Changing Race Names
You’re teaching a history class. How would you explain why census terms like “Negro” or “Indian” were replaced over time?
They reflected colonial and racialized language, but activism and social change pushed for self-identification terms like “Black,” “First Nations,” and “Indigenous.”
You’re briefing students on Canadian census data. How do you explain the purpose of “visible minority” categories?
They track diversity and inequities in employment, education, and housing, but can oversimplify identities.
You’re presenting to a reconciliation commission. How do you explain the scrip system’s impact on Métis wealth?
Scrip undermined Métis land rights, transferring wealth to settlers and creating long-term economic exclusion.
You’re designing a classroom activity. How would you use census data to show disparities in wealth?
Compare income and asset data across census categories to reveal racialized gaps in employment and housing.
You’re advising a government task force. How do you frame the need for race-based data collection?
Without detailed data, inequities remain invisible; race-based data enables evidence-based policy and accountability.
A policymaker asks why “visible minority” is controversial. How do you respond?
It homogenizes diverse groups and obscures differences, failing to reflect lived realities.
A community leader asks how census data can support equity. What do you highlight?
It identifies disparities across racial groups, guiding targeted interventions in health, education, and employment.
A policymaker asks why Indigenous communities face wealth gaps today. How do you respond?
Colonial dispossession, exclusion from resource royalties, and systemic barriers prevented wealth transfer across generations.
A student asks why wealth disparities persist even after policy reforms. What’s your answer?
Because structural barriers like employment discrimination and lack of inherited assets compound across generations.
You’re leading a workshop on reconciliation. How do you connect historical dispossession to current wealth gaps?
Show how colonial policies like scrip stripped Indigenous communities of assets, preventing intergenerational wealth transfer.