With a week for the end before the inhabitants of Ontario throw their vote, a white candidate of Ontario NDP has left the race for the comments he made at a conference last year in which he expresses a secret desire to “be a woman Black “.
Amanda Zavitz, Professor of Sociology at Western University in the driving of Elgin-Middlesex-London, announced in a Facebook post that he was renouncing her candidacy.
“After more reflections and discussions with the members of the community, I have decided to resign as a candidate for the Ontario PND for the next elections,” he wrote. “It has been clear that my previous comments distract from the critical task of defeating Doug Ford and choosing an NDP Ontario government.
His decision to leave occurs a day after he apologized for the comments, also in a Facebook post.
The controversy began when the progressive conservatives highlighted a YouTube video of Zavitz speaking at the United Nations Commission Conference on the New York City Conference in New York City last March. CBC News captured a copy of the video, which has now been removed.
Zavitz, speaking on a podium at the New York conference, recalls an exercise that she and the participants did at a Toronto conference 10 years before called “Post Secret”. Zavitz said that participants were asked to write their entrenched secrets. Some were chosen and read to the audience. One included an admission of an adventure, another spoke about stealing money from the bank account of a spouse.
By transmitting this to the audience at the New York event, Zavitz revealed his secret.
“My secret is that I want to be a black woman,” he said. “If you don’t know me, you could question this. You can ask you if I’m lying, or if I really thought this. If you know me, you will know 100 percent true.”
Amanda Zavitz, Professor of Sociology at the Western University that was running for the NDP at Elgin-London-Middlesex, speaking at the United Nations Commission Conference on Women’s Status in New York City in March 2024. Remember An exercise that she and the participants did at a Toronto conference 10 years ago called “Post Secret” and shared their secret that he wants to be a woman Black
In the video of his speech, Zavtiz continues to tell the New York audience that he is often criticized for being a “Karen” because she is a white woman who advocates equality. The name “Karen” has fallen into use as a generic and pejorative term to refer to any privileged woman, often white, which is perceived as demanding and with law.
“The easy answer is that I want to lead the fifth wave of feminism and that when it seems that I do it and people call you Karen, it is difficult to be taken seriously as the leader of the fifth wave of feminism,” Zavitz told the New York audience .
“The most complicated response is that I want to know everything I know, I want to be a sociologist and teacher of women’s studies. I want to be an expert in inequality with lived experiences of poverty and live in addictions and alcoholism. I want to be able to share my ideas without the barrier to look like me. “
Carrera is not something you can put, says the defender
Nicole Kanikia founder and director of Senomi Solutions Inc., he said Zavitz’s The decision to stop his campaign was correct following the comments. Kaniki’s The company specializes in equity, diversity and inclusion.
“She wants to be a black woman to be a better defender and ally, which really demonstrates her lack of understanding about the experience of black women,” he said Kaniki. “We are even more objective, as if our race and gender were something that we can put and take off and that she can put.”
Kaniki He said that a white person who talks about entering the identity of a black woman is problematic.
“What is there to make space for black women to have ahead of you instead of leading them?” She said in an interview in CBC Take in the afternoon.
‘Deeply worrying comments’ said Stiles
On Thursday, Zavitz sent an email in response to questions about his comments from CBC News.
It was explained in this way: “The point that I intended to make was that a greater awareness of the experience of people and black communities would improve the understanding of what it is to face systemic racism. I apologize for any damage caused by My comments “.
The video was first emerged by the progressive campaign of the Conservative Party, which said that the leader of the NDP Marit Stiles “owes the inhabitants of Ontarios an explanation as another problematic candidate of the NDP has been exposed.” In a statement, the party said that Zavitz’s comments “trivialized the life experience of the black ontories.”
When asked about Thursday’s comments before Zavitz announced that he was renouncing, Stiles told journalists that he found them “deeply worrying.”
“I think they are inappropriate comments, but she has apologized,” Stiles said. He did not respond when asked if he would keep Zavitz as a candidate.
On its campaign website, Zavitz describes itself as “a dedicated educator, activist and owner of a small company committed to social justice and the defense of the community.”
The site also says that through their teaching work in Western and Fanshawe College, it has defended “diversity, equity and inclusion.”
