In Montreal as elsewhere, the racism that Black people suffer insinuates itself into certain institutions and is evident in the most banal daily interactions. Black people in the city must deal with this reality, regardless of their immigration status, country of origin or social class. La Converse, at the suggestion of Horiol Desile Destiné, project manager at ICI Montréal-Nord, therefore welcomed twenty people in order to discuss in particular the issues and solutions related to anti-Black racism in Montreal. Although complementary, opinions differ, between an interventionist position based on law and an approach that takes into account, in particular, the stress and psychological consequences of such approaches.
Among the guests, social integration workers such as Faty Diambang and Mélissa Jean-Baptiste, who work for CARI Saint-Laurent, an organization specialized in the integration of newcomers. Residents who came to testify and share their opinions on the subject were also invited. Horiol Desile Destiné, who is working on the Éau project at ICI Montréal-Nord (Integration, Citizenship and Inclusion), is accompanied by Wideline Joseph, who works in the same organization. Everyone having arrived, the dialogue begins.
This initiative is part of the International Decade for People of African Descent, explains Horiol. Eager to have a candid discussion to equip Black people recently settled in Montreal, the organization participates in the dialogue with the stakeholders described above and a group of newcomers. Comfortably wedged between cushions or on the ergonomic chairs in our premises, notebook and pen in hand for some, the participants introduced themselves in turn, ready to start the discussion.
What are the main issues?
First of all, when you ask Faty Diambang and Mélissa Jean-Baptiste of CARI Saint-Laurent what their days are made of, they tell us about their experiences as immigration consultants with newcomers and asylum seekers. Mélissa, who accompanies them on a daily basis, highlights how prolonged waiting for work permits is a source of economic stress for asylum seekers. “Immigration says that it normally takes three months, but some people have been waiting for a year. It's a long time, some are waiting for hearing deadlines to find out if their status is accepted. It takes time, there are people who wait three years, four years,” she says.
Finding affordable housing is also a challenge, especially in the current context. “Finding a 4 and a half, a 5 and a half at $1,200 is very rare — as much for me as for them or for Mr. and Mrs. Everyone,” she says. Mélissa also accompanies asylum seekers, regardless of their needs: using a food bank, buying clothes, registering for French classes, going back to school, finding a new job, etc. She emphasizes that this happens especially in cases of abuse in the workplace, when the person is abused or refused to pay. His colleague Faty adds, stressing the precariousness that awaits asylum seekers, and the balance of power that is unfavorable to them and crushes them, even when they are at their side. “We often have a feeling of powerlessness in the face of what they present to us, it's a really heavy machine,” he regrets.
Several participants in turn raise their hands to share their experiences since arriving in Montreal. One of them, a young man from Haiti, explains that he was refused several times after applying for jobs. However, “all these job interviews went very well,” he explains. Despite his studies completed in his native country, his ability to express himself in French and his enthusiasm, nothing helps, he is not called back. For him, there is no doubt possible: “It is clearly because of the color of my skin that I am experiencing this series of misfortunes.” Around him, people shake and nod in disapproval or to show that they are not surprised.
Asserting your rights
In addition to supporting recent immigrants and asylum seekers, CARI also provides technical assistance to permanent residents and long-term immigrants in their immigration applications. Integration counsellors also offer support in finding housing and employment and can refer users to external resources as needed.
But what to do when a simple formality becomes an obstacle to human dignity? Mélissa relates the recent case of a person who experienced racism in the medical environment. Thanks to the training offered by the Saint-Michel Legal Clinic, she and her colleagues were able to refer the complainant to legal aid services in an informed manner. These are available at low cost to people with low incomes, as is often the case for newcomers.
In the case of discriminatory treatment when receiving care, “regardless of the status, even if it is precarious, one is entitled to a second medical opinion, one has the right to say to the doctor: “I am not sure what you are saying to me and I think that you are acting with me unfairly.”, argues the intervener. “There is a tendency to think that, if I speak, [the Canadian authorities] will not give me permanent residence; if I speak, the judge will send me back to my country and my application will be rejected. There is that fear.”
Wideline Joseph, community organizer at ICI Montréal-Nord, believes that this fear weighs heavily on the balance. It also raises another issue, that of how racialized newcomers perceive the services offered on the territory. Indeed, in their country of origin, some are used to undergoing discriminatory treatments on the basis of their social class or colorism (discrimination based on the darker or lighter pigmentation of the skin). Thus, according to Wideline, “experiencing negative things that call into question their dignity is normal, because not only do they have no legal status, but they also have a precarious financial status.”
According to her, “the cultural aspect of the people we work with is important.” “We need to go beyond: “You have experienced racism”; you have to understand their cultural perceptions,” she says. She offers to ask yourself a question: “If you are in Canada and everyone is equal, is what you went through normal? On this last point, Faty adds: “It is up to us, the stakeholders, who are on the front line, to raise awareness, to inform [newcomers] about their rights and duties here in Quebec — rights and duties that can be very different from those [that prevail] in their countries of origin.”
“Faced with injustice and when you are in pain, you have to take a moment to step back”
While all guests agree on the need to teach newcomers their rights, some express reservations about encouraging them to turn to institutions and file complaints. Indeed, isn't that too much to ask of people who are already vulnerable to take such steps? To illustrate her point, Wideline shares the following two stories with the rest of the group.
One day, she and her brother (a black man) were walking on Lapierre Street in Montreal North when a homeless white man approaches them before insulting them. “Dirty n****! ” he said to Wideline's brother. To her surprise, her brother didn't flinch. He even laughs, then replies: “Me, that? Are you calling me a jerk? I am not that.” The surprise is even greater for Wideline when the man changes his mind and apologises to his brother. “That marked me,” she says.
The second anecdote comes from a friend. This one, a black man, is traveling in a car with an acquaintance, also a black man. There is a lot of traffic on the road. At a stop, the driver of the neighboring vehicle calls out to him by saying: “What is your problem? ”, in reference to an overtaking maneuver. Then, he soon called him, again, a “dirty n****”. Angry, Wideline's friend immediately gets out of his car, followed by his friend. The tension is rising, a fourth man — who is accompanying the driver who caused the incident — also comes out, and everyone is in trouble. “And as we are in modern times, people have started filming... for the same N-word. Well, a complaint was filed against the two black men. [...] Even if it was those in the other car who came to fight, who they hit first, videos were brought in, and my friend had to do community work,” Wideline says.
What can we learn from these two stories? According to Wideline, even when you experience an injustice, you have to take a moment to step back, because “when you react without thinking, there are serious consequences.”
She continues: “My advice is not not not to file a complaint, it's to take a moment, to think, not to get in trouble. Because black men, black women with criminal records, that too is one more bullet you have in your feet to move forward in the system. So take a moment when you are experiencing something. What you're feeling is legitimate, but take a moment and think further. What do I do with what I felt: do I go further, do I file a complaint? Or I talk to my friends, we change our minds, I talk to a counsellor... Think about your reaction. Because what follows is as important as the act. [...] We are not impulsive. You know who you are too, like my brother.”
In the discussion group, tempers are heating up. What should you do, for example, when you are refused housing without good reason?
Another participant suggests a solution to circumvent the use of legal services with an uncovered face: have CARI Saint-Laurent or other organizations already thought of setting up a platform that would collect denunciations anonymously while raising awareness, in an indirect way, of anyone who committed racist acts? Currently, such a tool does not exist at CARI Saint-Laurent or elsewhere.
“In these situations, if that happens, I suggest talking to your integration advisors first. We know the resources to report these incidents. There are housing assistance organizations if the person cannot react or act themselves [...]”, replies Faty. “If necessary, he adds, organizations such as CARI or housing committees are also in a position to mediate between tenants and owners in order to find common ground.”
Wideline has a caveat: “The reality is that people have very few resources. You are experiencing racism, they refuse to rent you an apartment because you are Black, you are going to see the housing committee which arranges to take the appeal a little further... these are only small fines that these owners will pay, they represent nothing for them. That's the reality, and people need to be aware. There is a question to ask myself: will I tire myself out of going to find a lawyer to sue someone who, in the end, will only have to pay a small fine? Or am I moving on to something else? ”
The words of the ICI Montréal-Nord speaker elicited approving nods. She continues: “Very often, we will experience an act of racism and there will be no direct consequences for the person who committed this act.”
She comes back to the need to take the blow, to give yourself time to feel the panoply of emotions that can arise, no matter what others say. “You can then decide to act on the basis of what you felt: “Am I going to seek justice? Am I going to do something about it or, on the contrary, am I going to avoid this situation?” ”, she lists.
Far from closing the door on the possibility of filing a complaint, she insists on the need to give yourself priority throughout the process: “The most important thing is your mental, physical, financial, spiritual well-being — and sometimes there are fights that are not worth fighting. These are not things we are going to tell you. You will always be encouraged to file a complaint, but think about your well-being first and foremost.”
Two different but complementary approaches
On the side of CARI Saint-Laurent advisers, a more integrated approach is being put forward in responding to a racist act. At ICI Montréal-Nord, we are more promoting a realistic approach. The first requires additional effort and the will to want to navigate the system again, while the second focuses on the interplay of constraints in everyone's reality. Although there is tension between these two approaches, they are complementary to a certain extent. Trusting your experience, and doing what seems to be right for you, without trying to compromise yourself unnecessarily, is a solution that seems to have convinced stakeholders.
The conversation ended with Wideline's words: “It's up to you to decide, because it's your fight. And it's a fight that's going to last a lifetime, unfortunately. If we are here today, it is because we would like to put an end to this for our children. But one day at a time. For now, accept how you feel and don't minimize it,” she concludes firmly.