A Black and White Debate on Canada's First Africentric School
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SEGREGATION VERSUS SELF-DETERMINATION: A BLACK AND WHITE DEBATE ON CANADA’S FIRST AFRICENTRIC SCHOOL by Shaun Sheng Yuan Chen A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Shaun Sheng Yuan Chen 2010 Segregation Versus Self-Determination: A Black and White Debate on Canada’s First Africentric School Shaun Sheng Yuan Chen Master of Arts Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto 2010 Abstract The racialized realities faced by Black students provide an impetus to examine the controversy over Canada’s first Africentric Alternative School, approved on January 29, 2008 by the Toronto District School Board. Newspaper articles, editorials and letters to the editor, as well as speeches by delegations and trustees, provide a rich snapshot of the arguments put forth in the heated political debate. Through the lens of equity and critical race theory, the diverse and divergent stances taken by both proponents and opponents of the school are analysed and understood. A conceptual framework of hidden and public transcripts (Scott, 1990) is used to distinguish arguments that reflect on the lived experiences of Black students from those that reiterate the dominant discourses of liberal democratic societies. The findings emerge as three opposing sets of themes that reveal a transcript reflective of the ongoing salience of racism within ostensibly liberal claims to racial equality. ii Acknowledgments Little did I know when I was first elected a public school board trustee that I would play a part in one of the most controversial educational decisions of our time, let alone write a thesis about it. Luckily I have had several guiding lights along the way. First and foremost is my supervisor, Dr. Margrit Eichler, whose undying quest for social justice has made the world a better place. I am truly grateful for her unwavering guidance and thank her, most of all, for believing in me. I am also indebted to Dr. Kari Dehli, who sat on my thesis committee and provided invaluable feedback that helped fine-tune my findings. My appreciation goes out to my professors and peers at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, for their contributions and support of educational research. Thanks also to my fellow trustees and colleagues at the Toronto District School Board and the countless individuals who contributed to the Africentric school debate. Most of all, I thank my family and especially my parents, Kuo Tsai Chen and Yueh Ming Chen, for their unconditional love and support. It was my grandfather who taught me the value of education. I dedicate this thesis to the loving memory of Tao An Liu (March 26, 1916 – November 13, 2009). iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents............................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... v List of Appendices ............................................................................................................. vi 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................... 1 2 Making Sense of the Africentric School Debate............................................................ 8 2.1 Understanding a Political Debate............................................................................ 9 2.2 Exploring Lived Experiences................................................................................ 11 2.3 Challenging Racial Hierarchy............................................................................... 14 2.4 Reconstructing the Africentric School Debate ..................................................... 17 3 Methodology ................................................................................................................ 19 3.1 School Board Meeting Transcript......................................................................... 20 3.2 Newspaper Articles, Editorials and Letters .......................................................... 21 3.3 Content Analysis................................................................................................... 21 4 Findings and Analysis.................................................................................................. 25 4.1 Presence of Racism Versus Absence of Racism................................................... 27 4.2 Self-Determination Versus Segregation ............................................................... 38 4.3 Equity Versus Formal Equality............................................................................. 47 4.4 Other Arguments................................................................................................... 55 4.5 Examining Newspaper Reporting......................................................................... 58 5 Conclusions.................................................................................................................. 62 References......................................................................................................................... 64 Appendices........................................................................................................................ 68 iv List of Tables Table 1 – Frequency of Arguments re Presence of Racism Theme by Source................. 28 Table 2 – Positions of Delegations by Race (White Versus Person of Colour or Mixed).......................................................................................................................... 29 Table 3 – Recorded Votes of Trustees by Race (White Versus Person of Colour or Mixed).......................................................................................................................... 29 Table 4 – Positions of Delegations by Sex ....................................................................... 30 Table 5 – Recorded Votes of Trustees by Sex.................................................................. 30 Table 6 – Frequency of Arguments re Absence of Racism Theme by Source................. 34 Table 7 – Frequency of Arguments re Self-Determination Theme by Source ................. 39 Table 8 – Frequency of Arguments re Segregation Theme by Source............................. 43 Table 9 – Frequency of Arguments re Equity Theme by Source ..................................... 47 Table 10 – Frequency of Arguments re Formal Equality Theme by Source.................... 53 Table 11 – Frequency of Other Arguments by Source ..................................................... 56 Table 12 – Frequency of Arguments For and Against the Africentric School by Newspaper.................................................................................................................... 60 v List of Appendices Appendix A – Race, Sex, Social Position and Debate Position of Delegations at January 29, 2008 Toronto District School Board Meeting .......................................... 68 Appendix B – Frequency of Themes and Arguments Made For and Against the Africentric School by Delegation................................................................................. 69 Appendix C – Race, Sex, Position Taken and Recorded Vote of Trustees at January 29, 2008 Toronto District School Board Meeting........................................................ 70 Appendix D – Frequency of Themes and Arguments Made For and Against the Africentric School by Trustee ...................................................................................... 71 Appendix E – List of Articles, Editorials and Letters on the Africentric School in the National Post , January 26 to February 1, 2008............................................................ 72 Appendix F – Frequency of Themes and Arguments Made For and Against the Africentric School in the National Post ....................................................................... 73 Appendix G – List of Articles, Editorials and Letters on the Africentric School in The Globe and Mail , January 26 to February 1, 2008 ........................................................ 74 Appendix H – Frequency of Themes and Arguments Made For and Against the Africentric School in The Globe and Mail ................................................................... 75 Appendix I – List of Articles, Editorials and Letters on the Africentric School in The Toronto Star , January 26 to February 1, 2008 ............................................................. 76 Appendix J – Frequency of Themes and Arguments Made For and Against the Africentric School in The Toronto Star ....................................................................... 77 Appendix K – List of Articles, Editorials and Letters on the Africentric School in Share , January 24, January 31 and February 7, 2008 .................................................. 78 Appendix L – Frequency of Themes and Arguments Made For and Against the Africentric School in Share .......................................................................................... 79 vi 1 Chapter 1 Introduction