Exploring Racism and its Impacts in Canadian Residential Schools

This literature review examines the pervasive issue of racism within Canadian residential schools, drawing on four key sources: Charlotte and Sarab's work on Aboriginal experiences of racism, Tavia Grant's analysis of Canada's racial divide, Talaga's exploration of systemic racism in 'Seven Fallen Fe...Read More

Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW1
Literature Review
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date of Submission

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Racism in Residential Schools in Canada
According to Charlotte and Sarab (2016), by Canadian aristocrats insisting on concerns
that are collective like good governance, order, and peace means that national projects in the
forms of schooling are regarded vis-à-vis their impacts on the general society. Attention has to be
put on the strategies and policies as well as how such procedures and policies lead to changes in
students' lives to create a deeper understanding of the Canadian education framework. The
Canadian education system, like those of other western countries, has undergone a lot of growth
(Grant, 2016).
On the other hand, such growth is associated with moral, cultural, and political behavior.
Other aspects that cause such change include but not limited to wage-labor economy emergence,
other concepts of family and childhood, as well as the reorganization of the society to create
institutions (Grant, 2016). By the end of the 20th century, the institutional network of Canada
had already recognized businesses, hospitals, welfare agencies, prisons, and schools. In the end,
such developments get associated with the increasing level of racism and ethnicity in Canadian
residential schools that cause detrimental impacts on students’ lives. Otherwise, Canadian
education systems are the most racial institutions in the country (Grant, 2016).
To determine how different authors and literature sources have helped in realizing the
thesis statement of this activity, four literature sources will get elaborated herein. The first is
“Aboriginal Experiences Racism and its Impacts” by Charlotte and Sarab. The second is
“Canada's racial divide - Confronting racism in our backyard” by Tavia Grant. The third is
“Seven Fallen Feathers - Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City’ by Talaga Tanya
and finally, yet importantly, is “Racism in Our Schools - What to Know about It; How to Fight
It” by Darlyn Mentor. However, before embarking on contrasting and comparing issues

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discussed in the four sources, it is important to distinguish two important terms highly used
across the four identified sources, “racialize” and “racism” (Grant, 2016). The Australian Human
Rights Commission statistics show that many whites do think that they are better than the blacks.
Contrary to that opinion, thinking that an individual is better than the other because of his or her
race is baseless and inappropriate. Racism is wrong, and there is no excuse for the same.
Therefore, racism is a means of dividing people into the aspects of “them” and “us” and on the
grounds of skin tone or color. On the other hand, the definition as given is several research
documents such as “Aerriam-Webster” on “to racialize” states that it is ‘to give something or
someone a racial character.'
On racism, racial implications, and racialization of students in residential schools in
Canada, Charlotte, and Sarab(2016) on “Aboriginal Experiences Racism and its Impacts”
believe that there is the need to fight aboriginal racism in Canada. As argued by the two authors,
it may be difficult to understand racial processes as some actions may be insensitive but most
likely to trigger racialization in schools. For instance, as simple as labeling a group of students or
part of a people as “different” sensual enough to be termed as racial. On the same, Grant(2016)
in his journal on “Canada's racial divide- Confronting racism in our backyard” believes that
issues of racism and racialization affect students academically and mentally. With his narrative
on the encounters of one student in the name of “Rhonda Britton," it is clear how students go
through stress and depression or even isolation in the name of racism. As Charlotte and
Sarab(2016) put it, the Canadian society faces many kinds of racism with violent and structural
racism the most experienced. Though the two kinds of racism are politically embedded in
Canadian society, the impacts are massive that institutions including schools have segregated
based onskin color or tone. The same can is identifiable in Grant(2016)’s case where “Rhonda

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Britton” moves to Canada and witnesses an overtly racialized society. Her first encounter is a
historical plaque on the entrance of her church with calligraphic words as “Fuck All Niggers."
“Seven Fallen Feathers”by Talaga (2017) is an eBook that critically discusses the ordeal
that caught seven young boys that attended Thunder Bay high school and died in the process.
The descriptive author is vivid on the unfolding events leading to the death of the children
including a “sharp” reflective reporting on the colonial legacy of Canada on racism. Talaga
(2017)’s work is also intriguing in the sense that the police’ and government’s ambivalent
response on the death of the seven kids creates a compelling tapestry similar to Darlyn Mentor’s
“Racism in Our Schools." In Darlyn(2017)’s journal, a picturesque gets created in which
students give their bitter ordeals on racial situations they faced during their time in school. On
the other end, both “Racism in Our Schools”(byDarlyn) and “Aboriginal Experiences Racism
and its Impacts” (by Charlotte and Sarab) believe accord to a particular racial implication. Such
agreement is that the heightened racial alignment of Canadian schools is because of the country’s
natural racial history which attempted to annihilate slavery, racial immigration policies as well as
aboriginal cultures on the blacks back in the olden days.
The focal point towards the justification of this activity’s thesis statement is on the book
of “Seven Fallen Feathers." As a book published most recently on the implications of racism on
Canada’s modern academic system, Talaga (2017) provides difficult to comprehend, yet well-
researched, important truths that sheds light on Canada’s systemic poverty, racism, and
powerlessness that escalates the ongoing problems that indigenous families, youths, and
communities face in the country (pg. 99). The book, therefore, is an alarm that strives to create a
“call to action” towards honoring seven young students that died to racism (pg. 99). However,
Charlotte and Sarab (2016) are much more specific on the extent to which the creation of

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residential or residential education systems have impacted on the current society in an attempt to
assimilate aboriginal children. That harm extends to their families and community at least as
described by the two authors. For instance, ideologies were developed to ensure that aboriginal
students only got taught skills that would lead them to menial jobs. Such is supported in Grant
(2016)’s case because “Rhonda Britton” realized that Canadian students never got exposed to
much of black history unlike American schools were she emigrated. The student also noted that
much of online content posted by blacks were many at times, filled with comments that are
hateful. Besides, Canadian society was full of racial profiling (Talaga, 2017, pg. 99).
In the end, all of the four journals advocate for change in perspective to reduce racial
segregation and implications of racism in Canadian institutions. Darlyn(2017) believes that
without programs and proper policies, racially minor and aboriginal students are likely to
continue failing to have themselves identified with the established curriculum. On the other
hand, Grant (2016) thinks that if the issue is not solved fast, students that are racially
marginalized in Canada will not be able to recognize themselves as ones who are capable of
attaining high achievements. Alternatively, Charlotte and Sarab (2016) think that such students
will opt for dropping out of school or leaning towards being pushed out of school because of
reduced self-belief and hope in the Canadian system of education.

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Reference
Charlotte, R., &Sarab, D., L. (2016) "Aboriginal Experiences Racism and its Impacts." Social
Determinants of Health. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.ccnsa-nccah.ca/docs/determinants/FS-
AboriginalExperiencesRacismImpacts-Loppie-Reading-deLeeuw-EN.pdf
Darlyn, M. (2017) Racism in Our Schools: What to Know about It; How to Fight It.
CANADIAN RACE RELATIONS FOUNDATION. Retrieved fromhttps://www.crrf-
fcrr.ca/images/Clearinghouse/ePubFaShRacScho.pdf
Grant, T. (2016) Canada's racial divide: Confronting racism in our backyard. The Globe and
Mail. Retrieved fromhttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/cracks-in-the-
narrative-confronting-the-harsh-truths-of-racism-in-canada/article32070545/
Talaga, T. (2017) Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City.
National Best Sellers, International & World Politics, 1st Ed, pg. 99.