4: Decoding the new language of racial hierarchy

After reading the article, reflecting on my own life experiences and observations, I am sad to say I was not surprised skimming the comment section of the article – which comments were most agreed with, and which were not. People view Canada as a country where everyone gets along, a multicultural country that, unlike the United States that describes itself as a melting pot, is a mosaic of cultures, languages and peoples. However, beneath this glamourous facade is the reality of the situation, where Indigenous peoples are still seen as uncivilized and uneducated, where Black people are viewed as unable to learn and people that should be feared.

I have a friend who completed her teacher's education training at another university in Ontario, who said to me, “I don't understand why they (teacher's college) emphasize Aboriginal education, it's their fault for not wanting to join the rest of Canada.” She went on to give examples of drug use and homelessness in Indigenous peoples. The comments, needless to say, angered me. How can someone, who is deemed 'well-educated' make comments like these? How are these ideas still prevalent in 2016?

Canada's founding father, John A. MacDonald, was a racist. I do not believe this is well known to most Canadians. I strongly believe this is the source of racial ignorance in our country. We do not talk about the atrocities that have been committed by Canada, or the British or French 'Empire'. We white-wash our history to make Whites look like heroes, and everyone else as either the villains, or those in need of saving.

Even in modern times, this thinking still exists. We blindly follow what our government does. We are being told people in the Middle-East need saving, democracy must be spread, people in the Middle-East are evil. This is the how those in power stay in power, by instilling fear of the 'Other'. This is no different than how Canada came to implement the 1885 Chinese Immigration Act and the Electoral Franchise Act.

We have to teach our students to be critical thinkers – to not believe information that is fed to them, but to question. We must educate people on Canada's real history, and take ownership of it. It is only then, can the racial hierarchy that exists today, change: through knowing and understanding our real history; talking about, acknowledging and accepting the power structure in place as a result of our history; and most importantly, taking action for positive change.

-Ragu