THE BOOK SHELF: Stephen Dorsey traces his personal experience with racism in his new book

Allison Lawlor · Columnist | Posted: Feb. 6, 2022, 9:03 a.m. | Updated: Feb. 6, 2022, 9:03 a.m. |

Written as a compelling mix of autobiography and social analysis, Stephen Dorsey’s new book is ultimately a call to action.

In Black and White: An Intimate, Multicultural Perspective on “White Advantage” and the Paths to Change (Nimbus Publishing), Dorsey takes readers on an emotional journey through his childhood, beginning in Montreal in the 1970s. The son of a Black father and a white mother, Dorsey was raised in a household led by a white, racist stepfather. He delves into his personal awakening following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in 2020 and ends his book by outlining the societal changes he believes are needed to address diversity, inclusion and systemic anti-Black racism.

“My race duality has given me a unique perspective on both the Black and white experience in Canada. I grew up in a white family, in white neighbourhoods, and attended schools with only a handful of Black students and people of colour. Even though I was immersed in all aspects of white society, the colour of my skin defined my racial identity. It still does. No matter the fact that I am 50 percent white, I am seen as (a) Black man,” writes Dorsey, the principal at The Fractional CMO, a strategic management consultancy, and a community leader in his Toronto neighbourhood of Roncesvalles.

“For decades, my brother, Chris, and I had many conversations about our difficult experiences growing up Black in a white world. Those discussions became more frequent in 2020, when both of us expressed that perhaps this was the moment to share our story more broadly, to get the negativity out of our systems once and for all,” he writes.

Dorsey experienced anti-Black racism as a young child when his stepfather instructed his mother to tell neighbours that her two sons were not her biological children. After being called n----- and salle negre (“dirty n-----”) in the schoolyard, he faced discrimination in the workforce not only in Canada but Europe.

Moving out from his personal experience, Dorsey delves into Canada’s history of racism. He calls for the need to end the Canadian mythology that suggests Canada is superior to the United States when it comes to democratic principles and racial discrimination.

“To get to the change we need, Canadians must let go of our historical mythology and accept the realities that systemic, anti-Black Canadian racism and white advantage are real. Willful ignorance and lack of awareness are no longer an excuse for supporting the status quo,” he writes.

The term “white advantage”, according to Dorsey refers to racially biased institutions and policies that have given white Canadians and Americans unearned advantages at the expense of non-whites.

At the end of his book, Dorsey offers several paths he believes will lead to lasting societal change, starting with building bridges of understanding between Black and white Canadians. Dorsey calls on people to act now, first by educating themselves and letting go of long-held, often subconsciously biased beliefs and working to understand those who are different than themselves. He also encourages governments, businesses and institutions to lead the way in bringing about systemic reform that will lead to greater equality.

“I hope that by sharing my own story, I’ve shown you that it’s possible to heal and transcend negative circumstances. I truly believe that part of my own healing is rooted in shifting my mindset. As with any challenge to systemic racism, it begins with our own perspective. I decided to stop seeing myself as a victim and to work toward becoming an individual agent of change,” he writes.