Racism is like an addiction

From a very young age, people are inundated with racist ideas, racist beliefs, and racist assumptions. These people grow up with these ideas buried in their unconscious and conscious mind.

When these people interact with other people from different cultural backgrounds, different ethnicities, it is very difficult for those racist ideas not to come alive. Their racist ideas come flooding to their conscious minds, making them react in racist ways that are so detrimental for the groups receiving the actions.

As with any addiction, the first thing to do is to recognize that there is an addiction problem and then proceed to find solutions for the addiction to go away. We need to follow this same process when dealing with racism. We need to recognize that there is a problem and them we need to work to find solutions.

Silvia Mangue Alene
President, BC Black History Awareness Society
Founder, Kulea Culture Society

BC Black History Awareness Society celebrates the achievements of Black people in British Columbia by creating an awareness of the history of Blacks in B.C., stimulating interest in the contributions of persons of African ancestry to B.C. and Canada today, and celebrating historical and current achievements in the arts, education, government, sports, science etc. (Learn more)

Kulea Culture Society’s purpose is the raise awareness about and to reduce ethno-racial discrimination by engaging respect for equity, diversity and inclusion through education, information, consultation, programs, conferences, cross-cultural exchanges and research. (Learn more)

(Return to Racism: Do Not let the Forgetting Prevail)

Do Not Let the Forgetting Prevail

“Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” — Martin Luther King, 1963

Visit these websites to support and learn more about the history and heritage of BC and Canada’s Black community:

• Places of Interest Guide, compiled by the BC Black History Awareness Society (Link)
• Blacks in BC’s History, a bibliography published by the BC Black History Awareness Society (link)
• Black Strathcona: a website highlighting the East Side neighbourhood of Strathcona and featuring 10 videos (link)
• Places That Matter: Hogan’s Alley (Vancouver Heritage Foundation, link)
• Guided tour (video) of Black Strathcona hosted by Kor Kase, Co-Founder of Afro Van Connect (link) (Afro Van Connect link)
• Roots of black history run deep on Vancouver Island (Times Colonist, link)
• Black History in Canada, published by The Canadian Encyclopedia (link)
• Secret Victoria: Rush to Freedom, a Victoria-based documentary exploring the important role of black pioneers in B.C.’s history. (link)
• Hogan’s Alley Society (link), building “the capacity of racialized and marginalized communities to participate in city building.”
• Nanaimo African Heritage Society (link)
• African Descent Society and African Descent Festival (link)

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots” – Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr.

This is not an exhaustive list of resources. If you know of other resources, please share them with us, so that we may share them with the heritage community.