Racism = Social Exclusion

     for Aboriginal Youth in Thunder Bay High Schools

RACISM
“ A combination of (1) the belief that human beings can be grouped according to biological and cultural characteristics, and that one group is superior to another, and (2) the use of power to deny another group certain rights, and humiliate and subordinated them based on those beliefs.”

Racism has a long and well-documented history in Canada, and the treatment of the First Nations peoples chronicles some of that history.

Schools are a microcosm of a larger society: they respond to and reflect that larger society. Discrimination and racism are a part of our cultural core, exist in our schools and sometimes influence how teachers teach and children learn. Teachers, therefore, need to understand racism and discrimination and how these affect their classroom.

Did You Know?

• In the next 5 to 10 years the Aboriginal Population in Thunder Bay will increase 50%
• Ever increasing number of Aboriginal students from remote reserves come to Thunder Bay to attend high school.
• High percentage of Aboriginals in our community are of high school age and between the ages of 20-29 years of age; there are also high birth rates for age 20-29.
• Aboriginal people are probably the most sensitive to the issues of exclusion and inclusion due to a significant number of historical and current circumstances.
• The high school non-completion rate is highest among Aboriginal Youth, compare to rates among visible minority nor Aboriginal (non-racialized youth).
  Aboriginal Youth also lagged for behind in their rates of university completion.
• The Federal government controls the education of all those who do not fall directly under provincial control; namely, Native People (Status, non-Status, Metis, and Inuit), armed forces personnel and their families, and inmates of the federal penal institution.
• Under this banner Indian Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) operates or funds schools on reserve for Native and Inuit children, and pays the cost for educating children who must attend provincial schools. (Thunder Bay Catholic & Lakehead School Boards, etc…

Through Federal control of Native Education Section 114 of the Indian Act, permits transfer of jurisdictions: 1 being: a religious institution or charitable organization. This resulted in churches (Roman Catholic; Anglican; Presbyterian; United; and Mennonite) operating schools referred to as Residential Schools.
Residential schools were set up to spread Christian Faith among the Native population and assimilating them into the dominant culture. Native children for over 100 years were thus forced to attend residential schools where they were forbidden to use their mother tongue and where their culture was regarded as primitive and evil.

After the 1960s the federal government encouraged integration of Native children into the provincial systems through agreement with the provinces.

Focus Groups Key Findings SEII Phase I:

• Racial discrimination is real in Thunder Bay schools.
• The noted forms of racial discrimination are having a profound effect on mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health of youth.
• Youth recognize that racism is not simply an issue of Caucasian vs. Non-Caucasian.
• The Youth have determined that racism is rooted in a lack of understanding and education about people from different cultures.
  Although formatted as a discussion of racism in the schools, Youth believe that it is a larger community issue.
• Racism affects teacher-student relationships, and most of the Youth from the focus groups are very interested in working with teachers and administration to develop solutions.
• Youth see a primary face of racism as policies not being applied fairly or equally. Students are unaware of the supports, policies, and procedures already in place within the school system.
• There are expressions of inevitability and hopelessness concerning racism in this community.
• The focus groups Youth believe that causes of racial beliefs are a result of one’s upbringing and environment, mediated by television, media, and movies concerning others’ cultural backgrounds.
• The Youth believe there are ways to make changes.