Multicultural Must Read: After Graduation—More Challenges Await

Class of 2018, graduation is only your first hurdle

Yvonne Sam  writes for Pride, a daily African Canadian and Caribbean Magazine.

Summary: "If you are Black or a Black Canadian, there is a certain tenet that should be borne in mind, as you step off the podium with diploma/certificate in hand: Graduation is only the first hurdle, one of the many that you must clear. Canadians, nationwide, believe their country to be peaceful and multicultural, without racism. While we may embrace and celebrate its diversity more than other country, all of these problems still exist, here in Canada—from racialized policing, to the regular stream of ugly, racist incidents that seem commonplace in the United States. In far too many instances, the police are called to put Black people in their place, to compel them to comply, to bolster the credo of white supremacy. Law enforcement officers are transformed into servants of racism, seemingly bent on keeping us in our place. Starbucks may close all its Canadian-based stores, to the tune of millions of dollars, for unconscious bias training. But who trains the biased police officers and the people who summon their assistance in dealing with black people. The Class of 2018 will have to learn, as have thousands of other Black Canadians, that racism is alive and well. Perhaps though, the Class of 2018 will be among those to dismantle the racist hurdles.

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