Black Canadian Senator Donald Oliver Tells Blacks to "Rise Up and Claim Rightful Positions"

Black Canadian Conservative Senator Don Oliver tells blacks to "rise up and claim our rightful place" of power to stamp out racism in his country.

Canadian Conservative Senator Don Oliver tells blacks to "rise up and claim our rightful place." Well, that militancy shouldn't go over too well with the white establishment of his country. But let's consider the context of his argument before throwing him under a bus because he believes there is deep-rooted racism in his country that has kept blacks out of positions of power.

"What will it take for our collective Afro-Canadian family to unite — to rise up and claim our rightful place in Canadian society?" Conservative Senator Don Oliver recently asked in keynote speech to black professionals.

"Racism still holds us back, both in the public and the private sector . . . Our co-workers do not accept us, do not treat us fairly, that equality is wanting and diversity is not a reality as it should be," he said.

Oliver said he's experienced overt racism throughout his life. "From the days that I started going to school, age five, six and seven, right up until today, and I'm almost 73. I encounter racism at almost every turn," he said. Even on Parliament Hill, Oliver said, racism is the reason there are few visible minorities in executive positions.

"In Parliament is there racism? In the Senate, in the House of Commons, in the library of Parliament are there barriers? There certainly are. In the past, I have met with the clerk of the Senate, with the clerk of the House of Commons and with the head of the library of Parliament and have had very candid and frank talks with them about the barriers that exist."

Oliver blames Canada's experience with slavery for much of the black community's inability to support each other and for the stereotypes old-stock Canadians continue to show.

"It really flows from the days of slavery . . . because of the slave mentality," he explained, when someone got ahead, they would get dragged down by the group. Source

Oliver's position is valid, if there is overt and systemic racism as he alleges, but I guess the bigger question I have is what are the blacks there doing to effect change? You can't just speak it and expect miracles. You have to get up and take action. For all those folks who think the senator's words are a call to action for "violence," think twice.