“It’s not a system that’s built for me”: Black youths’ unbelonging in Ontario schools

Abstract

Through exploration of Black Caribbean youths’ feelings of unbelonging and exclusion in Ontario schools, this paper argues that how Whiteness is systemically engrained in the education system negatively affects the learning experiences of Black youth due to predetermined measures of belonging. The present article draws on data from 32 qualitative interviews and four focus groups with 23 Black Caribbean youth. Findings reveal challenges youth commonly face when navigating relationships with peers and educators that hinder their academic success. These challenges are exacerbated for youth who are also involved in the state’s child protection system. Participants described feeling disadvantaged in the education system due to perceptions that they are academically unprepared and thus unable to excel. Through a Critical Race Theory and Anti-Black Racism analytical framework, the findings illustrate how systemic barriers coupled with the normalization of low expectations impact the educational success and opportunities of Black Caribbean youth in Ontario schools.

Keywords:

• Black youth
• Caribbean diaspora
• education
• child protection
• critical race theory

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to give a special thank you to all the youth who participated in this study and shared their time and stories with us. The authors recognize and thank Veronica Escobar Olivo, Travonne Edwards, Sarah Jodha, and the entire Rights for Children and Youth Partnership (RCYP) research team for their contributions to this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Due to the nature of the research and due to ethical reasons supporting data is not available.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council under Grant [895-2015-1014].

Notes on contributors

Charlotte Akuoko-Barfi

Charlotte Akuoko-Barfi is an instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University and a Social Worker by profession with extensive experience in Child Welfare. She holds an MSW degree and has worked in the social work field for more than 30 years in numerous capacities. She has actively engaged in many collaborative initiatives with community agencies.

Henry Parada

Dr. Henry Parada Prior to his academic appointment, Dr. Henry Parada spent nine years working as a child protection worker, conducting family counseling, and working as a sexual abuse specialist within Toronto’s social service sector. His academic experience includes working in the Caribbean, Central America, and other parts of Latin America on issues of child protection, human rights, and youth participation. He is a Cross-Appointed Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and has guest lectured in universities in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Honduras. Dr. Parada’s combined research expertise includes the areas of social development, children’s and women’s social welfare, and violence prevention. His ongoing program of research – focused on child protection, family violence, and children’s rights in seven regional areas of concentration – was awarded the SSHRC Partnership Grant for a seven-year, international project titled The Rights for Children and Youth Partnership (RCYP).

Laura Gonzalez Perez

Laura Perez Gonzalez completed a Master’s in International Development Studies that focused on non-formal education in the Caribbean. She has over five years of experience conducting research, and leading education and gender-focused programs with communities in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Her research focuses on education, immigration, women’s empowerment, and their intersectionalities in the experiences of youth. Laura works as a Researcher with the Rights for Children and Youth Partnership.

Marsha Rampersaud

Dr. Marsha Rampersaud is a sociolegal researcher who combines insights from critical race, punishment, and abolition theories to examine issues of racial and social justice, the purpose of punishment, and the impacts of societal structures on differently situated groups. Her approach to research is firmly rooted in praxis, and she works closely with the communities who inform her research to cultivate projects from the ground up. Presently, Dr. Rampersaud is an Assistant Professor at York University and a Research Associate with the Rights for Children and Youth Partnership.