Jean Rivard - University of British Columbia

authors represented here that, in the words
of Norman Buichignani, "the persistence of
racism diminishes us all." In addressing the
question of what to do about it, many of
them emphasise the need for Canadians
first to recognise that the problem exists
and that it must be confronted. "Before we
as a society can liberate ourselves from the
grip of racism, we have to acknowledge that
it exists," writes Adrienne Shadd; " do
Canadians have the foresight, the compassion,
and the courage to confront these less
creditable aspects of Canadian history?"
asks Emma Laroque. Some writers deplore
the lack of awareness of the history of
racism against native peoples and of the
distortions of history purveyed in school
books and in the media. They speak of the
need to take account of native history, to
critically reappraise the history of empire,
rather than simply claiming it, as the ROM
exhibit did, to eradicate ethnic inequality
and to develop joint initiatives with whites
to combat racism, as in the example of the
Chinese workers.
Much emphasis is placed on the need for
the racially oppressed to join forces, to seek
solidarity, to find out about their own history,
to change their lives and acquire
autonomy, to define their own self-images.
In this context, several writers address "the
nearly total lack of coordination or reciprocal
support between the feminist movement
and those who are fighting racial
discrimination" (Buchginani). Vanaja
Dhruvarajan, for example, sees little likelihood
of such identification between
women of colour and feminists until
racism is placed on the feminist agenda and
the concerns of women of colour are also
addressed by feminists. Aware of the benefits
such a broader approach would bring,
Ron Bourgeault insists on the need "to
advance a critical analysis of the historic
and current interaction of race, class and
gender in such a way as to offer an explanation
of the forces underlying the oppression
suffered by aboriginal peoples in Canada."
Frontiers, a collection of essays, reviews
and letters written during the period 1986-
1992 and previously published largely in
Fuse Magazine, takes up many of the issues
addressed in Racism in Canada. Philip, too,
has much to say about some of the major
cultural controversies of the day: the ROM
exhibit, the dispute at The Women's Press,
the demonstration at the PEN Conference
in Toronto, which led to her notorious
altercation with June Callwood. Philip is a
polemicist, passionate in debate, often strident,
always controversial, an inveterate
writer of letters of protest, a campaigner
prepared to go out onto the streets to
demonstrate for what she believes in, and
sometimes vehement in her criticism of
other writers (her review of Neil
Bissoondath's A Casual Brutality is a case
in point). June Callwood will certainly not
have been alone in feeling provoked by her
activities. It is necessary, therefore, to be
quite clear about Philip's intentions.
In "exile" in Canada, Philip writes interestingly
of what she regards as the formative
influence on her, namely the
experience of decolonisation. Displaying a
proud awareness of her African and
Caribbean heritage and of the centuries of
struggle preceding independence, she is
entirely convinced "that, if only one were to
struggle long and hard enough, one could
and would make meaningful and radical
change for the better." Her conviction that
"one can change the odds" is certainly at
the base of the laudable commitment to
struggle for what she believes to be right
which informs all her activities and her
writing. She has adopted the activist position
of James Baldwin, whom she admiringly
quotes on the necessity for the writer
to "disturb the peace of those invested in
maintaining the status quo." This she has
certainly achieved.
Nourbese Philip's political and cultural
stance is determined not least by her con-
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