Senator Donald H. Oliver

Canada’s new Black power

We have come a long way from the times when Blacks were enslaved in Canada. For decades, Black slaves were often severely beaten if they did not follow the commands of whites or dared to question white authority. They were discouraged from thinking for themselves. Their freedom, dignity and human rights were stripped away.

They were no more than second-class citizens. Although slavery was officially abolished in Canada 175 years ago, latent remnants are still with us. What was once a physical shackle is now a psychological cloud of discrimination that is omnipresent in communities across Canada.

The legacy of slavery is with us on a daily basis in various forms: outright racial discrimination, racial profiling, stereotypes and institutional biases, the notion of white privilege as well as social, economic and professional segregation. Our forefathers have won some important battles of equality. It is time for us to achieve acceptance and inclusiveness in Canadian society.

Bestselling author Fil Fraser recently wrote about our many contributions to Canada’s history in a telling book entitled How the Blacks Created Canada. It is a vivid account of how a small but dedicated group of Black Canadians changed our nation. We are, and have always been, an integral part of Canada’s demographic landscape. There are more than 800,000 Blacks in Canada today, and Statistics Canada projects that we will more than double by 2031.

Today, we have more successful and highly educated brothers and sisters than at any time in recorded history. We are doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects and businessmen and women. We possess advanced managerial skills and technical know-how. Black identity is now a powerful asset to any organization. Our culture offers a wealth of competitive advantages to corporations that want to increase their business around the globe.

We also understand the business case for diversity, and know the advantages of working hand-to-hand with the people of the world. With a diverse workforce, companies are more efficient when developing and marketing their products and services. We act as cultural bridges for global communication. Many of us now own our own successful companies. There are hundreds of Black millionaires and, yes, we also have some Black billionaires across this great country.

Yet, Black men and women are rarely in influential positions of power. Where are the Black CEOs of large banks, insurance companies and pension funds? Blacks are all too often grossly underrepresented. Together, we can make that change. But how do we gain real power? Bay Street power? Federal and provincial public service power? University power? Police power? Media power? What do we have to do today to better exercise the power and influence we have learned and earned?

We must learn to work together and teach our children to work together. We must trust and respect one another. We must reach out to our brothers and sisters by joining social and professional networks that will enable us to promote our people and our businesses. We must develop a culture of support within our community so we can prosper, both individually and collectively.

We must never forget where we came from. We must learn about our rich history to look to the future with a sense of accomplishment. We must learn to rejoice in our brothers’ and sisters’ success. We must learn to open up our hearts and minds to the greatness of Black culture. Blacks are making waves all around the world in business, arts and entertainment, sports, fashion, literature and academia.We must be inspired by their success stories.

We must make special and concerted efforts to ensure that all of our people have access to post-secondary education. The University of Windsor, for instance, has created the African Diaspora Empowerment Fund, which encourages students of African descent to seek a university education. I am chairman of the fund and I’ve seen it help our people overcome social, financial and situational barriers that will improve their educational and professional possibilities. We must all support these initiatives.

We must enable our families and especially our children to become more information technology literate. In today’s 21st century, technology is making it easier for people to communicate and connect with one another. Digitalization is changing the way we live and work. We must embrace this trend.

We must elect people of colour at all levels of government. We must ensure that our voices are heard and our concerns are acknowledged. We must be inspired and we must be inspirational.  We must strive to make a difference.

Slavery is over. The days and times of divide and conquer are over. Together — regardless of skin colour, ethnic origin or religion — we must do our part to make Canada a truly tolerant and inclusive society from the boardrooms on Bay Street, to our government offices and university classrooms.

We must believe in ourselves as a people if we are ever to see our dream of entering the corridors of real power become a reality.
We must pray, if we really want to accomplish the change we seek. We must.