We’ll Deal with it Later: African Nova Scotian Women’s Perceptions and Experiences of the Police

Abstract

This case study explores the experiences of African Nova Scotian women in relation to the police. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black women living in a rural Nova Scotian community with a well-documented history of confrontations between the police and the Black community. Interviews explored their experiences with the police, their community’s experiences with the police, and their relationship with the police. My analysis revealed that participants did not trust the police, felt targeted by the police, and did not feel protected by the police. Their perceptions of the police were shaped by their own interactions with the police – often as Black mothers – and the experiences of the Black men in their lives in rural Nova Scotia. Some had engaged in active resistance and protection of their community. This article explores how anti-Blackness affects Black women directly and indirectly, contributing to the existing scholarship about over-policing of Black communities.

Unsettling White Settler Child and Youth Care Pedagogy and Practice

“…They went on to say that the colonial structures continually show up in their work, from paperwork to the policies for programs they run serving children in their community. Jules' narrative reflects what critical social services literature has shown: colonial and racial violence have not ended, and their impacts on Indigenous and Black practitioners, practitioners of colour, and the children, youth, and families of these communities, are incessant (Bundy, 2019;Creese, 2019;Daniel, 2018;de Finney et al, 2018;Edwards, 2018;Yoon, 2012).…”

“…Further, it is essential to acknowledge that examination of the impacts of White settler privilege and of Whiteness is not new. For generations, Black and Indigenous people and people of colour have theorized, spoken about, advocated for, written on, taken action against, and given up their freedom and lives to contest the violent injustices of White supremacy (Ahmed, 2004(Ahmed, , 2007(Ahmed, , 2012Blackstock, 2008;Bundy, 2019;Creese, 2019: Daniel, 2016de Finney, 2015;hooks, 1994;Hunt, 2014;James, 2019;Lorde, 1984;Palmater, 2015;Razack, 1998Razack, , 2015Smith, 2012;Vowel, 2016). For centuries, Indigenous and racialized people have asked White people to turn and look at themselves (Coulthard, 2014;Du Bois, 1903Freire, 1970;Manuel & Derrickson, 2015Mills, 1997;Razack, 2002;Simpson, 2017).…”

Beyond Pain and Outrage: Understanding and Addressing Anti‐Black Racism in Canada

“…This is significant because the Black Canadian presence has been characterized by its erasure in the multicultural mosaic and the denial of the existence or prevalence of anti‐black racism (Mullings, Morgan, and Quelleng 2016; Williams 2013). This recurring omission means that Canadians remain uninformed about the histories of enslavement, segregation, displacement, and marginalization of generations of African Canadians (Bernard and Bonner 2013; Bundy 2019; Spencer 2012). It also affects how topics such as Black Canadians’ experiences of economic insecurity (Livingstone and Weinsfeld 2015), environmental racism (Waldron 2018), inequities in workplaces (Hasford 2016), and the effects of commonly held cultural tropes regarding Black people (Etowa et al.…”

Re-Imagining Child and Youth Care Practice With African Canadian Youth

“…Everyday frontline interactions, and therapeutic and recreational interventions, are embedded in international, national, historical, social, political, and economic inequalities and inequities (de Finney et al, 2012); thus, decisions concerning these actions cannot be solely based on practitioners' intentions, empathy, formal training, or years of experience. For instance, Black Canadian youth, also called African Canadian youth, are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system (Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2018;Pon et al, 2011;United Nations General Assembly, 2017) and experience documented challenges in the areas of schooling, post-secondary education, criminal justice, and employment (Bernard & Smith, 2018;Briggs, 2018;Bundy, 2019;Collins & Magnan, 2018;Creese, 2010;James, 2012James, , 2019Kanu, 2008;Lafortune, 2019;Robson et al, 2018;Schroeter & James, 2015;Thésée & Carr, 2014;Usman, 2012;Wortley & Owusu-Bempah, 2011). Perhaps we should decentre our attention from individual life trajectories and risk factors to examine closely the systemic and institutional factors that affect Black youth.…”