5 1.1: Who are Black Canadians: Not a Monolith

For us to understand Anti-Black Racism (ABR), we need to recognize Blackness as a social construct often positioned in opposition to whiteness. This reductive categorization dictates societal perceptions of behaviours, actions, linguistics, and appearances of Black people. Those who do not fit this dominant idea of Blackness may experience microaggressions or other forms of violence. Typically, Blackness is associated with people from the African diaspora, but it fails to capture the diversity of their lived experiences and cultures. Importantly, Black people are not a monolith — they do not all act, think, or look the same. A deeper understanding of Black Canadian identity can be expanded through resources like the UNILEARNAL  who offer resources including YouTube series below, which tackles the erasure of Black Canadian history and the experiences of Black youth, bridging past and present challenges and successes (UNILEARNAL, n.d.).

The videos highlight how mainstream narratives often overlook Black Canadian stories in favour of African American figures and events. Through lived experience and storytelling, Black youth reflect on their identities and shed light on key moments in Canadian history, helping bridge the gap between the past and present.

Black Canadians have a rich history and a wide array of cultural backgrounds, including those from Africa, the Caribbean, and other regions. This diversity is emphasized in various studies. For example, Olanlesi-Aliu, Alaazi, and Salami (2023) explore how systemic racism contributes to healthcare disparities for Black Canadians, such as barriers to equitable care and a lack of culturally competent services (Olanlesi-Aliu, Alaazi, & Salami, 2023). Similarly, Etowa, Beagan, and Runnels (2020) discuss racialized healthcare inequities, highlighting how historical and structural racism impacts access to care. Their work calls for systemic reform and culturally appropriate practices to address these disparities. Understanding this diversity is crucial to fostering a more inclusive representation of Black Canadians in healthcare and other fields (Etowa, Beagan, & Runnels, 2020).

Within Canada having these diverse backgrounds contributes to a complex cultural mosaic. For instance, African immigrants may face different cultural and systemic challenges compared to Caribbean descendants, who may have been in Canada for generations. These differences affect healthcare access, community dynamics, and interactions with systemic structures. Nonetheless, shared experiences of systemic racism often unite these groups as they collectively strive to address these issues within their communities (CBC News, 2022).

Recognizing the varied experiences within Black Canadian communities is essential for avoiding generalizations. Instead, engaging with these unique experiences helps foster inclusivity and accuracy, especially in fields like dietetics and healthcare. Dominant narratives tend to bind race and culture together, oversimplifying the diversity of African and Caribbean identities. For instance, despite Africa being one of the most diverse regions globally—with 54 countries and over 3,000 ethnic groups—the construct of Blackness often groups them together. A Sudanese person’s cultural background will differ significantly from an Ivorian’s, yet Blackness as a construct is used to group them under a singular identity. This tool of categorization reinforces racist structures and reduces the complexity of Black identities (Crenshaw, 1991; Davis, 1981; Hall, 1997; Hancock, 2007; Sue et al., 2008).