opfeatures@gmail.com Being Chocolate in a Vanilla World Margaret Matthews, OP Contributor Prior to my migrating to Canada from a predominantly non-white country, several “well-meaning” seniors gave me unsolicited advice that I was making a big mistake in migrating to a white country, where I would be a victim of racial prejudice and discrimination. They said that I would not have a chance of ever getting married since I was a black female. Their rationalizing was that a white male would not want me, neither would a black male (since they thought that black males seemed to want white females) and that generally speaking, I would be very unhappy and probably die an Old Maid in isola- tion. (What words of comfort for a high-spirited young lady). Incidentally, these “friends” had never been to North America, and did not have first-hand knowledge about life in Canada. They had only heard about Blacks being in slavery to their white masters and the inhumane treatment of them. They had also read in US magazines about Lena Horne, Sammy Davis, Jr., and other Black celebrities who had been denied service at restaurants and refused a hotel room in classy hotels. After weighing the pros and cons, I made my decision to “take the plunge” and face up to the challenges that came my way. I would make the best of the situation, and brush off any racial slurs, discrimination, and anti- social behaviour towards me like water off a duck’s back. During my first year in Canada, I did run into some subtle forms of discrimination, but chose to not let it bother me. If some Whites did not want to associate or socialize with me because of my race and colour, that was their problem. I had no time for them in my life either; I had better things to do. I was curious about Black history and Black culture and read extensively about the subject. I borrowed Uncle Tom's Cabin from the public library and was astounded at the inhumane treatment of the slaves. I was deter- mined to learn more about the subject, and so read every book and article that I could lay my hands on— Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X, and a host of other civil rights activists. A book that particularly intrigued me was entitled Black, Like Me, which was the experience of a white man in the US who dyed the skin on his entire body with a very black ink, wore a wig, and went to live in the southern states posing as a Black male. He defiantly went into the “Whites Only” restaurants, hotels, and other public places to see how the white population would treat him as a Black. He met with negative treat- ment and discrimination and after about six months or a year of such an experiment went back to his home and took off his disguise and wrote the above book. It’s an incredible story of racial hatred and discrimination against Blacks. Some years ago, a television series, Roots, was aired on NEC for several days and I did not miss a single one of the airings. I actually cried when I saw Kunta Kinte, the run-away slave who had his foot cut off by his master so he could not run away again. The sexual harassment of the white plantation owners towards their black female slaves and their illegitimate children shocked and astounded me. About this time in my sojourns in Canada, there was an influx of “visible minorities” from various parts of the world who arrived as immigrants, and the Multicultural Act was passed. Canada accepted immi- grants from various parts of the world and treated them with respect and dignity. Racial discrimination was going out the window gradually as “visible minorities” were dating and inter- marrying Whites. During this time, I was asked to go out on dates with White men. One Swiss guy in particu- lar who saw me at a social event took a fancy to me from the start. He came over and got acquainted with me and we went steady for a long time. It turned out that although he was White, he was only attracted to Black Jemales, and all his previous girlfriends were Black females. I chuckled when he told me this. I took photos of myself and my Swiss boyfriend and sent them back home to my friends who were astounded that I had broken the ice and defied tradition. Recently, I took a course in Women’s Studies and Gender Relations. In “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism,” black feminist Audry Lorde’s response to racism is anger directed towards white women and the system that put themselves in the cen- tre, [and] women of Colour somewhere on the fringe, thus “rendering her invisible” and without a voice to suffer in silence and oppression. It can, however, be argued that there are a few prominent black females who, having faced the chal- lenges of abuse, poverty, and discrimination, have over- come these obstacles and rose to national recognition. At the late Rosa Parks’ funeral, Oprah Winfrey gave the eulogy on national television. Her comments were that “if it had not been for Rosa Parks’ refusal to stand, I would not be standing here today at Capital Hill, among Presidents and other dignitaries and praising her for her heroic act. She was willing to be imprisoned because she fought for a just cause, and refused to give up her seat to someone of the white race.” Another such prominent Black female is the present Attorney General of Canada, Michaelle Jean, who immigrated to Canada with her parents from Haiti as a young girl of eleven. Through hard work and persever- ance she overcame her challenges, obtained a University education, worked for CBC as a bilingual television journalist, and eventually was elected and serves faith- fully as the Attorney General of Canada. Perhaps the role model of many a Black female (including myself) is Oprah Winfrey. Her biography, Oprah W infrey—the Real Story, by George Mair, reveals her many struggles since her birth as an illegitimate child, abandoned and abused in the Deep South, her survival and rise to fame, fortune, and national recogni- tion as a living symbol of hope and success. As a child of ten,.she sat on her kitchen floor, watched Sidney Poitier receive an Oscar, and determined that if a black male could win an Academy Award, there was hope that some day she might too. Her dreams came true when she grew up and received innumerable awards for her many roles in films and other contributions to society. As a black woman in a business that is dominated by white males, she has made it to the top with remarkable determination and talent, and her assets as a billionaire make her one of the richest and most popular black females in the United States today. While Audry Lorde and other black feminists are angry and bitter about inequality and injustice towards women of colour, Winfrey in Oprah on the Slave Mentality, concurs: “I am more conscious of my legacy as a black person than anybody. There are still a lot of black people who are very angry and bitter...they want me to be just as angry and bitter, and I won’t be.” Does a Black female have to despair and lose faith in herself because of the social injustices prevalent around her? Should she not be motivated and ambitious to strive for success to get ahead in life and fulfill her dreams and ambitions? The above black women have proven that the barriers of racism, sexism and classism can be shattered and trodden over, and one can reach the pinnacles of success through hard work, persever- ance, and determination. The sky is the limit for those who dare to follow their dream, regardless of whether they are chocolate or vanilla.