"Why Are We So Black?" Young Children's Integration Into Schools in Canada

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: Whole Families, Whole Strategies, Whole Communities (Table 13)

Abstract

There is paucity of research on the education integration experiences of non-refugee Black African migrants and this sometimes leads to the essentialization of the Black African immigrant experience. This study set out to explore the educational integration experiences of Nigerian parents and their young children in an urban city in Western Canada. The study was grounded in Critical Race Theory and intersectionality theories and employed journaling and semi-structured interview techniques as methods of data collection. This paper will focus on the experiences of young children derived from interview with parents. I will explore the deficit conceptions of children, accent and play and friendships and how they impact integration and sense of belonging for newly-arrived Nigerian children in schools.

Author

• Hafizat O. Sanni-Anibire, University of Manitoba
  Presenting Author