Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance (UKPC/FCYA)
Statement

Continue the Struggle to End Systemic Racism!

March 21, 2007

March 21st marks the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of  Racism and all forms of Xenophobia.  As Filipino youth in Canada, Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/ the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance (UKPC/FCYA) is celebrating this day with the realization that there is still a long road ahead in making the end of racism a reality.

Everyday the majority of Filipinos in Canada go about their everyday lives barely making ends meet due to the systemic racism implicit in Canada’s immigration policies, their workplaces, and the education and justice systems.  As one of the most visible minority groups in Canada, Filipinos are still one of the least represented. As one of the most highly educated groups they are one of the most economically marginalized.

According to a study by University of British Columbia (UBC) Professor Geraldine Pratt, in collaboration with Philippine Women Centre (PWC) and UKPC/FCYA, Filipino youth are doing poorly in Vancouver high schools: compared to other ethnic groups, they have the lowest grade point averages and the second highest high school drop-out rates.

One of the major factors leading to this is the oppressive immigration policies of the Canadian government, particularly the  Filipino community’s experiences with the federal Live in Care Giver Program (LCP)–a racist policy which relegates migrant workers (a majority of whom are Filipino professionals) to slave-like working conditions. The LCP separates youth from their parents sometimes as long as nine years or more, creating broken homes and traumatized youth caused by the years of separation.  Once reunited in Canada, these same immigrant Filipino youth find themselves estranged with their mothers.

Adding to this trauma is the lack of genuine support programs, services and understanding in the institutions that are sensitive and appropriate to the experiences of Filipino youth.  Canadian institutions put up barriers to the genuine equality and devlopment of Filipino and other youth of colour by stripping resources to ESL and other integration programs. Instead of recognizing the barriers and struggles that youth of colour face which causes alienation within the education system, institutions point fingers at youth who act out.

The justice system and media have continually criminalized Filipino youth through racial profiling. As a growing community we are becoming more visible, but we are being profiled as criminals, troublemakers, and social deviants. This profiling of our youth has been justified by the notion to curb “youth and gang violence,” although there is little to be done to genuinely address the issues of poverty, underdevelopment and social exclusion of youth of colour that lead to anti-social activities.

Furthermore, under our current era of “anti-terror,” communities of colour are further stereotyped and scapegoated–especially when they stand up for their rights and welfare–effectively diverting the public’s attention from the acutal issues to stereotyping and scape goating their communities of colour.

When we assert ourselves and our youth’s right to education, we are met with musings of the wonders of multiculturalism and the promise of equality. Multiculturalism–although fine in theory–in practice has been a tool of Canadian institutions to blind us of the real issues of marginalized communities of colour. It proclaims that communities of colour face few issues in a society that is multi-ethnic and diverse. There is a severe lack of understanding about the realities of Filipino and youth of colour.  Without this basic understanding of the realities, struggles, and issues they face day-to-day, Canadian institutions will continue to play a role in our communities’ alienaton and segregation in Canadian society.

Since 1996, UKPC/FCYA has been doing an active anti-racism campaign educating and empowering youth of colour to organize and combat racism in all its forms. Our “Youth of Colour Combatting Systemic Racism” project in 1996 and the “Unveiling the Myths of Racism” conference in 1998 brought together youth of colour from diverse communities to understand the history and the contributions of immigrants and people of colour to Canadian society. In 1999, we joined the Filipino-Canadians Against Racism in addressing racism faced by Filipino youth in the public school system when 25 youth where forced to leave Vancouver Technical Secondary after a series of violent incidences.

In 2001, UKPC/FCYA presented a statement on the particular situation of Filipinos in Canada and their experiences with racism at the UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. In 2004, after the beating death of 17-year old Mao Jomar Lanot, UKPC/FCYA was at the forefront in bringing together communities of colour through various forums, discussions and the consultation “Youth of Colour in Consultation Against Systemic Racism.” This deepened our collective understanding of the impacts of systemic racism, and united communities in addressing the issues that institutions continue to ignore.

Canadian intitutions must be accountable for the destrucitve impacts of systemic racism in their words, policies and practices. As a community we will continue to come together to educate and organize ourselves to combat racism in all its forms and will continue to struggle for the genuine development and equalilty of our community and other people of colour in Canada.

End systemic racism now!

Genuine support and services for Filipino youth and youth of colour!