As part of our union’s commitment to learn from the experiences and celebrate the successes of Black, Indigenous and racialized CUPE members, CUPE is profiling members of the National Racial Justice Committee and National Indigenous Council. This month, meet National Racial Justice Committee member Calvin Scott.
After surviving anti-Black racism in the Boston school system, Calvin Scott has made it his life’s work to give African Nova Scotian students the supportive experience he was not given.
Scott is an African Nova Scotian Support Worker at Halifax West High School, a CUPE 5047 member, and a member of CUPE’s National Racial Justice Committee.
The support worker program was created in the 1990s to fight systemic discrimination against students of African descent, who didn’t see themselves or their experiences reflected in the classroom. That lack of representation and role models meant Black students were set up to fail. Many weren’t graduating or continuing to post-secondary education.
Giving support he never received
“What really drives me is knowing I’m there to help guide students who look like me and may suffer some of the same experiences I had. There was no one like me to advocate on behalf of Black students and aid in a system that was really unpleasant to me,” says Scott.
Scott grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts in the 1970s, in a city and school system segregated by race. After a judge’s decision to end segregation, Scott and other children were bussed from their predominately Black neighbourhood to a school in an all-white neighbourhood. There, they faced a racist and hostile environment.
“We saw a lot of nasty words about us, written on the walls, on the desks, in hallways, and in the bathrooms,” said Scott. He looks back and wonders how he got through the daily barrage of racism.
“Most mornings you were greeted by caretakers painting over derogatory words directed towards Black students. We also had numerous race riots throughout my four years of high school,” he says.
“That will always stick with me, the overwhelming fact that you knew you weren’t welcome in that school – not just by the community, but by some of the teachers as well as administrators.”
Setting students up to succeed
Scott carries the lessons of that profound injustice into his work as a role model and advocate for African Nova Scotian students, a position he’s held for nearly 30 years. “I truly believe this is my calling,” he says.
“My early experiences in school thwarted my drive for education [because of] teachers who just didn’t believe in me or told you certain things,” says Scott.
“The education system is not a great storyteller of people of African descent. They don’t tell you the greatness. It’s all about the negative.”
Since the African Nova Scotian Support Worker program started, graduation rates for Black students have increased, and more Black students are obtaining a post-secondary degree.
Using his voice and strength
Scott got involved in his local 15 years ago, when he was nominated for the Human Rights committee. He looked around the meeting and didn’t see any other Black members.
“It was troubling to me because where is the voice? Where is the perspective? Where is the opinion? Where is the advocacy for people like me?”
Today, Scott is a member facilitator and is serving his second term on the National Racial Justice Committee. He sees the national committee as “an even larger platform to try to affect change. Not just locally, but also at the national level.”
He says the work is ongoing to fight racism and increase representation throughout CUPE. “It’s slowly chipping away at some of those long-standing barriers.”
Union work has given Scott “confidence in speaking and being able to voice things that I hold true.” He draws on that strength when he experiences racism at work.
“It’s not overt racism, it’s more covert racism that I deal with. It’s subtle. It’s the microaggressions that you experience every day,” he says. “It’s a struggle, but I have a strong sense of self – who I am, where I am and what I’m here to do.”
Dealing with ongoing racism is “mentally exhausting,” says Scott “It takes a toll on you.” He’s learned to pick his battles and take care of himself. The psychological safety of Black and racialized employees needs to be a priority.
“It’s a survival thing, it really is, mentally. There’s been plenty of times where I wanted to check out, where I felt as though ‘I just can’t take this any longer.’ You’re fighting a never-ending battle - you’re chipping away at the mountain and every chip is a pebble.”
Bringing anti-racism strategy to life
For Scott, CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy is “a start in the right direction. It means you have words on paper.” But he’s also clear: “The strategy means nothing if it’s not actionable.”
He has one simple request: “Just don’t let it be a paper strategy. Let members see it working. Hold people accountable when there’s a violation,” he says, adding that education is key to accountability. “Call them in, not out. Give it a try first, and if it doesn’t happen then you could call them out.”
CUPE’s commitment to fight racism is important for one main reason, says Scott. “It’s the right thing to do. Period!”
He points to our union’s increasingly diverse membership as another major factor. “CUPE and its members across the country are reflective of the country itself. You have a lot of newcomers coming to Canada and new people coming into the workplace with different beliefs, customs and values.”
Scott’s advice to other Black, Indigenous and racialized members thinking about becoming involved in CUPE is to check out the different roles.
There are times when Scott is the only Black person at his local CUPE meeting. His approach is to “just be strong. Be aware of who you are. Know that not everyone is going to be like-minded. Not everyone is going to agree with everything you say but be factual and be strong in your position. Be there not to be confrontational, but educational.”
This approach plants the seeds of change, he says. “That’s what I always say to the students. You may not see it, but I’m just trying to plant a seed and hope it grows.”
After nearly 30 years, Scott knows he’s planted a lot of seeds. “I’ve got a forest now!” he says with a broad grin.
Learn more about CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy including Goal 4, which focuses on highlighting the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous and racialized members and celebrating their successes, at cupe.ca/cupes-anti-racism-strategy. And check out these tips for putting the strategy into action in your local.