20th Century Black History in Mississauga – Part 4
/
Discrimination on a personal level is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to treatment toward Canada’s Black community, as racism inevitably seeps into other facets of life, creating systemic inequalities that predominantly affect racialized people, including the Black population. While Mississauga’s Black population, historically and within the modern city, are no strangers to discrimination and systemic inequalities within the city, new immigrants are particularly vulnerable as they have had to endure many issues with settlement, in addition to Anti-Black racism, such as market place inequities, lack of recognition of credentials, language barriers, and problems in accessing affordable housing and other support services. For example, the United Way of Peel Region’s focus group and study into Black residents in Peel in 2007 highlighted, among other issues, unequal access to adequate and compassionate health care. Inevitably, this leads to increased stress, mental health struggles, and overall health-related problems.
By the millennium, Peel’s Black population reported earning slightly less income as compared to other Peel communities. Mississauga saw a higher incident of Black people living in poverty than in Brampton (20% vs. 16.4% respectively) as of 2007. Further, less people within Mississauga’s Black community owned their own homes by the millennium when compared to Brampton (58% vs 76% respectively). Mississauga’s community was also less affluent when compared to Caledon’s Black community ($40k per annum in Caledon vs. $29k in Mississauga), though it should be noted that Caledon has a much smaller population and therefore may not be a fair comparison. Regardless, it seems that these factors have inevitably led to less instances of home ownership in comparison to Caledon and Brampton.
Further, Black residents also reported experiencing racism and other compounding systemic issues like poverty, gender and immigration discrimination. The 2007 United Way study noted that many of the participants pointed to societal and/or structural issues, indicating that human service workers would benefit from social justice and diversity training. Gaps in such training lead to inadequate awareness, understanding and representation, which has negatively impacted the Black community’s ability to access and benefit from services. When Mississauga was incorporated in 1974, the population was predominantly White, European, Christian, and English-speaking. Therefore, its services were not designed for the kind of diversity that made up the population of Mississauga by the end of the 20th century.
In 2020, more than 900 community members, subject matter experts, locally elected officials and City staff took part in consultations hosted by the Black Caucus aimed at developing “mutual understanding, trust, and partnership between the City and Black community members”. The sessions were an opportunity for Black citizens to speak candidly about their lived experiences and challenges they have faced here in Mississauga. The Caucus wanted to identify opportunities where the City of Mississauga could make improvements to programs and services, particularly making them more responsive to community needs. In 2022, the Black Caucus came out with their long-awaited report and it made recommendations in four main categories: Inclusion, Governance, Economic Empowerment and Wellness.
Briefly, the report asked the City to simply connect with Black communities first and foremost. Talk to them, form relationships that can begin forming that bridge of communication and understanding. These connections can help our Black communities reach greater political, social, financial, and innovative tools.
Secondly, there needs to be greater accountability to address anti-Black racism and systemic barriers. This further opened an interesting line of inquiry as to whether such work could be done without the use of race-base-data. While it can be a useful tool and would likely need to be utilized in some fashion if the City is ever going to address race-specific issues, it can also be weaponized to reinforce bias if used incorrectly or not in good faith. Ultimately, transparency would be needed to ensure data is collected and used honestly and justly.
Thirdly, the City must attract and assist Black diaspora into the building of a more prosperous Mississauga. Entrepreneurs would benefit greatly, especially those who would gain access to new opportunities which prior to this may not have existed, and on the whole, this strategy would strengthen the City and empower Black communities.
Arnold Forde
Lastly, it was apparent to the Caucus that many Black communities are stuck in reactionary roles to the issues that arise in their communities. Instead, there is a need to reposition Black communities into proactive, progressive roles. The Black community needs to be at the table, plain and simple, because they can contribute their knowledge and lived experiences in a way that can inform the activities and policies of their community. This would truly be a shift in power dynamics, but a shift for the better which will hopefully represent our entire community better.
Over the 20th century, Mississauga’s Black population has grown exponentially. While the majority of Black immigrants immigrated after the Second World War and after the Points System was introduced, Black residents (to a varying degree) have always been part of the fabric of Mississauga. There have been many bumps along the way, from Minstrel shows to segregation to violent altercations, but there have also been plenty of success stories. The story of leaders like Councillor Victor Vignale and Principal Arnold Forde have helped inspire Mississauga residents. Grass roots movements such as Summer Records in a Malton basement, or the children of Westwood Secondary School, just to name a few examples, should be remembered and be a point of pride in our city.
We ultimately need to care about and uplift Black voices in a meaningful way. The stories of our past should be collected, explored and written inclusively, utilizing the knowledge and experiences from all of those who call Mississauga home.
