Aleena Qasim: Systemic Racism in Canada and Methods that May Combat it

Aleena Qasim's Views on Racism in Canada

Qasim believes that racism in Canada is a hidden disease, the majority of people believe that this issue only pervades America due to the fact that Canada is viewed as a “race-less” society when that is far from the truth. A dean of an Ivy League college once said. “Never admit more than five Jews, take only two Italian Catholics, and take no blacks at all”, showing that post-secondary institutions have a history of rejecting nonwhite and marginalized students. Anti-racism is all forms of action against systematic racism and white supremacy; Qasim states that it is essential to recognize the institutional racism embedded in our education system and to follow up with action to ensure the success and safety of nonwhite students. Aleena Qasim believes that this can be done by firstly, making a sociology 100 class obligatory for all students to take in order to educate all students about the history and weight of racism in our society. A secondary method suggested by Aleena Qasim is pushing universities to hire professors that are anti-racist and lastly, recognizing how traditional teaching methods are intertwined with racist ideologies. 

Aleena Qasim's Suggestions for Fighting Systemic Racism in Post-Secondary Institutions: A Mandatory 100-Level Sociology Class 

Qasim believes that Racial Justice and anti-racism can firstly be advocated by mandating a basic sociology 100 class for all students, regardless of their faculty or major. For a post-secondary institution to be anti-racist, its students must be educated on the foundations of racism and the fact that white people’s race has never been a barrier for them in this world. One of the greatest obstacles to achieving anti-racism is the youth’s lack of education regarding the dynamics of racism; many individuals fail to recognize that racism is about power, which is why Black and Indigenous people hold status in society which people of other races do not. The basic difference between “prejudice” and “racism” will be taught in a sociology 100 class, allowing people to avoid the time-consuming debates about whether making a joke about white girls drinking Starbucks is racism in comparison to using racial slurs. Qasim believes that this will allow universities to create an environment in which students can have productive and educated conversations about racism without wasting time explaining semantics. In the past, Aleena Qasim has found it exhausting to be in a space with other people of color where someone was speaking about racial trauma, only to have them interrupted by someone with a distorted understanding of what racism is. Without a basic understanding of systemic oppression,  Aleena Qasim states that we cannot proceed to have constructive conversations about racism in a post-secondary environment. For this reason, a mandated sociology 100 class would benefit many people. 

Aleena Qasim's Suggestions for Fighting Systemic Racism in Post-Secondary Institutions: Hiring Professors that are Anti-racist.

The second variable in enhancing anti-racism in post-secondary institutions would be to hire professors who are also anti-racist and promote anti-racist learning in the classroom. It is not beneficial to only have students who are educated on anti-racism without having professors who are committed to the same cause. Professors play a great role in the university environment as well as the futures of their students, therefore, they should be held accountable for the environment they allow in their classrooms. Professors must analyze their internal prejudices, reflect upon their interactions with other students, and be willing to change their mindset to create a safer environment for students of color. For instance, Statistics show that white teachers are 30% less likely to predict that a black student will graduate university; internal bias plays a great role in how instructors treat their white students compared to their black students. A professor may often choose white students over international students because they fear not being able to understand their accents; in this case, they should expose themselves to different accents and learn how to interact with people from different countries. Universities should assess for such things before hiring professors as such biases can inadvertently affect students of color and their quality of education. Secondly, Aleena Qasim believes that basic respect is not always a privilege for students of color when their names are consistently being butchered by professors. A more anti-racist environment can be created by educating professors on how to pronounce ethnic names; there have been many instances where Qasim was exposed to people of color who have expressed that they dislike a class on the first day, merely because the professor could not be bothered to pronounce their name correctly even after having it repeated several times. Aleena Qasim believes that this forces students to divert their attention to the unfair treatment they experience from professors, rather than their education; this puts them on an unfair playing field from the very beginning because their white counterparts receive respect without having to fight for it. While discussions on racism may be uncomfortable, they are necessary to advance racial justice. University is not a setting where everyone is on an equal playing field; post-secondary officials and professors must recognize this and make efforts to diversify their faculties and create a welcoming culture for students of color. 

Aleena Qasim's Suggestions for Fighting Systemic Racism in Post-Secondary Institutions: Engaging in Holistic Methods of Learning

Aleena Qasim is aware that systematic racism is present in our education system and traditional ways of teaching. Qasim believes that using educational approaches that focus on equity can ensure a larger number of students of color succeed; this can be done by embracing a holistic way of teaching which counters traditional assessment methods that uproot systematic racism. Holistic teaching methods humanize students and treat them with compassion by promoting strategies such as emotional reflection, interdisciplinary learning, and self-guided learning that can aid in their success. By sticking to the traditional method of testing, institutions keep legacies of racism alive. For example, eugenicists were worried about the number of nonwhite students in post-secondary institutions and decided to create a culture of standardized testing. Qasim believes that such assessment methods should be abandoned altogether. Hiring more people of color in administration positions can also combat the racial bias present when accepting students from high school. To reiterate, racism must first be recognized in order to pursue anti-racism. This can begin by mandating a basic sociology 100 class for all students attending university. Holding professors accountable for internal biases they may hold regarding nonwhite students is the next step in creating an anti-racist environment. Lastly, acknowledging the racist history behind the traditional methods of teaching and adopting holistic teaching methods instead can ensure the success of marginalized students.