Local meeting to tackle systemic racism
Aboriginal students worry about fitting in on campus, says local recruiter
WATERLOO REGION — Systemic racism is evident on university campuses, creating barriers for aboriginal students, says a local recruiter who visits reserves across Ontario.
Shawn Johnston, events coordinator for the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre at St. Paul’s University College at the University of Waterloo, says often aboriginal students won’t identify themselves as indigenous on the university admissions application for fear of being labelled.
“That is sad because we can’t contact them,” said Johnston, who works with aboriginal students at the UW campus.
The centre provides a “safe place” for aboriginal students who come to campus from reserves where they can burn traditional medicine and receive academic support.
While many students might worry about their marks or extracurricular activities needed for their program, aboriginal students are worried about fitting in, Johnston said.
“How do I live in the city and not know anyone?” he said.
They might not see their family until Christmas and then they drop out, Johnston said.
Johnston said he welcomes an open and frank discussion on racism in government institutions and programs to be held in Kitchener on Oct. 24.
The Anti-Racism Directorate, created by the provincial government last February, is examining systemic racism in government policy, programs and services.
The directorate is going across the province to discuss how indigenous people face systemic racism and how that racism creates barriers, especially with higher numbers of indigenous and black people in the child welfare and justice systems.
It wants to work with local communities to address the racism.
Michael Coteau, Minister of Children and Youth Services and responsible for the anti-racism directorate, will be in Kitchener for the public meeting.
“In all corners of the province, systemic racism — anti-black racism, Islamophobia, prejudice against racialized and indigenous communities — creates barriers. This is unacceptable,” he said in a release.
A community forum will be held at the Kitchener City Hall rotunda on Oct. 24 from 7 to 10 p.m. It is open to the public.
For Johnston, helping aboriginal students navigate the postsecondary system is a way to give back to his people.
“There are so many barriers from moving (off reserve), firstlanguage issues and the grade level being much lower,” he said. “The majority don’t ask for help.”
Johnston, 39, was born in Couchiching First Nation, a reserve near Fort Frances, but lived off reserve until he was six. He recalls being called names because he looked different.
When he moved back to the reserve, he was frowned upon because “I was pretty much the whitest,” he said.
Johnston stayed until he was 16, when he dropped out of high school and left for Winnipeg. At 14, Johnston came out as two-spirited and felt there was little acceptance for his sexual orientation in his community.
For most of his 20s, Johnston said he experimented with drugs including cocaine, meth and ecstasy, eventually selling drugs and then becoming a “full-blown addict.”
In Winnipeg, Johnston, like many aboriginals, was marginalized.
“Every third person was indigenous and poverty was so visible. There was panhandling on the streets and the majority was indigenous,” he said.
“You internalize the racism and I became ashamed of my people.”
Johnston went to rehab twice in Winnipeg, but returned to the same crowd and drug scene. He hit bottom one day when he found himself standing on top of a bridge, contemplating suicide.
He called his mother in Ontario and she agreed to move him home on the condition he went to a treatment centre, but this time an indigenous one.
He agreed and attended an aboriginal treatment program at Six Nations in Brantford, where he was immersed in traditional teachings. It was there that he began to understand the effects of residential schools on his mother, aunts and uncles and the cycle of drugs, alcohol and abuse.
“I didn’t want to continue that legacy,” he said.
Johnston went back to school at Lambton College and then graduated with an undergraduate degree in social work from Western University. He continued his studies and received a master’s degree in social work at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Johnston said he credits his mother for saving him and being his role model. She’s been sober for 28 years.
While at Western, Johnston got involved with aboriginal student groups and began advocating for indigenous rights while sharing his story through public speaking.
In his current job, Johnston visits reserves in Ontario to encourage youth to enrol in postsecondary education.
“I see myself in them,” he said. “Because of my life experiences, I can give back. This is what worked for me. Come see me if you need help.”
You internalize the racism and I became ashamed of my people. SHAWN JOHNSTON