Ethnic Minorities and Obstructions to Freedom of Speech

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However whether intentional or not, these rights are being threatened in modern day society and Canada.

One illustration would include systemic discrimination, a harmful occurrence involving routines and organizational structure/activities that contribute to less favourable outcomes for minority groups. People of Colour, specifically Black individuals often experience code-switching or adjusting their normal behaviour, speech, and expression to fit into an environment and conform to others in the pursuit of achieving fair treatment and professional opportunities. This switch occurs in spaces where negative stereotypes are pervasive and cloud the judgment of many influenced by this blatant hate. This is a form of censorship of freedom of speech because individuals cannot express themselves naturally in those environments. Further, an individual changes an accent or dialect to maintain a certain image in the workplace. These individuals do this to avoid being portrayed with negative stereotypes. Additionally, research conducted in schools suggests that Black students selectively code-switch between standard English in the classroom and African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) with their peers, which elevates their social standing with each intended audience. Furthermore it is seen that Black individuals are often taught to code-switch to navigate police encounters; this can include acting and speaking excessively politely and professionally. This issue is very prevalent in today's society and is something I ardently hope will change. There are a couple of solutions to this, Research shows that simply valuing diversity is insufficient to reduce discrimination toward minorities; organizations must also create inclusive environments, allowing employees to feel comfortable being their most authentic selves. Other methods of modern-day censoring and code-switching involve silencing minority voices through authoritarian regimes. Illustratively, in China, the Uyghur language has been banned in schools and has disappeared from libraries and bookshops. Consequently, individuals are prevented from practicing their culture and are forced to speak another language, thus restricting their ability to communicate and express themselves in their primary language. Beyond educational institutions, this language remains banned in common spaces through surveillance, deterring individuals from freely using their primary language in public or online.

In short, Uyghur Muslims have to hide their culture to be accepted in institutions like schools and workplaces. This can look like speaking the dominant language while concealing accents and dialects, akin to the earlier example provided. Code-switching is a prevalent problem in today's society and has profound impacts and effects on our freedom of speech. However, with time, I believe that more advocacy and the eternal discovery of societal conflicts will allow code-switching to be addressed. More attention to this issue may lead to a more diverse and inclusive society where individuals can exercise their freedom of speech without discriminatory obstructions.