Minority or Minoritized? Society’s Making of
the Racialized Woman
Monica Bassili
Identity is instrumental in framing relationships – every interaction you make reflects how you perceive someone’s identity. From chatting in a coffee shop to team meetings, every form of communication we express caters to our assumption of how the other person will respond. Growing up, I was asked questions that shattered what I had previously thought was my identity:
Where are you really from? Is English your first language? What kind of brown are you? The following pushed me to question my identity and consider how I am perceived in other people’s eyes.
Coming from Coquitlam, almost half the population are visible minorities, and thus my experiences were primarily through verbal communication. I worked in a Domino’s Pizza where all my coworkers were international students or temporary foreign workers. There was never a time when I felt that my identity was a barrier for me in Coquitlam. From volunteer opportunities, community events, and cultural festivals, the city and surrounding Metro Vancouver are diverse in Canada.
My pursuit of education and an affordable cost of living led me to Edmonton, Alberta. Unlike Coquitlam, Edmonton’s percentage of visible minorities only started to increase in the last five years. My experiences with racism and sexism materialized and became a barrier to employment, among other things. Edmonton is not a traditional ‘city’ as Burnaby or New Westminster; it is a vast swath of land characterized by urban sprawl. Each community differs and carries its own identity.
My first job in Edmonton lasted one week and was at the now-closed down Red Robins just southwest of the city’s border highway. Within a week, I realized I was not exactly welcome in my place of work. I didn’t get an opportunity to interview for front of house; that was for the pretty women. So instead, I got a job as a line cook – the only woman in the kitchen. Within a week, I left and moved on to more great and lucrative positions, of course, only as a cook.
During an interview at a central Edmonton pizzeria, I was casually asked if English was my first language. Eight months into the job, my employer, who had interviewed me, asked me for a second time in front of the staff if my first language was English. There was only one constant here: I didn’t look as if my first language was English. I never understood what evoked this kind of question, especially an employee, yet I tried to see it from another perspective. If I had grown up in Alberta, would I have asked the same question to another racialized person?
The answer, in my opinion, is no. I don’t believe there is any situation where you can reduce an individual’s capacities to where they are from. One thing about identity is that everyone can have their own identity, but it will not necessarily be understood or respected. Assuming someone’s qualifications based on the colour of their skin leads to actions that serve to disadvantage visible minorities. Not every situation is racist, sexist, or whatever ‘ist’ word that follows a form of discrimination. However, attitudes and prejudice can manifest in actions, conscious or unconscious.
Rather than harbouring resentment and anger, these experiences have taught me how to be assertive and confident in situations where my character is questioned. Being around people who are rude, disrespectful, and hateful cannot be avoided. Having a plan to respond to uncertain situations can determine whether a situation disadvantages you or enables your success. Taking the time to have meaningful conversations with unfamiliar people with your identity takes respect and understanding. By developing ways to engage with everyone meaningfully, individual resistance can reduce labels like a minority to an irrelevant factor rather than a defining characteristic.
Racialized women struggle with leaving situations and discussions with a heavy feeling of being the minority. No matter what level of interaction, there is always some amount of which is internalized. Taking back power of self and community requires racialized women to leave the term minority and manifest themselves through their perceptions. This is an act of refusal. This is resistance. Believing that you are at an inherent disadvantage in whatever you choose to do is a manufactured narrative. A critical point to note is that narratives are malleable – just because a story is dominant does not mean it is ‘right’ or ‘true.’
Whether in small interactions or in life-defining circumstances, minoritizing women takes place constantly. Although these circumstances exist, racialized women need to take back control of the narrative and define their knowledge and truth – without this, society risks excluding them from the opportunities they deserve.
