Reading Analysis #4:

In the upcoming lecture, we will be discussing and trying to understand the topic of “Racialized Childhoods and Segregated Schooling”. However, we were first assigned readings to give us some context on what we will be discussing. Within this topic, the readings pertained to the racialization and segregation of children and how this effected their childhood and schooling in Canada. The two groups that were discussed throughout the readings were the black and the Chinese population. Both groups came to Canada for a better life in terms of treatment, job opportunities, and schooling, however, they still faced discrimination.

In Claudette Knight’s article, “Black Parents Speak: Education in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Canada West”, she focuses on the issues of black children attending school and getting an education amongst the white population’s racist views of these children intermingling with the white children. “Recognizing the value of education, blacks sought to enrol their children in Canada West’s common schools… Local prejudice of varying intensity resulted in the segregation of black youth”[1]. As a result of this segregation and discrimination towards these black children and other people in search of an education, schools specifically for the black population were made. “In response to the exclusion of black youth from common schools, several black women established separate schools”[2], however, even though some separate schools were being established, “those who did not have access to separate schools received no education at all”[3]. The fact that special segregated schools had to be established to allow some black children to receive an education was not right. Children should all be treated equal regardless of their skin tone and background, and given the same opportunities to education and childhood experiences with other children. Education for the black population was looked at as an opportunity to be considered less inferior, to “undermine racist ideology, [and] obtain superior employment”[4]. However, this was difficult because of the separate schools and lack of opportunities given to the black children, and “the colour of their skin and elements of their ‘otherness’ contributed to their educational oppression”[5]. In this time, education was not an equal opportunity given to the black population as compared to the white population.

In Timothy Stanley’s article, “White Supremacy, Chinese Schooling, and School Segregation in Victoria: The Case of the Chinses Students’ Strike, 1922-1923”, he expresses a similar topic as compared to Claudette Knight’s article. He focuses on Chinese discrimination and segregation of schooling in Canada in the early twentieth century. “School segregation can be seen as a particular instance of white supremacy: the political and social system predicted on the supposed existence and natural dominance of white ‘race’”[6]. White supremacy was exactly what was happening in this time period. Chinese students were trying to be segregated from the white population in terms of schooling and education for a variety of reasons, which included “physical and moral threats”[7]. The segregation of these schools was viewed as way to discriminate against this race, and seen “as an attempt to prevent [the Chinese] from learning English”[8]and have other academic opportunities. In addition to this, the Chinese students were not treated fairly and “segregation was [seen as] necessary because Chinese students were retarding the progress of white students”[9]. All of these factors as to why Chinese students should be separated from the white population shows white supremacy and the unequal treatment of this race of people.

All of these articles contribute to the main topic that we will be further discussing in our lecture. The topics of racialized childhoods and segregated schooling are important topics that must be discussed in order to understand the history of childhood and education in Canada. These articles show different aspects of segregation in this time period. The first article expresses the segregation of black children and their unequal opportunities to education and discriminatory treatment within schools. Whereas the second article links Chinese student discrimination and segregation with white supremacy. If one looks at these articles that depicts unjust segregation in this time of Canadian history and compares it to separate schooling now, they would see some similarities but in the majority of aspects they are different. In the past, schools separated different races, classes, amongst other things, however, nowadays, pubic “common” schools have a very diverse number of students from various backgrounds, countries, social statuses, and so forth. In addition to this, currently, the only schools that are separated from the public schools are private schools affiliated with religion. In conclusion, all of these articles analyzed contribute to the wider historiography of the topic, and helps us to better understand this part in Canadian history.

 

Endnotes:

[1] Claudette Knight, “Black Parents Speak: Education in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Canada West,” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Translation: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 227.

[2] Ibid., 228.

[3] Ibid., 230.

[4] Ibid., 227.

[5] Bernice Moreau, “Black Nova Scotian Women’s Experience of Educational Violence in the Early 1900s: A Case of Colour Contusion,” Dalhousie Review 77, no. 2 (1997): 180.

[6] Timothy J. Stanley, “White Supremacy, Chinese Schooling, and School Segregation in Victoria: The Case of the Chinese Students’ Strike, 1922-1923,” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Translation: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 238.

[7] Ibid., 240.

[8] Ibid., 243.

[9] Ibid.

Bibliography:

Knight, Claudette. “Black Parents Speak: Education in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Canada West.” In Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Translation: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 225-237.

Moreau, Bernice. “Black Nova Scotian Women’s Experience of Educational Violence in the Early 1900s: A Case of Colour Contusion.: Dalhousie Review 77, no. 2 (1997): 179-206.

Stanley, Timothy J. “White Supremacy, Chinese Schooling, and School Segregation in Victoria: The Case of the Chinese Students’ Strike, 1922-1923.” In Sara Burke and Patrice Mileski (Eds.), Schooling in Translation: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 237-252.

Reflection:

The reason why I chose to include this reading analysis into my ePortfolio is because it deals with an aspect I will be discussing throughout my ePortfolio. This aspect is racial segregation and discrimination against children and how this effects their childhood and education. This analysis discusses both the segregation and discrimination of Black children and Asian children, which was a main focus in this time. Children were greatly effected by these segregated schools because they were not given the same opportunity and schooling as white children, consequently effecting their education and childhood experiences. This reading analysis is good evidence because it supports my main topic of this ePortfolio.

 

Header Image from: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-segregation.html