Racism And Humiliation In Canadian Schools: Impact And Reasons

Choose a social thinker, group, movement, event or phenomenon (e.g. civil rights movements, residential schools issues, etc.) that has been marginalized (or has been outside of the “mainstream”) in 20th century Canada OR United States: women, LGBTQ+, Indigenous, Chinese, Japanese, Blacks, Latinx, Jews, other immigrants, the poor, unions, activists, students, etc. There are others, too.

Discuss how (and, if possible, why) they have been marginalized, and argue for their agency: how they were not just victims of institutional / structural forces (e.g. government, racism, sexism, etc.) but they were agents in the change that they sought and actually found ways to gain some control over their own lives. 

Alternatively, you can also look at this from a social sciences point of view. For example, in psychology/sociology, there are ongoing debates and studies about how humans/societies change and why there is resistance to some changes more than others. Explore studies and debates that shed light on the above topics. 

The reasons for the racial discrimination

Racism and humiliation has been one of the biggest curses in the modern society. This has really become a widely spread problem in almost all the countries of the world. The children are not spared of it as well. The aim of the following essay will be develop an understanding of the impact of the racism and humiliation in the several schools of Canada. Canada has always been a multilingual country with great many people coming and settling down from a range of countries (Darlyn, 2017). The French population has been very much widespread in the various regions within the country. The curse of racism has been looming large in the Canadian schools more so often now. The discrimination in the education has been one of the major things that the little students in the schools are facing right now. The white skinned people have been accused of making racist comments towards the black skinned students. The color of the skin has become the main instrument for making the discrimination among these people. In this essay, the reasons and impacts for the racism in the Canadian schools will be discussed. To be honest, the impacts are definitely not positive indeed. The sting of the racial discrimination has been growing all over the country indeed.

It has been seen that the students are tortured both physically and mentally if they commit any misdeeds in the schools. They are almost treated like the monsters or some animals and not at all like a human being (Darlyn, 2017).. Sometimes the teachers in the various schools can be seen as the main culprits indeed. Some of the teachers have that hatred and feeling of disbelief in their minds regarding the black skinned people. These violent activities are caused from the disgust and frustration of the people in the churches and the government officials. In this context, it must be mentioned that the root cause for this kind of behavior is the improper development of the traditional indigenous education among the children.

However, it has often been seen that the limits between the abuse and punishment for the children have crossed the lines. Some of the schools have brought into notice the fact that the students have always been so independent that they do not have a proper understanding of how to behave in the schools (Darlyn, 2017).. This is why they have felt that the students should be restrained properly so they can behave in the schools and in the outside society as well. Many scholars have often put up complains that most of the Canadian people are mostly racists in nature. This has been their major faults since they divide the society only in terms of the skin color. The physical humiliation of the students for the racial causes will surely be impactful from the negative aspects indeed. It has been the outcome of the cultural genocide by the government of Canada.

The people in the big cities like Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, Montreal and others have always protested against this evil practice indeed (Bonnett, 2013). The cultural and ethnic diversities have always been the headline for decades now. However, this diversity has been one of the biggest reasons for the conflicts among the several sections of the people. It can also be said in this context that some of these racial conflicts have not been publicized through social media and this is why the people believe the number of the racial conflicts in Canada have come down radically and it has become one of the most peaceful countries in the world. Many newspapers and the social media are very much infuriated about the humiliations that the children have been facing in their schools indeed.  Their primary allegation is the fact that the school authorities are not being able to deal with the several problems regarding the racial abuses within the society. The awareness campaigns by the social organizations have not been that much helpful because of the deep routed social obligations. The physical abuses have been rising causing the concern of their helpless parents.

Impact of racism in schools in Canada

As per the scholars, it can be mentioned that the incidents of the racial abuse can take place within the schools at three levels or layers. These three levels or layers can be the institutional, structural and persona. The institutional racism can be the one type by which the schools can adopt the several cultural messages and the institutional practices and the policies. The schools should try to implement some policies for the benefit for those helpless aboriginal children. The schools must remember that one of their most significant stakeholders is the parents of the children. In this light it can be said that the violation of these policies will result in the racist activities within the schools (Andrews, 2013). The children in the residential schools have been facing this problem all the more since they do not have their parents at the schools to look after them properly. These children are generally helpless and they feel the effects of humiliation very badly.

The incidents of beating up the students by their teachers for their skin color have been very much significant indeed. These types of incidents should be condemned and strict actions should always be taken against these kinds of incidents. The middle class students are more of a majority in these Canadian schools and they should be treated in very tenderly. The values of the majority people within the society should be counted as a catalyst in this context. The cultural contexts are very much relevant in this context (Talaga, 2017).. The society should be considered as an institution and this issue is an institutional problem as well. The cultural and ethnic backgrounds should be some of the most important facts for deciding the issues within the schools. If the schools are not at all giving much focus into this fact they will need to reassess it. It is only for the overall benefit of the society (Talaga, 2017).. 

Further studies have been conducted in this field by the several researchers. The income of the people within the black communities of the country has been an important aspect for the overall context of the issue (Talaga, 2017). The children are abused in the schools just because of the social status of the people within the region. The income levels have faced such a level of disparity in this country and this is the very reason that the adult black communities have not been able to pay up the expenses of their children in the schools (Darlyn, 2017).  This is why their children have been ignored and neglected in the various ways as well. This disparity of the income generally persists in the big cities like Toronto and Canada. As the children these underpaid parents are there in the practice it will be very much important for the schools to give them some special facilities (Grant, 2016). 

On the contrary, the levels of inhuman torture and the humiliation have been increasing in these regions badly. This picture reveals that most of the black skinned children are not at all safe in the country. However, the importance of the racial inequality in the schools has been very much and this has mainly being caused by the recent terrorist activities by some of the Muslim terrorists like Osama Bin Laden, the Al-Qayda group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and some other Islamic communities. As a result of these issues most of the Christian people within the country of Canada look down upon the adult people and children belonging to the Christian communities (Grant, 2016). This has been the biggest problem in this scenario. The Muslim people have become the ethnic minorities in several countries as well.

It has to be mentioned that the schools have not been that much active in generating some positive influence over this matter (Darlyn, 2017). The Muslim students in several schools are not at all given the proper facilities and advantages that are given to the general students of the schools. This is why the students feel alone, secluded and tortured by their friends belonging to native Canadian parents and some of teachers as well (Talaga, 2017).. Some of the critics have argued that that the students have experienced such negative facts within the schools in the urban centers. The racial discrimination has been growing in these regions since the feeling of hatred has been very much persistent indeed (Grant, 2016) Many native Canadians have also admitted that there is a great deal of racism in the several schools in Canada.

Various social institutions have also found that this increasing rate of the racial discrimination can really be harmful for the society. Thus the education of Canada has been suffering the ill impacts of the racism (Grant, 2016) The interest of the students is not at the place as well. Most of the children have also been falsely alleged by the school people that they have hit someone or insulted someone very badly (Darlyn, 2017).. Based on this allegation, the school authority takes some strict steps against them. The safety of the children is not at all in the school premises. This is why the parents of the children are very much afraid to admit them in the schools (Murrell Jr, 2017). It is the responsibility of the government to make the several anti-blackness awareness campaigns within the school premises and the social territories.

The experts have opined in this context that some of the black skinned children are not at all considered as the children at all. They are just looked down upon as some heap of garbage and they are being exposed to such mistreatment and ill behavior (Talaga, 2017).. In some states and cities these people are generally looked upon as some creatures that can do something supernatural that can be dangerous or harmful to the native Canadian children (Grant, 2016). The parents have also supported this fact and this comes as the negative matter. Education is generally considered as a public ‘good’ and there should be no questions regarding the racism, disadvantages to some specific group of children and such other things (Talaga, 2017).  

However this ongoing practice must be stopped to secure the several rights of the children in great many ways. If the schools continue this practice it will create a great sense of disadvantages for the people within the society. They will get nervous and the impact will not at all be good for the psychological well-being of the students (Grant, 2016). The teachers should take up the pioneering responsibility to stop this practice. The racial background problems can also emerge from the basis of the rising poverty in the society (Talaga, 2017). This indeed has a negative impact on the youth of the country. The systematic barrier of poverty can be considered as a very important factor for the overall deterioration in the societal problem (Grant, 2016). The studies have shown that the black families have always been the poorest of families in Canada. This is why the levels of torture have always been on the high over them. The negative impact of the racism in the Canadian residential schools has been strongly depicted by some of the critics very seriously. It is a social evil so the rectifications are needed in this context. The residential schools are mainly operated by the churches in the country and they are funded by the Government (Grant, 2016). The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has unfolded the dangerous history that had been practiced in the residential schools in Canada for a long time.  Some of the critics have also termed this incident as the cultural genocide since many aboriginal children had been removed from their homes. The outcome was fearsome. Many of them had suffered of malnutrition, physical and mental illness and physical abuse. Few children had died because of this scenario as well. This attempt had become very much needed for the Canadian Government to practice since they wanted to eliminate the notion that the aboriginal people were some distinctive people and special facilities would be given to them (Grant, 2016). The government wanted the aboriginal people to assimilate with the mainstream people. This would enable the Government to get the entire control on their lands and resources. This is why the Government officials tortured the Aboriginal children in the Canadian schools.

Some of their teachers are of the opinion that the black skin color of the students denotes their lack of intelligence. This is really astonishing and this shows how foolish these people are to judge the intelligence of the people from the skin color of the people. Some of the teachers also play a significant role in the racial stereotypes (Grant, 2016). Some of these stereotypical factors come from the personal prejudice of the teachers. Some of the teachers or the instructors have also continued to be held the black stereotypes that have seriously been harmful for the mutual relationship between the teachers and black students (Clark et al., 2014). The Islamic students have also been in this list due to the ethnic minority in the country. The complaints have come from several cities within Canada that the teachers have asked them not to pursue higher studies (Grant, 2016). Despite education being the right of anyone and everyone, this behavior by the teachers cannot be taken as something good for the society. Thus the educational and career growth of the black students has been stopped. The remedies to this situation must be found in order to support the spread of education across the country (Kubota, 2015). 

The only way to find the remedy to this problem is the increasing expectations from the teachers. If the students are not able to get the higher education because of their skin color or their ethnic minority, it will cause a sense of hatred in their minds against the education system of the country (Grant, 2016). Their academic records will also be retorted because of this as well. The black students have very often showed their grudge and complaints against their teachers since the teachers so not have much high expectations from their students. This is why they have gone on to prosper in their professional fields as per their desire (Gulson & Webb, 2012). The high school students have very often complained that they had to enter into the vocational training or the adult education because of the low interest of the teachers to train them in their favorite subjects (Darlyn, 2017). The teachers do not at all believe that the black skinned and Muslim students have the ability or enough potential to take on the challenging roles in their favorite institutions with their preferable subjects (Grant, 2016).  

Some of the black skinned students have also complained that they feel somewhat unwanted amidst the native Canadian students in the region. They have also alleged that the teachers do not care whether the black students are at all there or not. They do not even care about their inherent talent or the creative abilities. Thus they are completely overlooked and this is very annoying for them (Grant, 2016). They get completely de-motivated and this is reflected in their results as well. In the last survey only over 50% of the black students had said that they got some psychological support from some of their teachers. The discrimination among the black students prevented them to be imaginative and creative (Grant, 2016). This would be highly impactful when they would need the motivation from their teachers.

The black students have also been deprived of their chances in using the important resources that are given to the students of the native Canadian origin. They get assigned to the disproportionate learning platforms that are not at all proper for their overall developments. The resources they use are less in number as well (Charlotte & Sarab, 2016). When the new students come in from different other classes to the school, they are harassed, de-motivated and convinced that they will not be able to deal with the immense pressure of the syllabus. This is done so they can attain their high school diplomas without studying through the normal course of the syllabus (Grant, 2016). The children in the residential schools are humiliated by their native Canadian friends since they just want to make fun out of these children. As their brains are not fully developed they will not understand how much bad these people will feel indeed. This will ruin their confidence and they will lose all the hopes of studying.

The number of the ‘gifted’ students is also less than the white skinned Canadians. This can also be taken as an instance of the racial discrimination among the students by the Canadian school authorities. These things have been negatively effective in the school children. This kind of inequality has ended the level of competition among the black skinned students and the job market of Canada can only provide better jobs to the students with the white skin in the country Baker, J., Price, J., & Walsh, K. (2016). If the children grow up without doing the proper studies it will surely affect in a negative manner on their professional career and the overall economic growth of the country will surely be stunted (Neeganagwedgin, 2013). 

Conclusion

The conclusion to the essay will be sought in this section. In the conclusion section it can be said that the racism has become a global problem in the last few decades. In a country like Canada numerous people have come and shifted in this country. It will be better to say that all the countries must go on to protest against this social evil and stop this. As the black skinned people are getting increased in Canada, their children are also getting admitted in the several schools. However, this has become a matter of fear for their parents. Very often it has been reported that the students in the schools have been the victims of racial abuses and humiliation by the teachers. If the teachers are not concerned about the well being of the society and educating all the children without any discrimination, it can really be a problematic matter. The black skinned children are deprived of the facilities in the schools and this is destroying their morale. The school authorities must take up some measures to prevent this social evil. This well might create a huge socio-economic problem for all the people. The economic growth will be stunted and the parents of the little children will be afraid to send their children to the schools. 

References

Andrews, K. (2013). Resisting racism: Race, inequality, and the black supplementary school movement. Institute of Education Press.

Charlotte, R., & Sarab, D. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.ccnsa-nccah.ca/docs/determinants/FS-AboriginalExperiencesRacismImpacts-Loppie-Reading-deLeeuw-EN.pdf

Clark, D. A., Kleiman, S., Spanierman, L. B., Isaac, P., & Poolokasingham, G. (2014). “Do you live in a teepee?” Aboriginal students’ experiences with racial microaggressions in Canada. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 7(2), 112.

Darlyn, M. (2017). RACISM IN OUR SCHOOLS : What to Know about It; How to Fight It.. [online] Crrf-fcrr.ca. Available at: https://www.crrf-fcrr.ca/images/Clearinghouse/ePubFaShRacScho.pdf [Accessed 28 Nov. 2018].

Grant, T. (2016). Canada's racial divide: Confronting racism in our own backyard. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/cracks-in-the-narrative-confronting-the-harsh-truths-of-racism-in-canada/article32070545/

Gulson, K. N., & Webb, P. T. (2012). Education policy racialisations: Afrocentric schools, Islamic schools, and the new enunciations of equity. Journal of Education Policy, 27(6), 697-709.

Kubota, R. (2015). Introduction: race and language learning in multicultural Canada. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 36(1), 1-2.

Roman, L. G. (2013). Empires, Emigrés, and Aliens: Young People’s Negotiations of Of?cial and Popular Racism in Canada. Dangerous territories: Struggles for difference and equality in education, 205.

Talaga, T. (2017). Seven Fallen Feathers | CBC Books. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/books/seven-fallen-feathers-1.4232642

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Honouring the truth, reconciling for the future: Summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Zinga, D. M., & Gordon, M. K. (2016). ‘Racism under the radar’: Student perceptions of school experiences in a multicultural context. Race Ethnicity and Education, 19(5), 1088-1116.