receiving a lecture about special rights when trying to conduct their business," said Curry.

"The public at large has had misinformation or no information about Native rights and that needs to be corrected," states Curry.

However Curry was very encouraged following a call he received from North Bay Chamber of Commerce Board member Bill Elliot.

"Bill had called to talk about how the chamber can help when it comes to educating members about the status cards. As well he was talking about small business week and doing something during that week," Curry explained.

As for the education system, Curry identified that there is a need to have curriculum adjusted to educate and promote anti-racism. Out of the study the group will now move forward to set up a speakers bureau so that teachers can tap in to the components and have the authorities on the issue help address and educate the public.

What Curry also found encouraging was the fact that although people in the study had been the centre of racism, they liked living in the community and that gives Communitas Canada and partners a mandate to move forward.

"Most are satisfied with life in North Bay. There are problems but it ain't so bad that we can't fix it."