Foreign Born Visible Minorities : Women Face Issues Of Discrimination And Cultural Imperialism

Foreign-born visible minorities must overcome significantly more barriers in the labour market when compared to their white Canadian-born counterparts. These foreign-born visible minorities encounter issues of marginalization and exploitation when attempting to enter the labour market due to their race and physical appearance. In the reading, What colour is your English, African women who immigrated to Vancouver are asked open-ended questions in a focus group and are noted as having obstacles to overcome beyond their physical appearance. These women face issues of discrimination and cultural imperialism. According to Creese & Ngene , they are treated unjustly when applying for jobs due to their African accent even though “most had advanced post-secondary degrees undertaken at English-language institutions” (2003, p. 2). Their fluency and competency in the English language is not the issue but the fact that they do not fit into what is referred to as the “imagined community”. The imagined community as stated by Creese & Ngene is “both a literal and figurative border that immigrants of colour negotiate. Those who inhabit the borderlands shift back and forth across borders, never fully belonging in either space” (2003, p. 1). The imagined community is not based off inclusion and diversification of the workforce, but rather a preconceived idea of whiteness and colonial ideals that have been present in Canada for many generations. This creates a distinct division among…