Author's research confirms suspicions on racism

Halifax, (Nova Scotia, Canada) -- When Joseph Mensah came to Canada from Ghana in 1987, he didn't know there was much of a black presence here - let alone one that dated back to the 1600s.

"When I got to graduate school, I started reading about a Nova Scotia connection," said Mr. Mensah, an assistant professor of social science at York University in Toronto.

"I thought, 'Wow, this is strange, I've never heard about it.' "

Through research, conversations and experience, he said he learned black Canadians face a host of challenges and their plight is virtually undocumented save for a few history texts.

That's the motivation behind his new book, Black Canadians: history, experiences, social conditions (Fernwood Publishing).

The book uses data from the 1996 census - the first to specifically identify blacks - and a vast trove of research sources (the book's bibliography spans 27 pages) to describe the black Canadian experience.

A specialist in cultural geography, Mr. Mensah looks at diverse groups, from Caribbean immigrants in Toronto to Nova Scotians descended from the black Loyalists of 1783.

He concludes that the nation's 538,630 blacks face common difficulties like underemployment and systemic racism.

"(The data) actually confirmed what I knew," Mr. Mensah, 41, said in an interview Friday.

His research shows black Canadians have education that's comparable to Canadians as a whole: about the same percentage have some university training (22.11 per cent of blacks compared to 22.97 per cent of Canadians overall). Fewer blacks completed less than Grade 9 (8.29 per cent compared to 12.05 per cent).

Yet the unemployment rate for blacks is nearly twice the national rate: 19.3 per cent versus 10.4 per cent.

In the office, blacks are under-represented in top positions. Just four per cent of black workers hold management posts, compared to 8.6 per cent of the national workforce.

The average black Canadian's income is $19,133. That's more than $6,000 below the national average of $25,196.

A lot of factors contribute to employment, Mr. Mensah acknowledged. But there's more than enough evidence to show that blacks are treated differently in the workplace, he said.

"The unabashed racial discrimination of the job market impacts blacks more than any other form of bigotry," he wrote.

Racism is subtle and sophisticated in Canada, Mr. Mensah said. Employers use race-neutral language here, but they turn away black job candidates because of "personality" or, in the case of immigrants, lack of "Canadian experience."

"If you go beneath, it (racism) is there."

Mr. Mensah's book describes Nova Scotia as a unique and somewhat grimmer situation. The province is home to 18,105 blacks, about 12,000 of whom live in Halifax. Only Toronto and Montreal have a higher proportion of blacks.

The employment numbers here are similar to the rest of Canada. The black unemployment rate is 20 per cent, 6.7 percentage points above the provincial rate, and blacks earn an average $16,000, about $5,000 below the provincial average.

But the education figures are worse. About 15 per cent of Nova Scotia's blacks have less than a Grade 9 education, compared to 11 per cent of the total population. Just 7.3 per cent have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 12.2 per cent across the province.

"If you look around the country, it looks like the problem gets more pervasive here," Mr. Mensah said.

There isn't necessarily more racism in Nova Scotia, but the generally worse economic climate here exacerbates the problems, he said.

As well, black communities here have a longer, more conflicted history than places like Toronto and Montreal, where many people didn't arrive until Canada opened up its immigration policy in the 1960s.

Some of Nova Scotia's first black residents were slaves brought in to build Halifax, Mr. Mensah noted in his book.

Other settlers, like the black Loyalists, faced segregation and broken promises of land grants.

In some ways, it's actually easier for blacks who immigrate to Canada than those who grow up here, Mr. Mensah said.

"If you're born in post-colonial Africa, you don't deal with white-black issues, really. Your view of yourself and what you can accomplish is higher.

"But if you are born here, and you are (exposed to) the power struggle and the black-white issues, then if you're not careful, you'll buy into some inferiority complex."

But it's important to acknowledge Canada's troubled history, Mr. Mensah wrote.

"Only a candid acknowledgement of our racist past and present can help alleviate the racial tensions that continue to plague Canadian society," he said in the book's introduction.

Mr. Mensah believes changes need to happen in the education system and the workplace to make things better.

It's one thing to encourage kids to study hard, but that message is undermined if their educated parents can't land a job, he said.

"You can analyse the black issue from any angle, but the bottom line has to do with employment."

He hopes his book will open a rational dialogue about equity in the workplace and in society.

As much as mainstream attitudes need to change, there's also an onus on black groups to reach out in peace, he said.

"It is about time that we start building alliances.

"There are some well-meaning white organizations . . . that are really eager to speak out."