Racial Justice Training
Meeting One Personal Awareness, Racism & Racial Justice
Introductions: The host The facilitators How to Use the Online
System
How to ask a question How to respond to a poll How to add comments
to the discussion How to work in small groups Norms & Standards
for our Meetings
Holy manners Confidentiality Today's Agenda: 90 minutes
Introductions to the process Why are we doing this? Why is it
mandatory? Small group discussion Understanding Privilege Using the
polls Walk through History Small group discussion about the history
ofracism in Canada Theological Reflection Why are we doing this?
(statement from General Council's website)
Elected commissioners (ministry personnel and lay people) at
the39th General Council 2006 passed a motion to "develop
andimplement mandatory training in racial justice for all
ministrypersonnel." General Council Office staff have been charged
withdeveloping and implementing these racial justice workshops. In
keeping with The United Church of Canada's polity, presbyterieshave
been asked to decide how they will implement the"mandatory" nature
of the proposal that was passed at the 39thGeneral Council
Presbytery is the court of the church withthe authority of
oversight and discipline of ministry personnel, soit falls to the
members of presbytery (lay and ministry personnel)to determine what
constitutes fulfillment of this mandate. Small Group Discussion 10
mins
What is your name? Church? Role? Share a story about how racism has
touchedyou personally. Why is talking about racism important? Why
is talking about racism difficult? Choose one person to report back
via thediscussion board for your group We'll hear reports on the
last two questions Understanding Privilege
Respond to the poll questions with Yes or No Keep track of how many
yes's you entered, andhow many no's Small Group Discussion 10
mins
What did you personally notice? How are we affected by white
privilege? How are our neighbours affected? What happens when we
take our privilege forgranted, or are not even aware of it? Walk
Through History: Legalized Racism in Canada AND Resistance to
Racism
Created by Jennifer Janzen-Ball; original idea by RusaJeremic; with
material from Historical Overview of Prejudice and Racism in
Canada, by Dorothy Wills, Timeline,by Wenh-In Ng, in That All May
Be One: A Resource for Educating Toward Racial Justice (Toronto:
UnitedChurch Publishing House, 2004), and from Legalized Racism
from Canadian Race Relations Foundation,
en/pub/faSh/ePubFaShLegRac.pdf, accessed 23 October2009 Additional
information & graphics added by Stephen Fetter Sources noted on
the appropriate slides Objective: The idea of this exercise is for
folks to review together history and key moments of the history of
legalized racism in Canada AND resistance to racism, and to share
their knowledge. Right of white colonists in Canada
to own and sell people as slaves Photo: archives of Ontario 1600's
1833 In 1628 the first recorded slave in Canada was brought by
aBritish Convoy to New France. Olivier le Jeune was thename given
to the boy originally from Madagascar By 1688 while slavery was
prohibited in France, it waspermitted in its colonies as a means of
providing themassive labour force needed to clear land,
constructbuildings and (in the Caribbean colonies) work
sugarplantation. As white Loyalists fled the new American Republic,
they tookwith them about 2000 black slaves: 1200 to the
Maritimes(Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island),300
to Lower Canada (Quebec), and 500 to Upper Canada(Ontario). Black
and White United EmpireLoyalists flee to the Maritimes; landgrants
based on skin colour
A Black Wood Cutter at Shelburne, Nova Scotia, . Library and
Archives Canada / 1780's In the 1780s, Birchtown Nova Scotia
harboured the largestconcentration of free Black settlers anywhere
in BritishNorth America. Britain had promised freedom and land to
Blacks whosupported the British cause in America, and 3,550
formerslaves had taken them up on the offer. The land grantswere
slow in coming, however, and proved to be small,poor and isolated.
Many of the Black Loyalists starved while waiting. And, when these
Black settlers offered labour to Whitesettlers, violence erupted
among white competitors forwork. Some desperate Blacks sold
themselves intoindentureship virtual slavery Source: Parks Canada
Successive Indian Acts to civilize and Christianize
Aboriginals
Our Indian legislation generallyrests on the principle that
theAborigines are to be kept in acondition of tutelage and
treatedas wards or children of thestate... It is clearly our
wisdomand our duty, through educationand other means, to preparehim
for a higher civilization byencouraging him to assume theprivileges
and responsibilities offull citizenship. Annual Report of the
Departmentof the Interior Boys from the Williams Lake residential
school in Williams Lake, British Columbia, date unknown. Library
and Archives Canada/PA Indian Acts of 1876, 1880, 1884 and
later.
* In 1884, the potlatch ceremony, central to the cultures of west
coast Aboriginal nations, was outlawed. In 1885, the sun dance,
central to the cultures of prairie Aboriginal nations, was
outlawed. Participation was a criminal offence. * In 1885, the
Department of Indian Affairs instituted a pass system. No outsider
could come onto a reserve to do business with an Aboriginal
resident without permission from the Indian agent. In many places,
the directives were interpreted to mean that no Aboriginal person
could leave the reserve without permission from the Indian agent.
Aboriginal children in Residential school, Photographer: Unknown,
National Archives of Canada, Neg no.C26448. Head tax imposed on
every Chinese person seeking to enter Canada.
Head Tax certificate Chinese Canadian National Council 1885 Head
tax imposed onevery Chinese personseeking to enterCanada.Set first
at$50; increased to $100in 1900 and $500 in 1903 An example of a
Chinese head tax certificate, which must be presented in order to
be receive compensation. Canadian authorities attempt to limitBlack
enlistment and participation inthe armed forces Black people
wererejected at enlistmentoffices until 1916,when Canada's
onlysegregated Black unitwas formed in July1916 Photo: Pictou,
N.S., 1916: The band of No. 2 Construction Battalion, CEF. National
Defence Government completely barred the Chinese from entering
Canada
Government completely barred the Chinesefrom entering Canada.
Chinese peoplealready in Canada were not allowed tosponsor family
members A political cartoon showing a Chinese man being barred
entry to the "Golden Gate of Liberty". The caption reads, "We must
draw the line somewhere, you know." July 1, 1923 Chinese
Immigration Act, finally repealed in 1947
This piece of legislation, alsoknown as the Exclusion Act,was the
last of a series oftactics used by theGovernment of Canada to
limitimmigration to BritishColumbia from China. This Act barred all
Chinesepeople from entering Canada,except for diplomats,
universitystudents and merchants. Library & Archives Canada A
United Church national staff person(for youth ministries), was
refusedhotel accommodation in EssexCounty because he was Black
1930s Rev. Wilbur Howard Jews excluded from employment, elitesocial
clubs, beaches, holiday resorts,Universities 1930's Jews excluded
from employment inmajor institutions, such as banks andthe police
force, and barred from elitesocial clubs, beaches, and
holidayresorts in Montreal, Toronto, andWinnipeg. Universities set
limits onJewish enrolment Abella, Irving and Troper, Harold. None
Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe , 1982 . fleeing Hitlers
Europe.
Canada has worst record of anyWestern country for
providingsanctuary to Jews fleeing Hitlers Europe. \\ This picture
dated June shows the M.S. St. Louis inHavana, Cuba. The St.
Louiscarried 930 Jewish refugees fromNazi Germany to Cuba where
allbut 22 were denied landing. Afterbeing refused refuge in the
U.S.and Canada, the ship returned toEurope where the refugees
werescattered in Great Britain,Belgium, France and theNetherlands.
Canada was the only western country to completely close its doors
to Jewish people fleeing Nazi persecution Over 22,000 Japanese-
born, Japanese- Canadians, andforeigners werestripped of
theirrights and forciblyre-located tointernment camps inBC's
interior orsugar beet farms inAlberta. 1942 Japanese internment
After the war, theywere not allowed toreturn to the westcoast , but
had to re- locate east of theRockies or return toJapan, a
countryunknown to thoseborn in Canada BC Conference voted against a
motion which would have protested this government decision First
Nations peoples obtain the rightto vote in federal elections
withoutlosing their treaty status. First Nations people obtain the
right to vote unconditionally
July 1, 1960 First Nations people obtain the right tovote
unconditionally Native women retain their treaty statuseven if they
marry a non-native man 1986 Native women are allowed to retaintheir
treaty status even if they marrya non-native man Government Report
Recommends
Recognition of an Aboriginal order ofgovernment, Creation of an
Aboriginal parliament. Expansion of the Aboriginal land and
resourcebase. Recognition of Mtis self-government,provision of a
land base, and recognition ofMtis rights to hunt and fish on Crown
land Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples report
1996 Royal Commission on AboriginalPeoples report Note that none of
the recommendations highlighted in the previous slide have been
implemented As Commissioners we urge our fellow Canadians to commit
the required resources to the actions we describe, to close the
economic gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people by 50 per
cent and improve social conditions in the next 20 years. Perhaps it
will take longer. But within the 20-year timeframe, enormous
momentum for change can be generated. By 2016, Aboriginal people
can be very much better off than they are today and moving steadily
forward. The result will be a large gain in human and financial
terms for Aboriginal people - and, in the long term, much greater
savings for all Canadians. -- Royal Commission on Aboriginal
Peoples Over 500 Chinese from FujianProvince arrive by boat on the
Westcoast ; the public backlash that aroseled to their detention as
illegalmigrants. Chinese from Fujian Province arrive by boat on the
West coast
1999 Chinese from Fujian Province arrive byboat on the West coast
Nisga Nation treaty with government of British Columbia enacted
Nisga nation treaty with government of British Columbia
2000 Nisga nation treaty with government ofBritish Columbia The
Toronto Star publishes a series of stories claiming that black
people are still being stopped by police and accused of certain
crimes far more frequently than white people. 2002 Racial Profiling
A series of articles published in 2002 in the TorontoStar caused a
sensation. The articles were based onstats collected by the police.
Analysis of those figures by Star reporters suggestedthat blacks in
Toronto were over-represented in certainoffence categories like
drug possession and in whatwere called "out-of-sight" traffic
violations, such asdriving without a licence. The analysis also
suggestedthat black suspects were more likely to be held incustody
for a bail hearing, while white suspects; facingsimilar charges
were more likely to be released atthe scene Prime Minister of
Canada apologizes to
First Nations peoples for Indian Residential Schools June 2008
Prime Minister of Canada apologizes toFirst Nations peoples for
Indian Residential Schools Members of Ardoch Algonquin and K-IFirst
Nations in Ontario charged andfined (over $25,000 for one
person)for refusing toallow developers anduranium mining companies
access toland under treaty negotiation 2008 Ardoch & K-I First
Nationsin Ontario protest;members charged,fined, and some
areimprisoned). Chargesdismissed in late Mayagainst K-I First
Nationsmembers; Bob Lovelaceis freed A few contemporary issues and
examples where racism and racial justice are live issues in
Canadian life today. Employment Equity Act Annual Report 2008
In the federally regulated private sector, therepresentation of
members of visible minoritiesexceeded labour market availability.
However,workforce representation gaps existed for the otherthree
designated groups, with particular challengesfor persons with
disabilities and Aboriginal peoples. In the federal public sector,
the representation ofAboriginal peoples exceeded labour
marketavailability. However, the greatest challengecontinued to be
the gap in the representation ofmembers of visible minorities.
source: Water & Wastewater for First Nations
The number of high-risk drinking watersystems has increased from 48
to 49 in the pastyear, but this number is significantly belowthe193
identified in 2006 in March 2010, there were 61 high-riskwastewater
treatment systems in First Nationcommunities. Source: Indian &
Northern Affairs, Canada First Nations Water & Wastewater
Action Plan ProgessReport, April 2009 March 2010 Aboriginal Adults:
rates of incarceration 2005 - 2006
4% of the total Canadian adult population -(2006 Census) 24% of
admissions to provincial/territorialsentenced custody 18% of
admissions to federal prisons 19% of admissions to remand 21% of
male prisoner population 30% of female prisoner population source:
drawn from Juristat, Statistics Canada Theological Reflection
In small groups Where is God in this history? Is there a story from
the Bible that comes to mindfor you as you go through this exercise
Please choose one person from each group toreport back to the
plenary Thank you for joining us today.
Please join us tomorrowat the same time for Part Two