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From post-traumatic slave syndrome to post-traumatic growth The narrative is changing

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I just learned about a theory that is going to give us a whole new perspective on African mental health.

First, lets deal with the ideas that we as a community have surrounding mental health, and mental health challenges. There is that stigma that persists, and for some, their belief systems lead them to think that praying will some how deal with these challenges. Some people can’t even bring themselves to simply acknowledge the value of a mental health check-up.

Now, this is no knock on spirituality. In many ways, spirituality is helpful. The thing is, we as a community have to dig to the depths of our current challenges. We have to first educate ourselves on what has brought us to this point and work from there. First stop, post-traumatic slave disorder/syndrome.

There are a large number of Africans living in the Diaspora who are descendants of slavery. During slavery, the African people had to deal with a considerable amount of physical, psychological and emotional abuse. When the 400 years ended, and modern-day slavery commenced, Africans were not offered counselling or therapy. They were expected to go on with their lives as if they had not been witness to the atrocities or suffering of their people.

Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, written by Dr. Joy Degruy Leary gives specific details on how this has manifested in communities across the Diaspora. On page 118, Dr. Degruy Leary provides a list of some conditions, which give rise to mental and/or emotional traumas that justify the diagnosis of PTSD:

  • A serious threat or harm to one’s life or physical integrity
  • A threat or harm to one’s children, spouse or close relative
  • Sudden destruction of one’s home or community
  • Seeing another person injured or killed as a result of accident or physical violence
  • Learning about a serious threat to a relative or a close friend being kidnapped, tortured or killed
  • Stressor is experienced with intense fear, terror and helplessness
  • Stressor and disorder is considered to be more serious and will last longer when the stressor is of human design

Hmmm! Rings true with the historical accounts that we have heard about the treatment of African slaves during the colonization.

Now, I would like for you to take a look at some of the symptoms of PTSD:

  • Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the trauma event
  • Physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues
  • Marked diminished interest or participation in significant activities
  • Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others
  • Restricted range of affect (the inability to display feelings or emotions)
  • Sense of foreshortened future (in other words, does not expect to have a career, marriage, children or normal life span)
  • Difficulty falling or staying sleep
  • Irritability or outbursts of anger
  • Difficulty concentrating

(American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (4th edition). Washington, D.C.)

There is so much that can be said about PTSS (PTSD), and if you would like some more information, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I am also going to provide you with a new community resource.

I was introduced to Alice Wiafe, M.A RP. Psy (D) Can, Founder of Black Mental Health Canada Inc (www.blackmentalhealth.ca). Alice holds a Master’s degree in counselling psychology from Adler School of Professional Psychology and is completing her doctorate in Psychology from Ryokan College. According to Alice one of the most fulfilling aspects of being a therapist is the opportunity to connect with real people, dealing with real problems.

Her experience with her own son aids her in recognizing the need for mental health development. “The answer to tackling mental health is to work with African children and teenagers,” Alice explains.Fortunately, the topic of mental health for teens has become a relevant topic. Education is key.

 Normalizing African mental health will help the majority of people who are silently suffering with undiagnosed mental health challenges. The goal is for people to check-in regularly on their mental health, in the same way as most people do with their physical well-being.”

I am excited.

Are you ready for the new theory?

The Post-Traumatic Growth Research Group at UNC Charlotte (https://ptgi.uncc.edu/), have coined a new phrase called post-traumatic growth.

Post-traumatic growth is defined as “a positive change experienced as a result of the struggle with a major life crisis or traumatic event.”

Although the term might be new, the idea is not new. On the website, they point out the fact that sometimes people who face major life crises develop a sense that new opportunities have emerged from the struggle, opening up possibilities that were not present before. The theory is that trauma can bring about an increased sense of one’s own strength.

It is a unique challenge. African people are not a monolith. We may all be racially the same in a sense, but culturally we have hundreds of different sub-cultures within the larger African community. Where some might be open to the idea of receiving mental health support others are not.

The best part about this is that there is hope. Hope allows people to approach problems with a mind-set that is suitable for success. This increases the chances they will actually accomplish their goals. Resources are growing, and mental health has moved up in the list of important topics in our community. We are on our way to post-traumatic growth.

We, as humans are guaranteed certain things in life: stressors, taxes, bills and death are the first thoughts that pop to mind. It is not uncommon that many people find a hard time dealing with these daily life stressors, and at times will find themselves losing control over their lives. Simone Jennifer Smith’s great passion is using the gifts that have been given to her, to help educate her clients on how to live meaningful lives. The Hear to Help Team consists of powerfully motivated individuals, who like Simone, see that there is a need in this world; a need for real connection. As the founder and Director of Hear 2 Help, Simone leads a team that goes out into the community day to day, servicing families with their educational, legal and mental health needs.Her dedication shows in her Toronto Caribbean newspaper articles, and in her role as a host on the TCN TV Network.

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Promoting economic inclusivity are ways to contribute to positive financial changes in the Caribbean community

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Photo Credit: Drazen Zigic

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

How much of a difference does your upbringing make to your life? It’s a question that’s been debated for ages and, in a world with a greater focus on equity, the wealth gap within society is under the microscope.

Compare the Market AU has done a survey of more than 1,000 Canadians to ask questions about their upbringing, financial education and habits, social class and home ownership. Now, I am not sure the demographics of this research, but it did make me think; how much are we (the Caribbean community) represented in these numbers?

The survey revealed a good degree of class mobility, with 32.8% of Canadians who said they grew up working class now identifying as middle class.

Additionally, younger generations were more likely than previous generations to say they were raised upper class. While only 0.4% of Canadians aged 58 and above said they had an upper-class upbringing, this rose with each subsequent generation up to 10.8% for 18–25-year-olds. Research indicated that:

  • Younger generations are more likely to be born upper class than older generations
  • Almost one third of Canadians consider themselves serious savers
  • Over 40% of half of upper-class Canadians own a home, compared to less than a quarter of the working class

Upbringing can have a big impact on how people handle money as an adult:

  • 6% received helpful lessons on money from their parents
  • 7% said their parents taught them, but it wasn’t helpful
  • 3% said their parents didn’t teach them and they had to learn in other ways
  • 4% never received lessons from their parents on money and they still struggle today

This is where we as a community really need to focus our attention. Today, almost 40% of Canadians say they budget to save and spend on what they want, while almost a third (32.3%) consider themselves serious savers, rarely spending money on things they don’t seriously need. Over one-in-ten were impulse buyers (12.0%). Worryingly, a further one-in-ten said they rarely had savings and spent beyond their means (13.2%).

When it comes to home ownership, just under 60% of our survey respondents who were 18–25-year-olds were non-homeowners while just over 41% were homeowners (either with a mortgage or owning outright), but this changed with over 50% of 26–41-year-olds owning a home vs 47% who didn’t. Older generations were even more likely to be homeowners, with over 65% of those aged 58 and above being homeowners.

Of course, on one hand, this is to be expected. The older you are, the more time you’ve had to save up money for a house. The problem is that house prices have outstripped wage growth, so those dreaming of owning a home are chasing a goal that’s getting further away from them every year.

This is where wealth (and family financial support) can make a big difference in home ownership. In Canada, 63.1% of the working class didn’t own a home, compared to 42.5% of the upper class and 37.5% of the middle class who owned, with a mortgage.

The data shows that many Canadians have been able to work their way up the social ladder by having helpful guidance in childhood or educating themselves about money, but it isn’t always easy. As Stephen Zeller, General Manager of Money at Compare the Market notes, knowledge can be the difference between sinking and swimming in an economy that seems to be set on inflation.

“There are some great resources out there to help people get a better understanding and manage their finances. Saving even just a small amount in terms of your interest rate can save you thousands of dollars over the course of the loan.”

Promoting financial literacy and empowerment within the Caribbean community can be a positive step toward fostering a healthier relationship with money. Encouraging open discussions about financial matters, providing access to education and resources, and promoting economic inclusivity are ways to contribute to positive change.

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Canada’s international students are being hustled; What you need to know about being a student in Canada

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Photo by Rdne-Stock-Project

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

“Expenses are getting higher; everything is getting more expensive. It’s so messed up. If I had known the ground reality, I wouldn’t have come.”

These are the words of Ravneet Singh, a student who traveled over 250 miles just to go to school. What would make an international student say such a thing about Canada? Let us find out.

East Indian students make up the majority of the international students coming to Canada to study and hopefully stay and work, but there is a hefty price to pay, and one these students never bargained for.

Canada’s present government has opened the door to international students through a foreign-study visa. These aspiring youngsters spend big bucks to come here with high hopes of making it big in cities like Toronto and beyond, but it is anyone’s guess if the College recruiters ever tell these poor foreign youngsters the truth about what Canada has become recently.

Many of the colleges due to the heavy influx of students have teamed up with so-called private learning enterprises and subcontracted the courses to the latter, and as a result, Immigration Minister Marc Miller called the education the students are lining up for, “Shoddy programs.” “People are being exploited,” Miller said in an interview with a reputable news source.

There is more; these students bring over $22 billion to Canada’s economy annually, not to mention cheap labor for places like the fast-food industry, yet they are being shortchanged on their education and milked by the colleges. These foreign students pay five times the tuition of Canadian undergraduates.

This is the reason why Singh, whom I mentioned in paragraph two, cannot afford the cost of rent near his school and therefore must start his day as early as 3:00 am just so he can reach his 9:00 am class.

Even immigration consultants are reporting that business is booming thanks to foreign students. Brampton immigration consultant Sandeep Singh confessed that students now form about 90% of his firm’s business.

The Trudeau government has decided to flood Canada with immigrants, students included. This move has tripled the number of foreign students to more than one million. Today, about 1 in 40 people in the country are on a foreign-study visa.

An Environics Institute poll found that 44% of Canadians said there’s too much immigration to the country, a stunning 17-point jump from the prior year – the largest change in opinion since the survey began in 1977.

Somehow Trudeau’s government seems to have forgotten that these students would need: housing, jobs, and lots more, so as we see, arriving here is the easy part.

Let’s revisit paragraph five: What Canada has become recently? These are some of the things the college recruiters and the Trudeau government need to let these international students know before issuing these visas, taking their hard-earned money, and leaving them up to their fate:

  • Lately, Canada has become a place where a one-bedroom apartment can easily cost upwards of $2000.
  • Lately, the cost of groceries has more than tripled.
  • Lately, even the average working Canadian cannot afford the staples of day-to-day living.
  • Lately, a lot of ordinary folks are living in their cars.
  • Lately, food banks have become the second home of a large number of Canada’s population.
  • Lately in Canada, free speech does not exist. It is now called hate speech with jail time attached, if things go according to “Uncle Justin’s” plans.

Here is an example of how bad things have gotten.

This is happening countrywide even as far as Sydney, Nova Scotia. At a Hallmark store, manager Tasha Myers receives about 10 to 15 resumes from students per day, forming a thick pile in a red envelope on her counter. “Yesterday, we had at least 12 students before noon looking for literally anything. They say, ‘Just give me three or five hours a week’ or ‘I’ll wash the toilets,’” she said. Yes, this is what foreign students are reduced to in Canada.

Some students are spending more time working, or hunting for work rather than attending classes, just to keep up with the cost of living here.

Many of these private-public schools focus on selling non-degree programs with easy or broad subjects, and classes two or three days a week. It is no wonder Canada’s immigration minister fears these students will end up driving Uber taxis as a profession.

In a move to do some much-needed damage control, the country’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced a temporary limit to the number of student visas and is promising further measures soon.

It speaks volumes when an immigration minister calls out colleges for “Shoddy programs and sham commerce degrees.” I am just wondering if he and his government knew this all along while issuing those hundreds of thousands of student visas.

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The African-Canadian Advisory Committee disbanded during Black History Month

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The vote by trustees of the Toronto Catholic District School Board to disband the African-Canadian Advisory Committee (ACAC) during Black History Month brought shock and dismay to many concerned Toronto: Catholic parents, community members and students. This was truly not expected as expectations were high about its vital role.

The committee has been in existence since 1984, and many hoped that it would bring much needed and necessary changes to the largest Catholic school board in North America.

Details about the mission, vision and goals of ACAC can be seen in a report titled, “Black Voices Study” that was released in June 2023 by Brandy Doan-Goas and Natalie Young. The study aimed to bring awareness to the experiences of Black students, staff and families at the TCDSB in order to allow for increased awareness and understanding of how anti-Black racism is contextually prevalent within the TCDSB.

The ACAC was devoted to ensuring that the interests of all TCDSB members, students, staff, parents, and stakeholders are advanced within the African diaspora. It notes further that it endeavors to provide success in areas of Black student achievement and well-being, Black parental engagement, and Black staff development within the operations of Catholic educational service delivery, based on data that enhance culturally relevant and responsive pedagogical practices (TCDSB n.d).

The phenomenal work that ACAC has played in the TCDSB cannot be trivialized, devalued and underestimated since its inception. The appointment of Dr. Brendon Browne as Director of the TCDSB in September 2020 (who was hired from outside the board) saw him acknowledge the reality of anti-Black racism within the board. He was aware of the crucial role that ACAC played and the work of former Chair Kenneth Jeffers and Kirk Mark, former co-coordinator of Race and Ethnic Relations, Multiculturalism and Community Services.

The appointment of Derek Chen as Superintendent of Equity (who lacked any experience in equity work and initiatives) did not further the equity agenda. The subsequent resignation of Jeffers and Mark from the ACAC brought focus to inherent deficiencies and inequities within the board.

I spoke to Kirk Mark on February 21st, regarding the TCDSB’s vote to disband the ACAC. He said he was shocked and surprised that the board has made this poorly conceived decision in light of the many: challenges, issues and concerns that have been levied against it with respect to accusations of systemic racism, particularly anti-Black racism over the years. In his capacity as a senior administrator with the TCDSB he was aware directly of the: history, culture, issues, and challenges with respect to the implementation of programs, policies, and initiatives to tackle anti-Black racism.

In an article, Jeffers posed an illuminating question in light of the motion to disband the ACAC. He writes, “The immediate question lies in the area of why the so-called ACAC was not proactive in informing the community, and what was the rationale for such draconian action by the TCDSB in this global celebration of Black History Month.”

Jeffers notes further, “The fact that the TCDSB made this decision during the height of Black History Month with the prevalent award ceremonies and statements of recognition of everyone who has presumably contributed to the development of the community is mind-boggling but not unexpected.” Rather than focus on the disbanding of this committee, Jeffers sees a light at the end of the tunnel. He hypotheses, “However, if there is a positive aspect to this, it is the fact that the humiliation and disrespect of our Black community may motivate some to determine why successes in the past were not sustained and, more importantly, what we need to do now to address the fierce urgency to improve the life of our Black youth.”

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