by Andrew Freedman

Created on: October 26, 2008

I am outraged that just as we Americans are finally becoming a multicultural and inclusive society,our neighbor to the North,who historically has a better record on inclusiveness then we do,would consider creating segregated schools.Of course here in America unfortunately we have had both whites with racist views and blacks with Afro-centric views push for segregated schools.Wheather it comes from white racists on the rightwing or black nationalists on the leftwing,I have always opposed Ethnically segregated schools.While I am not Canadian,as an American,I obviously based on my own country's history have some knowledge about the issue of racisim.I live in Chicago a city that like many American cities,despite having made tremendous improvements,still has a history of past discrimination.Martin Luther King Jr.,back in the 1960's criticized Chicago's then segregated housing system,that at that time, kept African-Americans trapped into segregated ethnic neighborhoods.Today in 2008,even if it's at a slower pace then I would like,African-Americans,Whites,Latino's and Asians here in Chicago and throughout the United States,are finally begining to come together.But despite the fact that things are much better in America today then they were 40 years ago,we still unfortunately have many communities that even today in 2008 are segregated based on race.So it's sad that Canada appears to be moving backward,while we Americans are begining to move forward.

Of course the situation with Black people in Canada is in someways different then the American Black experience.Black people in Canada are mostly immigrants from Carribean nations and the Continent of Africa.So unlike here in America where African-Americans unfortunately have a past history of slavery and segregation .Black people in Canada are instead an immigrant group.Black people in Canada in many ways are unfortunately treated the sameway up there that Mexicans are treated here in America.There also are parallels between the experience of Black people in Canada today and Jewish,Irish,and Italian-Americans in the United States at the begining of the 20th century when they came to America.But while the situation for Black people in Canada is different then the situation for Black people in America.Just like the Jews,the Irish,the Italians,and other immigrant groups,Black Canadians unfortunately have encountered bigotry and discrimination.I would urge the Toronto district school board not to segregate the schools.And not listen to anyone who wants to segregate the schools.While politicians can come up with theories and explanations for anything they want to push,no matter what they may say it is always wrong to segregate schools.The goal is to have a society where nobody due to Ethnic background,Religion,Disability,Gender,or Sexual Orientation is seperated from the mainstream of society

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