2018 has just started and we have our first public misstep in advertising: H&M had a black boy modelling a hoodie that brands him as the “coolest monkey in the jungle”. Are you kidding me?! The white kid next to him is the “survival expert”. Ah… if only someone had caught this during the …
unconscious bias
Canadian Dolls
It’s fitting, on the heels of last week’s blog, that I have been introduced to The Maplelea Girls – a group of Canadian dolls. Conversations about race can be difficult. Yes, we are making progress, but there are still issues to raise and improvements to make – and unless we talk about these, …
Who is Canadian?
Last week I arrived back in Toronto from a trip to the US. As I made my way through the terminal at Pearson International Airport, I was greeted by this image. As you can see, it’s a large series of photographs that hangs high above the escalators as you go down to customs. It’s meant, I suppose, …
Systemic Racism in many forms…even dolls!
Last week in Calgary, a woman was shopping for dolls for her children at Toys R Us and made a startling discovery – the “dark skinned” doll was priced lower than it’s “lighter skinned” counterpart (those are the words from the CTV new report). Image from: …
[Continue reading] Systemic Racism in many forms…even dolls!
Bias and Power
There are many things I could write about under this title, but today, I'm going to highlight a decision by a judge in Utah to remove a foster child from a home just because the couple caring for her are lesbians. This is a perfect example of bias - one person's perspective, based on how they see …
Kanye who?
It’s easy to jump to conclusions. Last night when I heard that our mayor John Tory didn't realize Kanye West wasn't Canadian the first thought I had was: "It's because he is Black". And then I checked myself. Because I mixed up Kanye West with K'naan (also Black but born in Somalia and raised in …
What Difference Can a Black Police Chief make in Toronto?
So we have a Black Police Chief in Toronto. I want to cheer. But my inner voice is saying "not so fast...". Here's why: Let's consider the assumptions I am (and many people likely are likely) making based on skin colour and the expectations that these create. We might assume that since Mark …
[Continue reading] What Difference Can a Black Police Chief make in Toronto?
Blind Spot – Part 2: Social Mindbugs
Last week I introduced you to social mindbugs. This week, I’m going to make the case a little more, because I know that it’s challenging to take in that what our unconscious mind believes can lead us in a direction/to a behaviour or conclusion that our conscious mind would abhor. In case you missed …