PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD School Services & Staff Development

RACISM ISSUE PAPER # 7 (Summary)

WHAT IS RACISM?
Any action, attitude or practice, conscious or unconscious, individual or institutional, that exercises power resulting in the subordination of an individual or a group of people based on skin colour, ethnicity, culture, nationality, religion or language.

WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE FOR PEEL BOARD?

The Peel District School Board is committed to providing a work and educational environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. It acknowledges that students and teachers need to understand and respect all cultures, appreciate diversity and reject discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. Despite the historical position of Aboriginal people as the first people and the presence of many other groups being part of Canada's founding and coming to nationhood, Canadian society has been greatly influenced and shaped by Euro-centric values and traditions. So great has this influence been that its presence can be seen and felt in our institutions through our policies, practices and procedures. This has led to an imbalance of power shaped by a norm that values 'whiteness'. Based on an imbalance of power, those who are viewed as the norm (i.e., whites) receive preferential treatment (advantage, privilege). As a consequence, people/persons of colour receive differential treatment and do not enjoy the same conditions or terms of employment. These same Euro-centric values are reflected in school boards across the country, and Peel Board is no exception. As our student populations become increasingly diverse in racial and cultural composition and as the teaching force continues to be predominantly white, interest in training teachers in multicultural education is growing. Many educators are unskilled at talking about racial issues. Many teachers have had limited opportunity to explore these issues in their own education, and they hesitate to lead discussions about racial tensions for fear that they will generate classroom conflict. Unfortunately, our students are still subjected to racial name-calling and social isolation and are often ostracized and punished by verbal and non-verbal expressions of bias or discrimination because of race, colour, culture etc. By addressing issues of racism in the curriculum, all students will see themselves reflected in their learning, and students will have the knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to live in a culturally and racially complex world. Staff members also deal with racism in the context of issues involving work conditions, leadership and promotional opportunities. Thus the Board may need to create more opportunities for staff to openly and safely talk about racism. Whether real or perceived, the issue of racism still exists for students and staff and remains an issue for the Board.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN PEEL BOARD

In March 2000, the Peel District School Board approved its Human Rights Policy #51. The policy relies on the Ontario Human Rights Code, which recognizes the dignity and worth of
Issue Paper # 8 Racism The Future We Want Fall 2002 1/3

every person and outlines the legal obligation to provide equal rights and opportunities without discrimination. Policy #51 clarifies the various types of discrimination addressed in the Code: direct discrimination - A student or staff member is denied a benefit or treated unfairly because of his or her race, race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, and ethnic origin (or other ground of discrimination). indirect or constructive discrimination - A student or staff member experiences a negative impact because of a rule or policy imposed by an individual or institution. systemic discrimination - Student(s) or staff member(s) are affected by subtle and unsubtle barriers imposed through existing structure, policies and/or practices.

Harassment is defined as one or a course of vexatious comment or incident that is known or ought reasonably to have been known to be unwelcome. The policy also offers examples of harassing behaviour, e.g., comments or gestures, jokes, pictures, electronic messages that by their nature are embarrassing or offensive. Policy #51 defines a poisoned environment as a work or study place that has become unpleasant because of discriminatory and/or harassing behaviour or comments, for example, when someone puts up offensive signs, pictures or cartoons in the office or school. Finally, Policy #51 reaffirms the important difference between intent and impact in matters of discrimination and harassment. The intentions of the offending person do not matter (perhaps he or she does not mean to discriminate); only the result or effect of the action (unfair impact on the victim) counts. (Please refer to the actual policy for more details.) The Board will continue to work on achieving equity for students and staff specifically through two new initiatives the launch of the Human Rights Campaign (www.gobeyondwords.org) and its document on how to eliminate discrimination from the classroom, The Future We Want. The Board will also continue to look for ways to acknowledge and celebrate the work of individuals and groups within our school community.

SIGNIFICANT AND COMMEMORATIVE DATES OR EVENTS

February - Black History Month March 21 - International Day for the Elimination of Racism April 4 - Refugee Rights Day April 13 - Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day May - Asian History Month June 21 - National Aboriginal Day July 1 - Canada Day For additional days of celebration, please refer to the Multifaith Calendar, Unity Arts,
www.unityarts.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Racism is still an issue within society and our schools. We may deal with the overt forms of racism, but much harm is still occurring because of Canada's historic Euro-centric bias, lingering stereotypes and our tendency to racialize people based on skin colour, ethnicity, culture, nationality, accent, religion, or language.
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For more information and discussion of social and legal developments and answers to some commonly asked questions, please read the Full Discussion Issue Paper # 7 Racism. MERE covers racism on pages 61-71. You can also check the library holdings at J. A. Turner Professional Library or the references included in MERE and TFWW.

Issue Paper # 8 Racism The Future We Want

Fall 2002 3/3