Last August, the Union of National Employees’ human rights committee launched a poster challenge. Our members and their family members were asked to create posters that would reflect the theme of “Multiculturalism in the Union of National Employees.”
The deadline for this contest has been extended to December 20.
For more information, please download the contest rules and entry form.
Today is the International Day of the Girl. It’s a chance to reflect on how many battles women have won in the name of equality and fairness. It can’t be understated how many more opportunities girls today have compared to generations ago.
But the fight isn’t over. Today, at the Union of National Employees, we’d like to spark a discussion about stereotypes. Don’t be shy; use the comment box below or go to our Facebook page to join the conversation.
On this Day of the Girl, we ask: do stereotypes still affect girls’ choices when it comes to career opportunities?
There’s a common stereotype about boys being better at math and science, girls being better at reading and writing. Does the theory have any basis in truth?
The last report (2010) from the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program revealed the following:
So the lines are muddled a bit. However, consider that, as of 2009, Statistics Canada reported that only 3% of women had an occupation in the natural sciences and engineering, versus 10.5% for men. [2]
Could stereotypes affect girls’ performance and attitude towards math and science? Psychologists at the University of Massachusetts were equally curious about this question.
The psychologists asked female students studying biology, chemistry, and engineering to take a very tough math test. All the students were greeted by a senior math major who wore a T-shirt displaying Einstein’s E=mc2 equation. For some volunteers, the math major was male. For others, the math major was female. This tiny tweak made a difference: Women attempted more questions on the tough math test when they were greeted by a female math major rather than a male math major. On psychological tests that measured their unconscious attitudes toward math, the female students showed a stronger self-identification with math when the math major who had greeted them was female. When they were greeted by the male math major, women had significantly higher negative attitudes toward math. [3]
It’s an interesting result, especially when you consider that in the academic sector, women make up 19% of full-time faculty in the natural sciences and engineering. [4]
Finally, there’s another battle going on when it comes to stereotypes: an internal one. Psychologists at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, discovered that when we perceive someone as holding a particular gender stereotype, it affects how competent we sound. The theory is that your brain is so busy monitoring how you come across – because you’re so concerned about the perceived stereotype – that you end up sounding incompetent. [5]
When it comes to math and science, it’s important to recognize that girls are still battling stereotypes. It’s an important issue because stereotypes are the last thing that should bar girls from a career in a field they find fulfilling.
There’s still a lot of work to be done to bust the doors of opportunity wide open.
[2] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
[3] Slate Magazine
[4] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
This National Coming Out Day, come out as an ally!
National Coming Out Day is October 11. It’s a day for the men and women of the LGBT community to stand strong and be counted. It’s by being visible – not hiding in a closet – that we can make change happen.
But we can’t do it without allies! We can’t defeat homophobia and transphobia without our straight brothers and sisters standing with us.
There is strength in numbers. By standing together in solidarity, we break down the barriers placed in the way of equality; we form one strong human race.
Allies have an important voice; it’s by adding their voice to ours that we break down prejudice, injustice and closed-mindedness. It’s with their help that we succeed in protecting human dignity.
Injustices aren’t remedied by standing in the shadows, watching and doing nothing. Being a silent supporter will assist a select few people, but it won’t change things on a global scale. Allies need to be strong, visible and active to facilitate change.
For those out there who are already doing this: thank you very much.
Through education and activism, anyone is able to stand up and be heard as an ally. Do you have the courage to become an ally for change?
Chris Little-Gagné
Assistant Regional Vice-President, Manitoba region
The Canadian Labour Congress has a guide for allies [PDF] of the LGBT community. It’s a helpful tool for members who wish to educate themselves on how to become stronger advocates for equality.
Vigils were held across the nation, last Thursday, in memory of our stolen sisters. In more than 163 locations, Canadians gathered to remember the countless aboriginal women and girls who have been murdered or who are missing.
Girls like Maisy Odjick, 16, and Shannon Alexander, 17, who disappeared in 2008 from Maniwaki, Quebec. Young women like Terrie Ann Dauphinais, 24, who was murdered in her home outside Calgary in April 2002.
Those are just a few names; the Native Women’s Association of Canada has over 500 more confirmed cases. The numbers are astonishing and speak to the severe impact on aboriginal communities.
In Ottawa, victims’ families, activists and allies gathered on Parliament Hill to renew their demand for a national inquiry into this important issue.
Jennifer Lord of the Native Women’s Association of Canada says the vigils are about more than just shaming the government and demanding change; they’re about keeping the issue in our thoughts.
“We all have a role to play,” said Lord.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada is asking its allies to widely circulate their petition calling on the government to hold a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.
“I plead with our union sisters and brothers to make a renewed commitment to push for a national inquiry,” said Viola Thomas, the Union of National Employees’ National Equity Representative for Aboriginal People.
Thomas called for our union members to bring the issue back to their communities and to their Locals.
“Historically, it’s that collective energy between all Canadians that can make a difference,” she added.
“If all our Locals aren’t standing beside our indigenous sisters and fighting this issue, we will be coming back here for the next 20 years demanding a national inquiry.”
The Native Women’s Association of Canada is counting on our collective action to get Parliament to act. “The families have been asking for it and Aboriginal leaders have listened. And thankfully, MPs are listening too,” said Lord, who added that the Native Women’s Association fully supports Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett’s bill for national inquiry.
Click here to download the petition. Get your families, friends and colleagues to sign it. Be sure to return it to the Native Women’s Association of Canada as soon as possible. To see pictures of last Thursday’s vigil, click here.
August 9 is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. The United Nations created this day 18 years ago “to strengthen international cooperation for solving problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health.”
In honour of the 18th anniversary of day, Survival International, a non-profit organization working for tribal peoples’ rights worldwide, has created the following photographic gallery featuring 18 images of tribal and indigenous communities and their land.
Survival International is perhaps best known for their work to protect the lands of uncontacted tribes. Oil industries and illegal logging are encroaching on their land. They also pose a serious threat to these tribes; contact with outsiders could expose them to infectious diseases and wipe them out. To survive, uncontacted tribes must be left alone and their lands ought to be protected.
We encourage you to visit Survival International’s website to find out more and to get involved. You can start by sending a letter asking Brazil’s Minister of Justice to stop the loggers who are invading the uncontacted Awá’s land.
August 14 is Multiculturalism Day at the Union of National Employees.
Last summer, our members passed a resolution to celebrate our union’s diversity each year on August 14. This year will be our first ever Multiculturalism Day.
We hope you take the opportunity to find out more about the rich cultural mosaic in which we live.
There are many ways to celebrate our diversity! Members of our Human Rights Committee have proposed the following activities:
As part of the festivities, the Union of National Employees is holding a drawing competition. The theme is “Multiculturalism in the Union of National Employees”. For more details, click here to download the contest rules and entry form.
“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” [1]
– Nelson Mandela
July 18 is Nelson Mandela International Day – a day when we’re urged to think of ways to be of service to others. This year, the Nelson Mandela Foundation is asking all citizens of the world to devote 67 minutes to community service in honour of the 67 years Mandela spent helping others.
Nelson Mandela led the resistance against apartheid in South Africa after 1948. In 1964, Mandela and other leaders of the African National Congress were brought to stand trial for plotting to overthrow the government by violence; acts that were designed to overthrow the apartheid system. Mandela was sentenced to life in prison, effectively becoming a prisoner of conscience.
Nelson Mandela’s time in prison, which amounted to just over 27 and a half years’, was marked by many small and large events which played a crucial part in shaping the personality and attitudes of the man who was to become the first President of a democratic South Africa. Many fellow prisoners and warders influenced him and he, in his turn, influenced them. While he was in jail his mother and son died, his wife was banned and subjected to continuous arrest and harassment, and the liberation movement was reduced to isolated groups of activists. [2]
After his release, Mandela represented the African National Congress in negotiations that finally led to South Africa’s first multi-racial elections. In 1994, Nelson Mandela became the country’s first black president during the nation’s first democratic elections.
“We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world. Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfil themselves. Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign.” [3]
The 1993 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nelson Mandela (along with Frederik Willem de Klerk) “for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa.” [4]
[1] http://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay/inhiswords.shtml
[2] http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography
[3] http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Inaugural_Speech_17984.html
[4] http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/presentation-speech.html
May is Asian Heritage Month. Let’s encourage everyone to learn more about this month and celebrate the contributions Asian-Canadians have made – and continue to make – to Canada!
As B.C. Minister of State for Multiculturalism John Yap recently wrote, the definition of Asian is fairly broad and inclusive. “Asian Heritage Month celebrates a long list of people who come from, or whose ancestors came from; East Asia – China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan; South Asia – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka; Central Asia – Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; and Southeast Asia – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam,” wrote Yap.
As a person who came from Brunei Darussalam, in Southeast Asia, and who is of Chinese ancestry, Asian Heritage Month is especially meaningful to me. I had a lot to learn when I first arrived in Canada; its vast geography, its people, its government, its education system and, of course, human rights.
On the other hand, my immigration to Canada has given others a chance to learn about the unique aspects of Southeast Asian and Chinese culture. Today, as Canadians, we appreciate our country’s rich Asian-Canadian diversity and its many different ethnicities, languages and traditions.
Finally, as an Asian British Columbian, I am pleased to share with you that on Monday, May 7, 2012 – after 70 years – the Province of British Columbia formally apologized to the Japanese-Canadian community for the internment of thousands of people during the Second World War. For more details, please refer to this article by the CBC.
Enjoy reading and have a great week.
I expect that we’ve all heard the story about the small town gay boy or lesbian who moves to the city in order to escape the constraints of small-minded bigotry. That was my life and homophobia was just a regular part of it – like eating, sleeping and walking the dog. Imagine living with a persistent fear of being discovered that lingered under the surface of every activity. No one knew my secret – except every boy in my high school who managed to sniff out my fear like hungry dogs.
In grade 10, the son of a rich business owner in my town held me in a headlock while he demanded that I tell him that I loved him. Several of his friends watched me confess my love. I’m not sure if the love was mutual. One of my friends was also there to witness the spectacle. Saying those words was humiliating because it exposed me for what I really was – a boy who loved other boys. There was also another guy in high school that called me “Klinger”; a reference to a character from the TV Show Mash who dressed in women’s clothes in order to get a psychiatric discharge. He was a friend. I’ve never told him how much that name hurt me. We’re no longer friends and I’ve never told him why.
After graduating from high school in 1985, I moved to Vancouver and never looked back. I was free to reinvent myself, but without the extravagant hand gestures and exuberant joy that made me who I was in high school. I lost a piece of myself because of homophobia.
I know that my story may seem a little dated, given that many kids are coming out in high school now. But this fear of gay and lesbian people persists in religion and within our governments and institutions. Many of our workplaces are safe, but some are not. I think there are still many people out there like my friend – the one whose nickname made me feel so unsafe and exposed. He didn’t know how to act or what to do when confronted with someone different.
We all need to make ourselves aware of what homophobia is and how it can be fought. It can be brutal and it can also be subtle… either way, it hurts.
– Rodney Hynes
Rodney Hynes is the National Equity Representative for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People.
Homophobia comes in many forms. To find out more about the various ways it can manifest, follow this link to Fondation Émergence’s website.
Are you an Ally? The Canadian Labour Congress has a guide for allies that answers many questions about LGBT issues.
“We don’t see things as they are,
we see them as we are.”
Anaïs Nin
American diarist and author, 1903 – 1977
What does the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination mean to me?
This is our day to reflect. It’s a day for us to look back at how far we’ve come, while acknowledging how far we still have to go. We may not always be able to eliminate the deep roots of racism, but profound change does happen.
In 1960, 69 people were killed while peacefully protesting apartheid in Sharpeville, South Africa. The Sharpeville Massacre shocked the world. In 1966, the United Nations declared that the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would be observed each year on March 21.
Some argue that racism will never be eliminated. However, I believe it’s a matter of being patient! It’s unfortunate that, in the meantime, we need to endure struggles, segregation, and scrutiny.
Racism won’t disappear after March 21, nor will it be eliminated overnight. We need to take the extra step; we must continue to reflect on our actions, behaviours and perceptions of others.
On March 21, let us learn from our own biases and be brave enough to critique them.
– Mary Jeyananthan
Mary Jeyananthan is the National Equity Representative for racially-visible people. On March 26, she will also participate in the following event to combat racism:
March 26th – Empower London: The Roots of Racism and Moving Forward
It is an event based out of London, is a collaboration of organized labour, community groups and community members to open up an on-going dialogue around racism. The event has a dynamic panel, along with food, beverages, and amazing entertainment. For more information, click here – to register, please email Mojdeh R. Cox at mojdehrcox@gmail.com.
