'Invisible barriers' hurt black Montrealers: report

[Maisonneuve]

'Continue to lag significantly behind non-blacks on every success indicator'

 

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Invisible+barriers+hurt+black+Montrealers/2699666/story.html

 

BY MARIAN SCOTT, THE GAZETTEMARCH 19, 2010

 

 

MONTREAL – Black Montrealers face "invisible barriers" to employment, education and home ownership that make them twice as likely to be poor and unemployed as the rest of the population, according to a major demographic study by McGill University.

 

"Blacks continue to lag significantly behind non-blacks on every indicator of success," said the report by the Montreal Consortium on Human Rights Advocacy Training, led by social work professor Jim Torczyner.

 

The comprehensive study, which examined employment, housing, youth, justice, immigration and education among the city's 173,000-member black community, is a follow-up to one in 1998.

 

It shows that poverty and inequality continue to haunt black Montrealers, whose average annual income is $22,701, compared with $34,196 for the population as a whole. Unemployment among black Montrealers is more than twice as high: 13.4 per cent vs. 6.6 per cent.

 

In Montreal - home to one in five black Canadians - the black population surged by 38 per cent from 1996 to 2006. One in two black Montrealers is under age 25.

 

With the city's black community expected to rise by more than double, to 381,000 from 173,000, in the next 20 years, according to a recent Statistics Canada study, Torczyner called for a coordinated strategy to combat pervasive social and economic ills.

 

"I think that study and this study provide a wakeup call, that we need to bring together the best minds in the black community, in government, in business, in labour unions to work together and find a solution," Torczyner said.

 

"It's just a matter of the political will to move it forward and that will is necessary because it won't go away. It hasn't gotten better in 10 years."

 

Almost half of black children in Montreal live in poverty and almost one-quarter of black females age 15 or over are single parents. Among black women age 45 to 64, more than one in three are single parents - that's 3 1/2 times the rate among non-black women.

 

One-quarter of Montreal blacks age 25 to 44 are university graduates, compared with one-third of non-blacks in that age group.

 

But even with an equivalent or better education than their non-black counterparts, blacks earn dramatically less, the report said. Only 30 per cent of blacks with a master's degree or doctorate earn $45,000 or more a year, compared with 54 per cent of non-blacks with graduate degrees. Only 23 per cent of blacks with a bachelor's degree earned $45,000 or more, compared with 42 per cent of non-blacks.

 

Almost seven of 10 blacks in Montreal have an annual income of less than $25,000. Only one-third of blacks own their own homes, compared to two-thirds of non-blacks.

 

Frances Waithe, a community worker with the Desta Black Youth Network in Little Burgundy, called the study saddening and worrisome.

 

"I'm concerned because 50 per cent of the black community consists of youth under 25," she said.

 

mascot@thegazette.canwest.com

 

© Copyright © The Montreal Gazette

[Maisonneuve]

This story is perplexing. Definitely discrimination is the cause, but it has to be much more than that. Most of the blacks I know who have a BA or higher and have stayed in Montreal all have jobs. Some of they have very good jobs an engineers, accountants, bank managers, health researchers, landlords of apartment buildings and entrepreneurs. It also helps when you have a name that "sounds white" when you send out resumes. As a black person, I hate to admit that, but a name that sounds white actually gives you a better chance than a name that sounds black, like Jerome Tkembe or Tamala Williams. Also, it depends what you study. For every black person in Montreal I know that is successful, and know as many that only have a CEGEP degree or less and are employed. Then there's a group that have a BA in something pointless like Sociology. They might be the ones who are the unemployed BA's.

 

I know too many successful black Montrealers (anglos, not Haitians) to say that the reason why the black community is not progressing is because of discrimination and a language barrier. It's more than that...I'm pleased Darryl Gray has finally realized that. People need to help themselves be successful . Success is in their hands, don't let anyone take it away from you.

 

First Fridays in Montreal needs to do more promotions!!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54505260564&ref=ts

[acpnc]

Une société qui se paie le luxe de discriminer une partie de sa population, que ce soit basé sur la couleur de la peau, la religion, la culture ou autre, est une société perdante qui se prive d'une partie importante de ses forces vives. Cette discrimination lui coutera toujours plus cher en bout de ligne autant sur le plan social, qu'économique ou culturel.

 

La discrimination est une forme de pollution intellectuelle trop souvent transmise par une éducation déficiente et des préjugés sans fondements. De plus la discrimination mine la qualité et l'équité des rapports entre individus en devenant totalement contre-productive pour une société dite évoluée.

 

Toute promotion de la discrimination sous toutes ses formes doit être bannie, dénoncée et criminalisée qu'elle soit pratiquée par un individu ou un groupe publique ou privé. Cette forme d'ignorance basée sur la peur de l'autre prend ses origines loin dans l'histoire et représente un des types d'abus parmi les plus honteux de l'humanité.

 

Il est donc autant de la responsabilité des individus que de la société en général, incluant les pouvoirs publiques, de s'assurer de l'intégration harmonieuse de tous les citoyens en leur offrant des chances égales et ce dans tous les domaines de l'activité humaine.

 

Si l'on souhaite sincèrement créer un monde meilleur pour nous et nos enfants, on se doit de reconnaitre et de considérer la différence comme un enrichissement collectif qui doit nécessairement bénéficier naturellement à l'ensemble de la collectivité.

 

Chacun a donc un pas à faire dans la direction de l'autre tout en sachant séparer ce qui est du domaine publique ou privé, la seule forme de discrimination souhaitable. Le domaine religieux est notamment le plus sensible et est relié à l'espace de la conscience individuelle. Tout en étant libre, il doit donc demeurer privé parce qu'il appartient à l'expérience personnelle et co-existe difficilement en dehors de cet espace sans créer potentiellement des conflits de toutes natures.

 

Cependant la culture rejoint davantage le collectif et les échanges dans ce domaine devraient toujours être encouragés parce qu'il contribuent favorablement à la pluralité de la société et au rapprochement des gens toutes origines confondues.

 

Les bons exemples d'échanges culturels ne manquent pas, qu'ils soient culinaires, musicaux, artistiques, sociaux ou autres. Ils colorent la société, lui ajoute des saveurs et l'enrichissent de valeurs humaines en opposition directe avec l'esprit de discrimination qui est aveugle, gratuit et exclusif.

 

A chacun alors de choisir le monde dans lequel il souhaite évoluer et de promouvoir les valeurs humaines de justice et d'équité qui ne peuvent que contribuer à la paix sociale, au bien-être commun et à la richesse collective.