Succeeding From the Margins of Canadian Society: A Strategic Resource for New Immigrants, Refugees, and International Students. Francis Adu-Febiri

Vancouver-based publication Common Ground. In addition to four years of volunteer service as an English teacher with the Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria (British Columbia), Everett has coached hundreds of university and high school students both in Canada and Asia on how to hone their oral and written communication skills. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree from Heriot-Watt University (Scotland) and is now about half-way through his Doctorate program.

      Francis Adu-Febiri and Everett Ofori

      May 2009

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the help and support we received from various sources in completing this book. Our greatest thank you goes to Paul Rabinovitch of CCB Publishing. Paul had the foresight to see the potential of the manuscript and encouraged us to refine it for publication. He also insisted that we get permission from publishers for the numerous quotations and paraphrases we have used to support our arguments in the manuscript. His editorial comments were a very useful guide in revising the manuscript.

      To all the publishers in Canada and the United States who granted us permission to use quotations and paraphrases from their published works, we say a big thank you to you.

      We are grateful to Margaret Matthews of Vancouver for allowing us to use her Chocolate in a Vanilla World story to enrich the introduction of the book.

      Our sincere gratitude goes to all the racial and ethnic minorities in Canada whose painful struggles and spectacular successes inspired us to consider writing this book.

      We also acknowledge the moral support of Mrs. Ernestina Adu-Febiri of Victoria, Mrs. Ellen H. Reynolds of Toronto, Professor Renee Warburton of the University of Victoria, Professor Senyo Adjibolosoo of Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Professor Joseph Mensah of York University, and Professor Francis Yee of Camosun College in Victoria.

INTRODUCTION RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES IN CANADIAN SOCIETY: CONSTRAINTS, SUCCESSES AND POSSIBILITIES

      There are cracks in the barriers to minority success in Canada that can be opened up to facilitate the socio-economic mobility of racial/ethnic minorities. It takes strategic resources such as appropriate information and knowledge, relevant skills, mentoring, networking opportunities, and family/community support to open up these cracks to utilize existing opportunity structures in Canada. Hard work, individual intelligence and personal ambition play a very small role. Despite Canada’s multiculturalism policy, new immigrants, refugees and international students in Canada cannot succeed without having the right and adequate resources to connect to the opportunity structures in the mainstream Canadian culture.

      Many immigrants, refugees, and international students have come to Canada with the belief that the hard work, intelligence, ambition, tenacity, maturity, and other personal qualities that made them successful in their old countries and helped them survive what might have been a treacherous journey would also help them to succeed in Canada. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. Such overconfidence has been the undoing of many an immigrant, refugee and international student. Far too many have been blindsided in the benign looking environment of Canada, forcing them to abandon their dreams and to accept conditions of life that they would never have imagined a few years before. Not taking the time to understand the Canadian system, the underlying rules that govern life, and strategic resources that facilitate success can be pricey in the long run. Taking the time to find out the available strategic resources and how to effectively utilize them will save you from the kind of mistakes that have sidelined many immigrants, refugees and international students and turned them into bitter wrecks with nothing good to say about Canada. The point is that it takes strategic resources to enhance one’s hard work, intelligence, talents, abilities and ambition to make the stories about Canada as land of milk and honey a reality.

      Although Canada claims to be a multicultural country, the reality is that conventional rewards are located in the upper/middle class Anglo and Franco cultures of both the larger society and academia. Those who have access to strategic resources to effectively connect with the opportunity structures of the mainstream culture and/or academia are those who get most conventional rewards. New entrants to Canada who remain disconnected from strategic resources remain secluded in their minority cultures and tend to experience trapped socio-economic mobility. Real life experiences of immigrants, refugees and international students support this claim. The fact is connecting with the opportunity structures in the mainstream Canadian culture and academia from a culture on the margins requires appropriate information and knowledge, definitive decisions on the choices the information presents, mentoring, relevant networking, and a strong support system. Unless they have many of these strategic resources, immigrants, refugees and international students cannot fully participate in the mainstream Canadian society. And unless they can participate fully in the mainstream culture, success in Canada is likely to elude them. They would be unable to realize their talents, obtain higher education, get well-paying jobs or create and sustain viable economic enterprises.

      For new immigrants, refugees, and international students, basic skills are not enough because of the reality that unequal opportunity structures exist in Canadian society and academia that tend to work against minorities because of racism, ethnocentrism and other social injustices embedded in the Canadian social structure. Therefore racial and ethnic minorities are located in the margins of Canadian society and their success may not be determined by hard work, individual intelligence and personal ambition. Should new immigrants, refugees and international students despair and lose faith in themselves because of racism, ethnocentrism and injustices in Canadian society and academia? No! There is a way out! Many immigrants, refugees and international students have proven that there is some wisdom in the popular notion in the minority communities that says because of racism and ethnocentrism in Canada minorities need higher than average qualifications, abilities, skills, mentors, and support systems in order to achieve success. This book introduces new immigrants, refugees and international students to strategic resources that successful racial and cultural minorities have used to acquire and utilize the extra qualifications, knowledge, skills, abilities, networking and support systems to go beyond the ordinary to experience extraordinary success in Canadian society. The reality is that new immigrants, refugees and international students can succeed in Canadian society and academia despite the prevalence of racism, ethnocentrism and other barriers they face. Chocolate can thrive in a Vanilla World!

BEING CHOCOLATE IN A VANILLA WORLD: THE STORY OF MARGARET MATTHEWS

      Prior to my migrating to Canada from a predominantly non-White country, several “well meaning” Seniors gave me unsolicited advice that I was making a big mistake in migrating to a White country, where I would be a victim of racial prejudice and discrimination; that I would not have a chance of ever getting married since I was a Black female. Their rationalizing was that a White male would not want me, neither would a Black male (since Black males seem to want White females, either because of self-hatred or an inferiority complex about being Black) and that generally speaking, I would be very unhappy and probably die an “Old Maid” in isolation. What words of comfort for a high-spirited young lady! Incidentally, these “well-meaning friends” had never been to North America, and did not have much first-hand knowledge about life in Canada. They had only heard about Blacks being in slavery to their White masters and their inhumane treatment of them. They had also read in U.S. magazines about Lena Horne, Sammy Davis, Jr. and other Black celebrities who had been denied service at restaurants, and refused a hotel room in classy hotels.

      After weighing the pros and cons, I made my decision to take the plunge and face up to the challenges that came my way. I would make the best of the situation, and brush off any racial slurs, discrimination and anti-social behaviour towards me as water off a duck’s back.

      During my first year in Canada, I did run into some subtle forms of discrimination,