An Open Letter to Whoopi Goldberg

An Open Letter to Whoopi Goldberg

Good morning Ms. Goldberg, 

In light of your recent statements on the View I do feel compelled to discuss it. Undeniably, I have always known that there is this view of Canadians as not being racist, every one of "them" being warm, open and loving of people. Heck! After watching "Bowling For Columbine" even I started believing that! When Mr. Michael Moore just walked up to a door and opened it, I thought to myself: "Wow! I didn't even know that and I live here!"

It was beautiful.

But that's only one side of the story...

I understand where you're coming from...

Tweet: @WhoopiGoldberg

At this point, I believe, that you Ms Goldberg, are coming from a position of ignorance. Where you don't really know the history of this country. I do agree with your tweet as well: "Nigger" did not live in Canada, the way it lives in the United States.

I deliberately said the United States, because geographically, Canada is in America. That said, there is this view that Canada has a bunch moose loving, maple syrup eating, fun loving people that couldn't possibly understand a five hundred year history of lynchings, racial segregation, the civil rights movement, and the list is interminable. It did not live the same way, and for that, I must say I am thankful.

However, the hatred, or rather fear of the Afrikan man, was still a sentiment shared by select (many or few) white "Canadians", but they were reluctant to be as vocal about it as their southern brothers and sisters.

Let's Look at History: 

Images from the Charter of Values

I currently live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and in the past year, you may have heard about this, there was a proposition for a Quebec Values Charter that was proposed by the first female prime minister of Quebec.

Primarily, it actually targeted muslim women who wear the hijab, working in government based organizations, i.e. hospitals, schools, day care, etc. If brought into effect, it would have forced many people to choose between their religion and their job, their culture or what puts food on the table, their right to represent themselves in a government that is "allegedly" among the most inclusive, so that people from their own cultural background can see a reflection of themselves. Isn't that a basic violation of human rights? Something that is fought for in nations far and wide?

The arguments about this have been numerous and lengthy, and this is just a small recent example.

The Underground Railroad... Is the highest point in United States history of slavery: It made Canada out to be the Land of the Free! Except that many of those slaves, though beyond the jurisdiction of their former slave owner's right to recapture them, exchanged one hatred for another.

Have you ever heard of Africville? It is... Oh my apologies: it WAS a community Bedford Basin in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It's been razed to the ground, and was replaced by a dog park.

The eviction of the Black residents from Africville on the eve of the Civil Rights movement. Right on the cusp of it. As Black people in the United States were coming together in a big way, their cousins further north were being ripped from their very homes.

The segregation was the same. The hatred, the same. The systematic targeting of Black people because of an institutionalized fear of them, was exactly the same. This is just a minute part of the history of it here, in Canada. I can't attest for the word "Nigger" being used systematically the way it was in the U.S. but believe you me, it burns just as deeply here as it does in your country.

I'm not done yet...

Let's see more intersecting lines...

Did you know, that if it wasn't for Canada, to be specific: Montreal, Quebec, Canada, one of your greatest Black heroes would have never been born? Earl Little and Louise Norton met just around the corner from where I live right now. Their union, from having met at the Negro Community Centre of Montreal is why Malcolm X ever existed. Forget about the shoulda, coulda, wouldas, because that never baked bread, this happened. 

Marcus Mosiah Garvey visited Halifax and saw its hum of strength, but also recognized that the white Supremacist powers there had a stranglehold on Black people. Robert Nesta 'Bob' Marley would go on to write a song inspired by Garvey's speech. "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds..." You know it? Don't you? 

Harriet Tubman... That's three now, three historical figures in Black U.S. history. Ms Tubman was the one who facilitated the movement of men and women looking for freedom to Canada. She went back, and forth for years, making Canada an intricate part of Slavery's history.

One that most white Canadians who know the history might come to say "Well look at us! We're the liberators of Black people!" patting themselves on the back. Black people freed Black people, not whites. Sure, white people helped. But Black people made the decision. When they came to Canada. A new history would be born, one with less racism than the U.S.

A close friend of mine, El Jones would be more than happy to discuss the level of racism that happens in this great country of ours. I have learned much from her and well, I believe you would learn from her too. 

In Conclusion...

• Yes, I do agree that Canadians, specifically Black Canadians have not had the same life experience as Blacks in the United States.
• Justin Bieber was a young fool for using the word nigger. When he said it, his experience with Black people's history must have been very limited.
• White Canadians, specifically, do not have the same life experience and exposure to the history of Slavery that their brothers and sisters further south have. I don't believe that young white people, anywhere in the world, are as educated about Black history, as young black people are in the first place.
• Ignorance does not excuse crass and disgusting behaviour. If the average parent catches a child cursing, the parent does not say "Oh, he/she is just a child, they don't know what they're saying..." They get disciplined and told never to say that word again, no matter where they heard them.

Also... for every Trayvon Martin we do have a Freddy Villanueva. 

And the tears are the same...

Thank you for reading, see you on the other side

--

Kym Dominique-Ferguson

The Jamhaitianadian