We understand the reality of being Black in Canada will include the experience of racism, discrimination and microaggressions. These experiences can be hurtful, discouraging, and confusing at times as all three are not always done in an overt way. Black advocacy will offer support and encouragement to other Black identified individuals that feel they require support while involved with Family and Children’s Services Niagara or experiencing challenges within the District School Board of Niagara. Our Black advocates are passionate, have lived experience and strive to uplift and strengthen the voices of our people in the Niagara Region.
Advocacy
Why is Black Advocacy needed?
What is Anti-Black racism?
“Anti-Black racism is prejudice, attitudes, beliefs, stereotyping and discrimination that is directed at people of African descent and is rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement and its legacy. Anti-Black racism is deeply entrenched in Canadian institutions, policies, and practices, to the extent that anti-Black racism is either functionally normalized or rendered invisible to the larger White society. Anti-Black racism is manifest in the current social, economic, and political marginalization of African Canadians, which includes unequal opportunities, lower socio-economic status, higher unemployment, significant poverty rates and overrepresentation in the criminal justice system” (Government of Ontario website).
“The roots of anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination in Canada run deep. They are historically embedded in our society, in our culture, in our laws and in our attitudes. They are built into our institutions and perpetuate the social and economic disparities that exist in everything from education, to healthcare, to housing and employment” (Ontario Human Rights Commission)
What is Intersectionality?
The term “Intersectionality” was coined in 1989 by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, a civil rights activist and an American legal scholar. Intersectionality explains how gender intersects with race to create unique barriers for Black women and how individuals can experience multiple forms of oppression at once.
For more information on Intersectionality please check out:
https://www.ted.com/speakers/kimberle_crenshaw
https://daily.jstor.org/kimberle-crenshaws-intersectional-feminism/
Need Support?
One of our advocates can accompany you to:
- Family and Children’s Services Niagara (FACS) meetings
- Meetings within the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN)
*Please note that advocacy is based on the availability of advocates*
