The uncomfortable truth about racism in Canada

When we were setting our editorial goals for The Conversation Canada, a key objective was to provide a forum for different voices to write about topics that don’t get covered regularly in mainstream media. Our Culture and Society section has featured many provocative and informative articles and we’ve got another excellent one today. Annette Henry, the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education at the University of British Columbia, writes about how most Canadians have a naïve outlook when it comes to racism in our own country.

“Canadians widely believe their country to be a peaceful, multicultural country without racism,” says Prof. Henry. “Yet human rights activists and critical race scholars provide evidence that inequity is woven into the fabric of Canadian institutions and normalized in everyday practices.”

Our other featured story today comes from McMaster University’s Henry Giroux, one of North America’s leading academics on education, who says it’s more important than ever for universities to be the vanguard against a new wave of authoritarianism that has prospered under the presidency of Donald Trump.

“Colleges and universities must define themselves anew as a public good, a protective space for the promotion of democratic ideals, of the social imagination, civic values and a critically engaged citizenship,” writes Prof. Giroux.

Two stimulating reads on important issues facing our society.

A final note: The Conversation network is growing. Indonesia is the sixth country to join The Conversation family, publishing in both Indonesian and English. We've featured a great technology piece published on their first day. 

Regards,

Scott White

Editor

Top story

Black Lives Matter Toronto co-founder, Janaya Khan, says racism in Canada is on the rise. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov)

Dear white people, wake up: Canada is racist

Annette Henry, University of British Columbia

Canadians have a deep investment in their country as a "colour-blind society." Actually, racism is everywhere, just hidden behind a polite veneer.

With a new wave of authoritarianism in the United States and beyond, it’s time for universities and colleges to defend democracy. (Shutterstock)

Why universities must fight the new wave of authoritarianism

Henry Giroux, McMaster University

The rise of neo-Nazism under President Donald Trump signals a new wave of authoritarianism. Now more than ever, colleges and universities must help students become informed and compassionate citizens.

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