Anti-Black Racism Archives - News@91��ɫ

Focused, hybrid-method survey gives clearer insight into Black experience in Canada

roshanp — Fri, 21 May 2021 13:08:27 +0000

Study lead and equity policy expert available for interviews��

��TORONTO, May 21, 2021 –��Most Black Canadians regularly experience racism, whether it is in criminal justice, education, employment, health care, or in the recently added COVID-19 pandemic scenario, a 91��ɫ-led ongoing survey reveals.

“This experience is not new, but because Black Canadians are typically classified under the larger visible minority group, their unique challenges have always been undermined,” says in the School of Public Policy & Administration, who led the study as part of the Blackness in Canada project.

Nearly 13,000 respondents – both Blacks and non-Blacks – participated in the one-of-its-kind national survey that combined traditional and modern (online / wiki survey) methods of data collection.

The was released today revealing the study results, while the online survey will be open until June 1.

Within the survey, Black Canadians gave a series of recommendations that they feel would best address systemic racism in the country.�� Among them, a call for more educational opportunities for Black Canadians, more anti-racism education in schools, and amendments to the Police Services Act to allow for independent watchdog agencies and harsher penalties for racist conduct by police.

The national survey, which began on March 21, is being conducted by 91��ɫ's Institute for Social Research that Foster leads, in partnership with the and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Foster is available to discuss the survey results, as well as comment on topics covered in the survey including:

Black experience during the COVID-19 pandemic
Racial profiling, police carding and anti-Black racism
Public policy reform and workplace diversity

91��ɫ��is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91��ɫ's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91��ɫ’s campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.��

Media Contact:
Gloria Suhasini, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 647.463.4354,��suhasini@yorku.ca

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Conversation to action: Urban planning resource to address anti-Black racism in cities

roshanp — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 13:03:13 +0000

Alumna Jay Pitter, grad students and Black urbanist placemakers collaborate on publication

TORONTO, March 18, 2021 – Spurred by the death of George Floyd, 91��ɫ alumna and award-winning placemaker brings her work in urban planning policy and anti-Black racism to the University to create a new resource – Engaging Black People and Power.

This powerful resource, developed in a Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) graduate-level urban planning course of the same name taught by Pitter, will launch at a virtual event on March 22. Her forthcoming books, Black Public Joy and Where We Live, will be published later this year.

The project is a homecoming for Pitter, who completed her��Master in Environmental Studies��(MES)��degree at 91��ɫ��and who was excited to work again with her former��MES��advisor Professor Anders Sandberg.

The course and the newly published resource draw on the seminal scholarship and ancestral example of . The students reviewed theoretical texts and paired up to interview leading Black urbanists, including the commissioner of New 91��ɫ City’s Department of Parks and Recreation, , an award-winning urban planner.

“Jay Pitter’s Engaging Black People & Power brings together EUC students with members of the Black urbanist community to learn about anti-Blackness in planning practices, and to set a path for more just and equitable cities. Such experiential education opportunities are pivotal steps in addressing anti-Black racism and realizing transformational change,” says EUC Dean Alice Hovorka.

The course highlights 10 case studies originating from these graduate student-led interviews, edited by Pitter, Sandberg and EUC Professor Luisa Sotomayor. Other project collaborators include EUC Professors Ute Lehrer and Roger Keil. The resource also features a case study of Anthony Taylor, Parks & Open Space commissioner for the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, who has led numerous placemaking projects in his community, including the site where George Floyd died.

The publication identifies engagement practices and policy approaches for addressing spatialized anti-Blackness in cities across North America to address design, development, social justice and placemaking challenges. It also contains a living legend tribute to Silver, policy expert roundtable highlights, as well as recommendations and practical templates.

“Black ink on white pages, in response to Black blood on white streets, is not enough. A single publication cannot redress complex socio-spatial threats faced by Black communities. But it does play a small role in transforming long-standing conversations toward action,” says Pitter, a recent John Bousfield Distinguished��Visitor in Planning at University of Toronto and a senior fellow at the Canadian Urban Institute.

The case studies, including those by 91��ɫ graduate students Selam Eyob and Jasmine Mohamed (see their article in magazine), exemplify forms of engagement with Black communities, including digital justice, development in blighted neighbourhoods, parks design, and creative placemaking with youth from Los Angeles’ most notorious rival gangs.

“The question of whose history matters, and historical preservation is a challenge all urbanists should be grappling with, in order to deepen their commitment and accountability to addressing anti-Black racism,” write Eyob and Mohamed. “The conversation with Mitchell Silver and the course overall left us thinking about how we can centre generosity as a key principle in our planning practice moving forward.”

The publication is expected to have wide-reaching impacts in shaping placemaking and urban planning as a resource for community organizations, scholars, policymakers, urbanists, students and academic institutions to address challenges in equitable city planning.

“Jay’s thought leadership continues to challenge policy makers, practitioners and city leaders to learn more about the legacies and ongoing implications of anti-Black racism in urbanism, and to work and build cities with people with the lived experience and insights needed to radically change the way our cities are built,” says Mary W. Rowe, president and CEO, Canadian Urban Institute.

The launch event details:

WHEN: Monday, March 22, noon to 1:15 pm

WHO: will deliver opening remarks, followed by Jay Pitter in conversation with Anthony Taylor, a living legacy tribute to and talk by , and more.

WHERE: Register for the webinar, hosted by 91��ɫ and the Canadian Urban Institute:

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Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 416-272-6317,��sandramc@yorku.ca

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Anti-Black racism lives just beneath the surface

roshanp — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 14:08:58 +0000

91��ɫ expert available for comment during Black History Month

TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2021 – Canada likes to believe it’s different from its neighbours to the south, that there is less systemic racism, but 91��ɫ Professor says the Black experience tells a different story.

Canadians may be more polite about anti-Black racism, but it’s still there in abundance. For instance, Black Canadians are twice as likely to suffer unemployment as white Canadians, and they make up 3.5 per cent of the Canadian population but comprise 8.6 per cent of those incarcerated in federal prisons as of 2017.

“Canada is defined as a raceless or post-racial society. That is the dominant cultural narrative,” says Foster. “However, disparities in education, child services, the workplace, as well as the criminal justice system, continue unabated.”

A professor in the School of Public Policy & Administration, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Foster is studying how social, political, and economic factors are shaping the Black Canadian experience through his Blackness in Canada national research initiative. A comprehensive web-based survey, expected to go out later this month, will be the first step in gathering these experiences and perspectives. The research will eventually help inform effective policy and find solutions to dismantle systemic racism.

“Racism is so enmeshed in our society, the structure of our workplaces and schools, that it seems normal,” says Foster, who is a professor of public policy and human rights, director of the Institute for Social Research, and co-editor of the book, .

On Thursday, Feb. 25, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm, he will deliver the McLaughlin College Black History Month Lecture via zoom on –

Foster can comment on the following:

What does it mean to be Black in Canada today?
What are the historical disadvantages?
Black History Month and the Black identity
Systemic anti-Black racism
Racial profiling, police carding, and data collection
Public policy reform and workplace diversity

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Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 416-272-6317,��sandramc@yorku.ca

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How should parents talk to their kids about anti-Black racism?

roshanp — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 12:34:59 +0000

(UPDATED) How should parents talk to their kids about anti-Black racism?

91��ɫ educator available to discuss killings and injustices against Black people

TORONTO, June 1, 2020 – Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rash of anti-Black killings and racists acts in the U.S – including George Floyd who was killed after a white police officer pinned him to the ground by pressing his knee on his neck, and birdwatcher Christian Cooper who was accosted in Central Park by a white woman who falsely accused him of threatening her.

These incidents are opening doors for Canadians to talk about anti-Black racism, police brutality and the nationwide protests against the deaths of unarmed Black people – which are all happening on both sides of the border – but parents need to remember that their children are watching these events unfold too, says , a professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education who is the .

“People are angry, tired and in pain, and today’s generation of young people, no doubt are trying to make sense of the anti-Black racism they are observing,” says James, a leading education expert on Black youth and race relations. “That’s the reason why parents need to talk to their children to help them understand what is happening.”

“It’s very easy in the Canadian context to think of what is happening as simply a product of racism in America,” says James. “There is enough evidence of Black Canadian people’s experiences with racism so we need to understand the Black experience if we’re going to effectively address racism.”

He is encouraging parents to talk about why injustices against Black people are wrong and how systemic racism works. It also helps to put this in the context of Black history, the legacy of slavery and segregation, and the power of the civil rights movement, Black leadership and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“White parents need to talk to their white kids about white-skinned privilege and how to not take that for granted,” says James. “White families, non-Black families and Black families all need to help their children interpret what is going on around them and the role that race plays. Explain why this is happening and what Black people are experiencing that triggered these anti-police protests. Ask questions like, ‘Why did the white police officer think he could kneel on the neck of a Black man for nine minutes?’”

James is encouraging teachers to talk about anti-Black racism with their students, even if it’s through teacher-led online learning which is occurring across Ontario because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’d also like to see schools and school boards organize online sessions for students to talk with each other about race and racism.

For those parents thinking that their kids are too young to see colour, think again.

“Children as young as age three understand the difference between Black skin and white skin,” says James.

Researchers have shown that when given a choice of Black dolls and white dolls, children – including Black children – show a preference for white dolls, says James, who made a similar finding in 1992 when he co-led this experiment at Toronto childcare centres. The Black and white children in James’ study neglected the Black dolls.

A former youth worker and community worker, James has led extensive research on the lived experiences of marginalized community members within the framework of equity, inclusivity, and social justice. In 2017, he led a report,��, which found Black students in the GTA are disproportionately being streamed into applied instead of academic programs, often times below their ability, and are being suspended at a much higher rate than their counterparts.

James is the author and co-author of several books including and . Currently, he is exploring the relationship between race and COVID-19 noting the impact of the virus on Black people as part of a study led by the University of Toronto. James is also leading two research projects – one on the Black justice system and the other on Black students who left university without completing their studies and enrolled in college.

He can comment on:

Anti-Black racism and racialization
The lives of Black youth in Canada
Multiculturalism and race relations
Equity, inclusivity and social justice related to marginalized Canadians
Masculinity and young Black males
Education and schooling of minority students

91��ɫ champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91��ɫ students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91��ɫ U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91��ɫ is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91��ɫ U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

��Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 647-654-9452,��vthomps@yorku.ca

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