Peel Region no haven for black youth struggling with racism and alienation

Study calls for sweeping changes after finding many black young people in the sprawling suburban region feel devalued and socially isolated.

Thestar.com
May 10, 2015
By Louise Brown

They’re the fastest-growing racial group in Peel, yet many black youth in the region say they feel unwanted, devalued and socially isolated, and grapple with racism in everyday life - from being streamed at school to being stopped by police, new research shows.

The 50-page report on the social well-being of black youth in Peel calls for sweeping changes that range from mandatory anti-racism training for teachers, police officers and municipal workers to hiring more blacks in all those fields as role models, collecting race-based data in all sectors to track improvement in diversity, and even considering the feasibility of an Africentric school in the booming region just west of Toronto.

“Black families moved into Mississauga for what they hoped would be a better life and to get away from racism and violence, and I was really disheartened that our youth feel devalued and unwelcome,” said Sharon Douglas, director of community investment for the United Way of Peel, one of a coalition of groups that commissioned the $30,000 study.

“As a mother and resident of Peel, what hurt me most was the fact a number of youth felt they were being watched all the time.

The report was commissioned by the advocacy coalition called FACES of Peel (Facilitating Access, Change and Equity in Systems) which was launched after violent incidents in recent years in both Peel and Toronto.

Shelley White, chief executive officer of the United Way of Peel, called the stories of alienation “compelling.”

“We need to develop an action plan to increase access to services to the community,” she said, hailing in particular a proposal for “community hubs of services” for black youth that offer mentorship, leadership, academic help and cultural programs.

“Life in the suburbs has not insulated black youth from the challenges facing their counterparts in Toronto, “concluded the report, co-authored by York University Professor Carl James and diversity consultant Tana Turner.

“But what is different might be the extent to which the municipalities, school boards, and police service are willing to name the issues, collect the data needed to monitor change and hold themselves accountable.”

The Peel District School Board has not yet reviewed the report but “will examine it to see how it can inform our programs, instructional practices and allocation of resources to ensure all students are successful in school and beyond,” said spokesperson Carla Pereira.

Peel’s black community grew by 64 per cent between 2001 and 2011, twice as much as the population of the region overall. There were 116,225 black residents in Peel Region, according to the 2011 census, making them the second-largest visible-minority group after South Asians.

The study was based on a relatively small sample of 103 students, parents, youth workers and business owners, yet the young researchers who conducted the interviews said the stories they heard rang true.

“I wasn’t shocked at the responses and the low expectations (people have of black students) - it’s almost as if being black means you’re ‘ghetto,’” said Carissa Gravelle, 26, who runs mentoring programs for black youth for Big Brothers in Peel and oversaw the report’s youth research. She is studying social work at York University yet recalls a math teacher talking her into dropping to a basic level of math when she was struggling, rather than encouraging her “to get a tutor and pull that B up to an A.

“And one 16-year-old told me about raising his hand to sign up for a field trip - an arts field trip - and the teacher pretty much asking why he’d want to come. They just assume that because he’s black he’s only into rap or sports.

Davita La Rose interviewed black high school students for the report and said many “felt they weren’t getting the support they need for college and universities from teachers and guidance counselors - help writing essays for scholarships and help with the deadlines and deciding which courses they need for college and university.

“Some felt so defeated they gave up and went into the workforce,” said LaRose, 21, a child and youth worker who is headed to Ryerson University.

“I could relate; that happened to me as well. A guidance counselor told me I didn’t need university-level chemistry, but I ended up taking it in the summer and got 80 per cent in the end.”

Percentage of Peel’s population from racial communities

South Asians: 28 %
Black: 9 %
Chinese: 5 %
Filipino: 5 %
Latin American: 2 %
Southeast Asian: 2 %
Arab: 2 %
West Asian: 1 %
Korean: .5 %
Japanese: .2%
TOTAL “racialized” population: 57 %

Source: 2011 Census