Thread by @MalindaSmith

Who in Alberta expects the stereotypes about Black people, education and “ghetto culture” to be repudiated?

Education and employment facts

“Canada’s Black population faces varying job prospects despite equal education. Here’s why” @globalnews (Feb 2023) globalnews.ca/news/9458122/c…

There’s a public figure peddling long debunked anti-Black stereotypes, including that Black Albertans don’t want education

The evidence requires analysis

A portrait of educational attainment and occupational outcomes among racialized populations in 2021 www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recense…

Idea of “Ghetto culture” in Alberta is nonsense.

Stereotypes say more about those peddling them than the people being maligned. The Black folks in Canada, as in Alberta, are heterogeneous.

Diversity of the Black population in Canada: An overview (2020) www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-…

Black youth aspirations exceed that of general population

“Most Black youth would like to obtain a university degree, but proportionally, they are less likely to think that they will obtain one”

Canada's Black population: Education, labour and resilience www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-…

“Most Black youth would like to obtain a university degree, but proportionally, they are less likely to think that they will obtain one

In 2016, although 94% of Black youth aged 15 to 25 said that they would like to get a bachelor’s degree or higher, 60% thought that they could”

Despite hardships, we persevere.

“Black individuals demonstrated strong levels of resilience,even when faced with hard times

In 2016, 44% of Black individuals said they were ‘always’ able to bounce back quickly after hard times, compared to 33% among the rest of the population”

“Black youth who were between the ages of 9 and 13 in 2006 were as likely as other Canadian youth to have a high school diploma in 2016 (approximately 90%).”

“gap between postsecondary graduation rates for Black youth and other youth..Other factors not measured by the Census”

So much good research debunking the nonsense peddled about Black folks. Often, they’re non-Canadian narratives

Fifth Estate on persistent inequities in #cdnpse. ⤵️

Black on campus: Students, staff and faculty say universities are failing them | @cbcfifth

I was interviewed for this @cbcfifth story in 2021. Students and faculty were courageously sharing their stories with hope of change.

Being Black on campus: Why students, staff and faculty say universities are failing them
cbc.ca/news/canada/an…

In 2020, as the inaugural vice provost EDI designate at @UCalgary I had the privilege of co-chairing the @cityofcalgary’s 3 days of antiracism public hearings

‘A master class in systemic racism’: Committee co-chair describes public hearing in Calgary #yyc globalnews.ca/news/7159684/s…

We must reject the deficit narratives that harm the aspirations of Black and racialized youth. Back then, in 2020, we named the problems of systemic racism. The @cityofcalgary is acting.

‘Calgary is a city divided’: Where do we go from here? | The Sprawl
sprawlcalgary.com/calgary-racism…

‘We cannot fail them'

“Public servants act for the public good”

“One of the greatest experiments in human history with pluralism is also one where systemic racism exists…They exist at the same time, and we cannot let the one obscure the other” #yyc calgaryherald.com/news/local-new…

Appreciate thé recognition of our ongoing work to combat racism in the @cityofcalgary, across Alberta, and across Canada. Racism denial persists. Anti-Black stereotypes are pernicious.

Anti-racism action is needed ⤵️

Calgary's Anti-Racism strategic plan
calgary.ca/social-service…

Black Albertans have faced stereotypes before. We’re inspired by the tenacity of figures like John Ware, Justice Lionel Jones, and of course Canada’s first Black woman lawyer Violet King.

Outshining others to secure a position |The Kingston Whig Standard
thewhig.com/opinion/column…

Public education is a public good. As educators we have an enormous responsibility to this gen and the next to uplift and inspire the rich diversity and talents of all Albertans. Stereotypes are harm

Black Albertans You Should Know | University of Calgary ucalgary.ca/equity-diversi…

Calgary is Canada’s third most ethnoculturally diverse city. The prairies are the site of Canada’s fastest growing Black pop. ⤵️

Exploring the past, present and future of Black Prairie life | Black on the prairies By Omayra Issa & Ify Chiwetelu @CBCNews cbc.ca/newsinteractiv…

“the Prairies trail Ontario and Quebec in overall size of Black population, the region tops the country in terms of the Black population growth rate for the period of 1996 to 2016”

What these 10 graphics say about Black people on the Prairies @CBCNews cbc.ca/news/canada/sa…

A gift serving as an advisor on this series.

Black on the Prairies: Place Edition, by Omayra Issa (2022)

“It’s how Black people express joy and create. It’s the parallels between the lives of early Black settlers and Black people on the Prairies today” cbc.ca/newsinteractiv…

“HERE by @cdfoggo
The Prairies are rich with the collective memories of the Black people who came before us” cbc.ca/newsinteractiv…

Learned a lot serving as co-chair of @cityofcalgary’s public hearings on racism, on @StatCan_eng’s working group on Black communities in Canada, as an advisor on Black on the prairies.

Also:

A Quick Look at the Diversity of the Black Population in Canada markhampubliclibrary.ca/blogs/post/a-q…

Black history is Alberta history and Canadian history and these are not containable in February. Still, good research and resources released during Feb.

Black History Month 2022... by the numbers @StatCan_eng statcan.gc.ca/en/dai/smr08/2…

Our shared humanity and futures require an understanding beyond the single story/stereotype rooted in deficit thinking.

This wonderful heterogeneity is not reducible to a stereotype.

“Diversity of the Black population in Canada: overview” @StatCan_eng
www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-…

👏🏿 2021 CDN Census Educ data:

“2021 Census, nearly one-third (32.4%) of the Black population aged 25 to 64 has a bachelor's degree or higher, up from 27.0% in 2016 and 19.9% in 2006. This was similar to the 2021 average for the total population..(32.9%)” statcan.gc.ca/en/dai/smr08/2…

These are our story to tell. We know anti-Black critics reproduce discredited stereotypes.

High aspirations

We should expect our friends and allies to join us in countering anti-Black narratives, tyranny of low expectations, that function to circumscribe ops for Black youth.

"to remember this moment…she was tenacious and she was strong and she never backed down…legacy that all of us need to understand to be able to move forward..do the work that needs to be done to make sure Alberta is..most caring..loving..welcoming space” cbc.ca/news/canada/ca…

We have to say this because our humanity, our dignity, are constantly under assault, learned helplessness means too many are comfortable with nonsense.👇🏾

“Black people have hopes, have dreams, have ambitions, have fears," he said. "Just like anyone else” cbc.ca/news/canada/ca…

Let me end this education mini-blog series with the following.

Black youth are heterogeneous, overall have similar educational attainment, high aspirations and *optimism (remarkable) despite obstacles

Black Youth in Canada: An Update From the 2021 Census ccyp-ccpj.org/post/black-you…

Good research on education and employment is publicly available— for free. Education is a public good. How do we ensure greater access to public education for all?

Census 2021: Rising Education Levels and Labour Force Activity Changes |@EnvironicsA environicsanalytics.com/en-ca/resource…

Demographics and Educational Experiences of Black 2SLGBTQI+ People In Canada - The Enchanté Network (February 2023) enchantenetwork.ca/en/demographic…

“Newly released findings state racialized people are generally more likely to have a bachelor’s degree, but less likely to find well-paying jobs after graduation”

Racialized people earn less money despite higher education levels: Statistics Canada report signalhfx.ca/racialized-peo…

“among women..income gaps persisted for six out of 10 of the racialized groups”

“For men, about seven out of 10 racialized groups had lower employment compared to their white counterparts”

Canada: people of colour generally more educated but paid less montreal.ctvnews.ca/statistics-can…

“South Asian, Chinese…Black populations account for largest share of racialized graduates with a bachelor's degree”

Racialized Canadians are less likely to find as good jobs as their non-racialized, non-Indigenous counterparts early in their careers 2023 www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quoti…

“30% of graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Canadian educational institutions from 2014–2017 were..racialized..Chinese,South Asian..Black graduates made up nearly two-thirds”

Early career job quality of racialized Canadian graduates with a bachelor’s www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogu…

Quantitative data helpful. We need qualitative data, and stories to better understand experiences of each racialized group: one-size-does-not-fit-all.

“A portrait of educational attainment and occupational outcomes among racialized populations in 2021” www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recense…

Stories: “do their work in silence, invisibly. They work with all the internal materials of your mind and self. They become part of you while changing you. Beware the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night,beneath the waters of consciousness,they are altering your world”—Okri