The post was published here on our blog: https://unavsa.org/blog/policing-of-black-lives-in-canada.
For Black History Month, the Civic Engagement committee released a post specifically addressing the over-policing of Black communities in Canada, contrasting the explicit racism and criminalization with Canada’s statements for multiculturalism. Experts of the post can be found below:
In a previous article, UNAVSA talked about the dangers of omitting historical context from school textbooks and curriculum. The misconception that Canada faces little to no racial and cultural tensions, especially in comparison to its neighboring country the U.S., is a result of this intentional exclusion. Canada often totes the fact that it was a safe haven for African American slaves escaping from the U.S. through the Underground Railroad in the 19th century. The fact that Canada also exploited Black and Indigenous lives and did not abolish slavery until 1833 is overshadowed by this savior image. Hiding one aspect of history while embracing another has silenced the cultural and political voices of Black folks for the past four-hundred years. The narrative of multiculturalism and tolerance in Canada has allowed the state to continuously criminalize and punish Black lives without public backlash or even awareness. Arguably state-sanctioned violence poses a greater threat than individual acts of prejudice and discrimination because it remains invisible to the public and rationalized by government officials who hold power.