Reflections on Stereotype
- by Mark Addo
I remember the day I first landed in Canada as a naïve ten year old from Ghana. I was so full of joy to be joining my mother and sisters in Canada as well as glad to be given the opportunity to make something of my life. It did not take me that long however to realize that I was an outsider and a foreigner in a predominantly white country. I have a really dark complexion along with a gap tooth and a big African accent. In Ghana I was the norm but in Canada I was among the minorities. This country had been so entrenched with the majorities enjoying most of the benefits that Canada has to offer when it comes to properties ownership, education, prestigious jobs and acknowledgement of belonging. In fact, it did not take long before I realized that I was an African immigrant because others made it their unsolicited business to remind me about it.
In elementary school most of my friends called me an immigrant and often asked whether I chased lions or was starved back in Ghana. I noticed from that young age that there was this overwhelming ignorance associated with such questions. Not only did I experience this from other races but I experienced it from black Canadians as well. My two younger sisters who were born here and some of their childhood friends always gave me the impression that they were better than I was because they were born and raised in Canada. They spoke better English, had lighter complexion and understood the western culture. From hind sight I consider such experience to be advantageous because when I entered into the work force, I was aware that I had to work twice as hard to be recognized and acknowledged.
My mother had a hair salon so for the most part I helped her out as a cashier and store help until the age of sixteen when I got an official part time job as a grocery clerk at No Frills. It was an entry level job but I was so astounded to get the job and be able to earn money on my own. The job consisted of stacking up the grocery shelves with products, sweeping the floors and bringing back buggies to the storefront. I worked hard for my minimum wage pay but after four years I realized that the job was a dead end job. This realization was reinforced by my interaction with one of the managers who started there at the age of sixteen and after ten years was doing basically the same thing I was doing with just a pay difference of five dollars. I thought to myself that within those ten years I could have completed my university education and possibly proceed to graduate school as well. I made a vow to myself to strive for something more and that I did. I got a security job and enrolled at the University of Toronto at Scarborough.
During the university years, I worked part time as security guard on weekends and searched for a full time employment during the four months of summer break. As I previously mentioned, I felt the need to work hard at whatever I did in order to compensate for being an immigrant and an outsider. I tried to always put myself in a position whereby I would flourish but sadly security was another dead end job that offered little opportunity for growth and upward mobility. Due to this, I diligently applied for summer internship jobs during the months of January and February in my first and second years hoping to land a suitable job that pays well and offered opportunity for growth. I was lucky in my third year and got a summer job with the City of Toronto reading water meters. I was exhilarated about landing that job that I worked extremely hard to impress my supervisor. I went beyond what was asked of me sometimes and would skip lunch in order to complete my routes. I felt compelled to give my all because I wanted to leave a lasting impression on my boss so that I could secure the job for the following year. Fortunately, this paid off and for the next two years I was recalled for the same position. When I graduated my supervisor hired me on a full time basis. Therefore, I currently work for the City of Toronto as a water meter reader.
As an immigrant, I have learned that it is best for me to go beyond what is being asked of me at work in order to be rated at par with other employees who are originally from Canada. I do not allow this situation to get unto me because I believe that if I work hard surely someone would notice and value me as an asset. I have also learnt that I should strive for more instead of being content with the current situation. It was this drive from early stage that led me to quit No Frills and enroll in a university and seek a better job instead of serving as a security guard. Currently, I hope to save some money and then go back for graduate studies. The opportunities are available here in Canada and as a young immigrant I have to get out of my comfort zone in order to be able to fully reap the benefits available. Qué sera, sera!
In elementary school most of my friends called me an immigrant and often asked whether I chased lions or was starved back in Ghana. I noticed from that young age that there was this overwhelming ignorance associated with such questions. Not only did I experience this from other races but I experienced it from black Canadians as well. My two younger sisters who were born here and some of their childhood friends always gave me the impression that they were better than I was because they were born and raised in Canada. They spoke better English, had lighter complexion and understood the western culture. From hind sight I consider such experience to be advantageous because when I entered into the work force, I was aware that I had to work twice as hard to be recognized and acknowledged.
My mother had a hair salon so for the most part I helped her out as a cashier and store help until the age of sixteen when I got an official part time job as a grocery clerk at No Frills. It was an entry level job but I was so astounded to get the job and be able to earn money on my own. The job consisted of stacking up the grocery shelves with products, sweeping the floors and bringing back buggies to the storefront. I worked hard for my minimum wage pay but after four years I realized that the job was a dead end job. This realization was reinforced by my interaction with one of the managers who started there at the age of sixteen and after ten years was doing basically the same thing I was doing with just a pay difference of five dollars. I thought to myself that within those ten years I could have completed my university education and possibly proceed to graduate school as well. I made a vow to myself to strive for something more and that I did. I got a security job and enrolled at the University of Toronto at Scarborough.
During the university years, I worked part time as security guard on weekends and searched for a full time employment during the four months of summer break. As I previously mentioned, I felt the need to work hard at whatever I did in order to compensate for being an immigrant and an outsider. I tried to always put myself in a position whereby I would flourish but sadly security was another dead end job that offered little opportunity for growth and upward mobility. Due to this, I diligently applied for summer internship jobs during the months of January and February in my first and second years hoping to land a suitable job that pays well and offered opportunity for growth. I was lucky in my third year and got a summer job with the City of Toronto reading water meters. I was exhilarated about landing that job that I worked extremely hard to impress my supervisor. I went beyond what was asked of me sometimes and would skip lunch in order to complete my routes. I felt compelled to give my all because I wanted to leave a lasting impression on my boss so that I could secure the job for the following year. Fortunately, this paid off and for the next two years I was recalled for the same position. When I graduated my supervisor hired me on a full time basis. Therefore, I currently work for the City of Toronto as a water meter reader.
As an immigrant, I have learned that it is best for me to go beyond what is being asked of me at work in order to be rated at par with other employees who are originally from Canada. I do not allow this situation to get unto me because I believe that if I work hard surely someone would notice and value me as an asset. I have also learnt that I should strive for more instead of being content with the current situation. It was this drive from early stage that led me to quit No Frills and enroll in a university and seek a better job instead of serving as a security guard. Currently, I hope to save some money and then go back for graduate studies. The opportunities are available here in Canada and as a young immigrant I have to get out of my comfort zone in order to be able to fully reap the benefits available. Qué sera, sera!