For many Black educators and activists, there is an urge to provide education for non-Black people in order to dismantle oppressive systems, that if we can change the minds of those who do not have the lived experience of being Black then we might have a chance at creating better living conditions for us all. However, thinking this way only centers whiteness and leaves us without the energy to do the necessary work of creating unity between our own respected communities through education, waking our people up and taking back our power.
“The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being.” - Toni Morrison
The term "woke" was used to describe the awareness of social and political issues that affect Black people. Sadly, many of us stay asleep and, instead, accepting the crumbs being dropped down to us from the "table" while labels like "the first Black..." have us working overtime to achieve "Black excellence".
Black people, especially first-generation and second-generation immigrants, are often tokenized and used as pawns within the system, a surface level offering from those in power as a show of “diversity” and “inclusion” just to shut the rest of us up; a way for those in power to say "look, we're not racist" while going on to do the most racist shit. Sometimes, even those who are aware they're being used have more interest in using it to their personal advantage, engaging in respectability politics in order to prove themselves on their way up the corporate ladder to demonstrate that “Black Excellence” we’re all supposed to aspire to.
“Every time someone exclaimed how well-spoken I was, how very articulate, how refreshingly smart, what an achievement it must be for my parents to see me in university at all, it was always said with a coy smile that hinted at the surprise of finding me in spaces where I clearly didn’t belong. -- I didn’t see it then for what it was. Instead, it just made me more desperate to prove myself worthy. It’s only in hindsight that I see this drive to excel as born of the same internalized racism at the heart of respectability politics. The measure of Black worth is determined by how readily, how easily, how often, how durably we can assimilate into white society.” - Debra Thompson
An example I often bring up to people as it relates to the way Black people, particularly Black immigrants, are used as pawns in the system to maintain system power is that of Kaycee Madu. Kaycee was born in Nigeria and immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta in 2005. In 2020, the United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) elected Kaycee as “the first Black person to serve as a provincial minister of justice in Canada”. ✨ Black Excellence ✨ This was a tactical move made by UCP during the peak of the Black Lives Matter uprisings. Because Kaycee had come from a place where police violence is much more visible, the #EndSARS movement highlighting the long record of abuse against Nigerian citizens at the hands of Nigerian Police, Kaycee felt police violence in Canada was not a problem and even denied systemic racism in Canada for a short period of time. Ironically, Kaycee was removed as justice minister in 2022 after he was fined for distracted driving and called Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee to talk himself out of the ticket.
"This notion of Black exceptionalism also bears the underlying assumption that there exists a single and one-dimensional manifestation of Blackness. A Black person that does not conform to this imposed, sole image of Blackness is somehow an exception to the rule. In creating this false dichotomy, the myth of Black exceptionalism denies us the individuality and the full spectrum of humanity that is so readily offered to the white population in this country." - Blog: Sidney Poitier, Mike Brown, and the Myth of Black Exceptionalism
I remember an old friend being too scared to go even 2km over the posted speed limit out of fear that getting in trouble with the law would put her at risk of deportation. These fears are valid, and are often passed onto their children. Second-generation people often feel extreme pressure to "succeed" and be a good citizen; do well in school, get a good paying job, buy a house, stay out of trouble, do all the things that could amount to "success" in a capitalist society. This is a pressure that effects many marginalized groups (see: Model Minority Myth). In this sense, participation in respectability politics and acceptance of tokenization becomes an act of survival.
"Striving for big goals and aiming to improve one’s performance in any domain is admirable. This is not a criticism of that. This is, rather, an interrogation of our society’s obsession with Black exceptionalism. Black exceptionalism encourages Black people to sacrifice their health, mental wellbeing and welfare for the sake of greatness. Black excellence is an unreachable peak—nothing is ever good enough. Black excellence is insatiable; there is always one more mountain to climb. Black excellence is not sustainable." - Janice Gassam Asare
Leading up to the Calgary Pride parade, I was in conversation with numerous people and groups over plans of disruption while being met with a brick wall when it comes to why many Black people are not interested in doing such a thing. The amount of times I heard "let us have joy" as a sufficient response as to why we should not take action is disappointing, to say the least. What is “joy” if it translates into the displacement and murder of other human beings? Our experience of "joy" must never come at the expense of others. That is not joy; that’s complacency.
As of June 2024, homosexuality is outlawed in 30 out of 54 African countries where some places, being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is still punishable by prison or even death. For queer Africans escaping such conditions, coming to Canada provides them a new experience where they can express themselves openly and without prosecution.
Meanwhile, there remains a lack of understanding on just how systemically “hidden” oppression is here in so-called Canada as queer and trans rights continue to be stripped away and the biases remain spry in the minds Canadians just the same.
Similarly, after the murder of Latjor Tuel, some community members felt it okay to work with police and politicians based on those community members either making money from their work with police/the City, or others not understanding just how dangerous police in Canada are. There is a myth, a term coined as maple-washing, that Canada is somehow a safer, nicer, more accepting country than others. When it comes to police killings and brutality, based purely on numbers alone, Canada will always seem to be doing “better” than places like the United States simply because our population is smaller. But there should NEVER be an “acceptable” number of murders at the hands of State.
"Canada is not immune from racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other type of social injustice. We’ve just fooled ourselves and the whole world into thinking we are." - Kiana N. Rawji
So, who is taking the time to educate our people? And not just through our posts on social media. I mean, who is renting out the community centers and sitting in Zoom calls with the intention of providing education about the issues that surround us? To reference the Black Panther Party (BPP) again, a part of their success was in educating Black people on politics and the ways these systems oppress us. They even opened up a Community Learning Centre and hosted regular community class sessions for both children and adults to help people obtain basic education, as well as share about the work the BPP was doing and discuss how to get ourselves free. Who is taking time to hold our people accountable? Not just through call-out posts on social media, but building meaningful relationships in a way where we can address and approach the things that come up? Yeah, “not all skinfolk is kinfolk”. But if we believe we have the power to change the minds of white people, if we can make the time to paint all the pictures, write all the essays, organize all the workshops for white people to understand oppression, then why can we not put that time into ourselves? Black people are worth the time; we are worth the time. The only people who will free us, is us. Don’t waste time trying to convince others you are worthy of life.
“When consciousness and understanding is raised to a high level then the community will seize the time and deliver themselves from the boot of their oppressors.” - Huey P. Newton Foundation, 2008
"Taylor McNallie dedicates her time to seeking racial justice and collective liberation through education and hands-on work with both marginalized communities and accomplices alike. As the co-creator of Inclusive Canada, she provides education on anti-racism, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness. She is also a member of the Walls Down Collective which provides access to no-barrier resources and care such as Harm Reduction, free food programs and an alternative to local policing."
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Etransfer & PayPal: tmcnallie@gmail.com
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