EXPERIENCES CANADA

Anti-Racism Conversations

Economic opportunity

Overview

Economic Opportunity

• Examining Economic Inequality
• Important Statistics and Figures
• Contributing Factors of Economic Inequality
• Increasing Economic Opportunities for Racialized People

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Activity : Coins in my Cup

• It is important to recognize how systemic inequality within institutions can impact racialized people economically.

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• Economic opportunity for all is important because it ensures that everyone has access to economic security and success to be able thrive in society.

Why is economic opportunity so important in anti-racism conversations

What is economic inequality

• “Economic inequality refers to disparities among individuals' incomes and wealth”

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• Economic inequality has the ability to determine how healthy, educated and wealthy individuals are in society

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• Racialized communities face a disproportionate level of poverty, unemployment, lack affordable housing, therefore it is important for institutions to improve financial education and ensure diversity inclusion within their practices to improve the lives of Black Canadians

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Pics of different stats

Factors that contribute to economic inequality

• education system
• job market
• newcomer integration
• wealth

Education system

• Messages children hear about themselves in school can shape the trajectory of their life.

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• Racialized students are often subjected to subtle, overt and systemic discrimination throughout their education.

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• Inequities continue to exist for certain students such as Indigenous, refugees, the poor and visible minorities

• Lack of representation in books, differential treatment, lack of a sense of belonging
• Cultural or linguistic bias in methods of evaluation
• Negative attitudes from educators regarding learners which can often result in lower expectations

Unfair disciplinary measures (often towards Black youth)

Job market in canada for racialized people

• Canada has a diverse population, but economic inequality continues to persist, with the labour market being a key factor:
• Racialized people less likely to be found in management positions and earn less than their non-racialized counterparts
• Unemployment rate tends to be higher in racialized workers
• Racialized immigrants face significant income gaps compared to non-racialized workers

Newcomer inclusion

It can often be difficult for newcomers to Canada to access economic opportunities, particularly in the job market because:

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• Employers value experience in Canada
• Integration can also be much harder for racialized immigrants due to discrimination
• Lack of access to mentorship and networking
• Lack of recognition of credentials and education from overseas

Wealth

“Wealth isn’t just the money you earn at work— it points to the financial history of a family and a people. And our history is fraught.”

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• Important to look beyond employment income to understand wealth
• Past and current policies have been a key contributor of wealth accumulation for certain groups and the lack of for other groups
• Visible minorities do not have the same access to investments and other forms of wealth as non-racialized people.
• Key factors include the Racial Wage Gap, the Networth Gap & the Retirement Gap

Activity: coins in my cup

• Each member of the group has a “cup” and approximately 50 “coins”. Other similar objects, such as a bowl and balls of paper, will do.
• The facilitator reads out loud the list of privileges. For every privilege that applies to you, add a “coin” to your “cup”.
• At the end of the activity, students may cash out their coins for the following achievements:

Own land/a house = 15 coins

Go to university = 10 coins

Get a good job = 10 coins

Get a promotion = 5 coins

Good physical health = 5 coins

Good mental health = 5 coins

Clean criminal record = 5 coins

Activity: Coins in my Cup

Debrief:

1. How did this activity make you feel?
2. What connections do you see between this activity and real life? Are there any differences?
3. Are there any privileges that weren’t included that you feel should have been?
4. Do you feel the allotment of points was fair? What would you have changed?
5. What can be done to ensure that everyone ends up with enough coins to live a good life?
6. Imagine you had the option to share your coins with others, or work together to distribute the coins more evenly: Would you do it? How would you go about it? What are the pros and cons? (This concept is known as “reparations”.)