Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc SOCIAL WORK IN CANADA An Introduction Third Edition Chapter 12: Social Work with Racialized Canadians and Immigrants

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Anti-Racist Social Work Today  History of “Race Relations” in Canada  The New Immigration  Multiculturalism Policy  Human Rights Legislation  Concepts and Terms  Towards Anti-Racist Social Work

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. History of “Race Relations” in Canada Racism The subordination of one group by another using arbitrary physical features such as skin color. It can occur at individual, institutional, or societal levels in the form of attitudes, beliefs, policies, or procedures.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. History of “Race Relations” in Canada Anti-Racist Social Work An approach to practice that aggressively combats racism on the individual, institutional, and societal level.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. History of “Race Relations” in Canada  Chinese Immigration and the Head Tax  Japanese-Canadians and Internment  Jewish Refugees  Black people in Canada

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The New Immigration  Prior to 1961, over 90% of all immigrants were from Europe and only 3.1% were from Asia  By the 1990s, Europeans made up one-fifth of all immigrants, 60% came from Asia

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The New Immigration  In 2001, Chinese and South Asians were already the largest “visible minority” groups in Canada  By 2017, roughly one-half of all visible minorities in Canada will belong to one of two groups: South Asian or Chinese

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Multiculturalism Policy  In 1971, Canada became the first country to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy  Policy’s original aim was to give ethnic minority groups a public recognition of their identity

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Multiculturalism Policy  In 1988, the Multiculturalism Act was passed, restating/reinforcing the 1971 policy  Mandated federal departments to ensure equal opportunities in employment for all ethnic and racial groups

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Human Rights Legislation Charter of Rights and Freedoms Guarantees the fundamental freedoms of conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression and peaceful assembly and association.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Human Rights Legislation Charter of Rights and Freedoms Guarantees democratic rights, geographical mobility rights, legal rights, and equality rights that protect against “discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability.”

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Human Rights Legislation Employment Equity Purpose: to ensure equity in the workplace so that no one is denied access to employment for reasons unrelated to merit and skills.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Human Rights Legislation Hate Crimes Crimes that target people solely because of who they are or are perceived to be; usually committed against members of marginalized groups.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Stereotype Refers to the forming of a fixed picture of a group of people, usually based on false or incomplete information.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Prejudice To “pre-judge” others based on preconceived ideas. No law can prohibit prejudiced attitudes; however, the law can prohibit discriminatory practices and behaviours that flow from prejudice.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Ethnicity refers to the characteristics of a group of people who share a common heritage, identity, or origin, or are the descendants of those who shared a distinct culture and who identify with their ancestors, their culture or their group. Ethnic group is used to refer to minority ethnic groups.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Culture Generally refers to behaviours, beliefs, and practices that are meaningful in terms of some shared cognitive, and value assumptions derived from a unique historical community experience.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Ethnocentrism An attitude by which members of a group tend to consider their group to be in some (or all) ways better or superior to other groups.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Race An arbitrary classification of human beings based on skin colour and other superficial physical characteristics.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Visible minorities Persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non- Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Racism A relationship or attitude based on the subordination of one group by another using arbitrary physical features such as skin colour.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Discrimination Actions, situations, or policies that have the effect, whether intentional or not, of putting some people at an unnecessary disadvantage on grounds such as race, sex, or religion.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Systemic racism Refers to the existence of policies and structures built into our social institutions that serve to subjugate, oppress, and force the dependence of individuals or groups.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Concepts and Terms Anti-racist social work Goes beyond the individual level and recognizes that racism is deeply rooted in the wider institutions of our society – most notably in employment, education, justice, media, policing, immigration, and government policies.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Towards an Anti-Racist Social Work Social work, redefined according to anti-racist criteria, is about realizing significant improvement in the life chances and well-being of individuals regardless of their gender, race, class, age, physical or intellectual abilities, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or linguistic capabilities. Anti-racist social work, therefore, is a bridge between social work in a racist society and social work in a non-racist one. Lena Dominelli Pioneer in developing anti-racist social work

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Towards an Anti-Racist Social Work Exemplary Practice examples  Nanaimo Youth Services Association  The Urban Native Youth Association  The Black Community Resource Centre

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Towards an Anti-Racist Social Work Anti-Racism Analysis Tool Personal LevelInstitutional Level Ideological Level Society Power

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Towards an Anti-Racist Social Work In the context of Aboriginal youth, the anti-racist analysis tool redirects us to the personal, institutional, and ideological aspects of the problem:  Personal racism – policing practices  Institutional racism – most judges are white  Ideological racism – cultural differences and language barriers Society Power

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Websites  Canadian Race Relations Foundation  World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance  Anti-Oppressive Social Work Electronic Resource Center

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion Review the history of Africville. Discuss the ways in which social workers can be involved in reconciliation work between black and white communities in Halifax.

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion How would you define “visible minority”? What are the implications of this category for people of mixed ethnic backgrounds?

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion In what ways does Canada’s Multicultural Policy affect First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities?

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion Why is it important for social workers to understand the history of relations among the diverse groups of origin in Canada? How can this inform our future practice?

Chapter 12: Anti-Racist Social Work Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion Think about the community where you live. What would an anti-racist social work approach look like in your community? Where might you find resistance? How would you address it?