WE'RE ALL TRAPPED BY THE U.S. NOTION OF RACE

Growing up as a Somali Canadian in Winnipeg and Toronto, the concept of "black" was largely absent from my life. The first-generation Somalis around me rejected the concept entirely: "I'm not black," they would say, "I'm Somali." There was no subtext to this declaration – it was earnestly felt. They tended to think of themselves through the lens of culture and nationality, not race and skin colour. Read More