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Subject and Section Professor’s Name Date Racism and Diversity: Brand and Reid-Benta's Challenge to Canadian Whiteness Black Canadian Studies explore the experience of Black Canadians and its relevance in Canada's history, culture, and literature, mainly due to their marginalization in Canadian history. As highlighted in the Canadian Census 2021, Black Canadians represent 4.3% of the total population, accounting for approximately 5 million headcounts (Statistics Canada). This gives the minority status of blacks a perpetual threat of cultural reduction in a whitewashed world. This paper aims to decode the lived experiences of Black Canadians in order to decipher how they challenge the whiteness discourse in Canada. Dionne Brand's "Blossom: Priestess of Oya, Goddess of Winds, Storms, and Waterfall" and Zalika Reid-Benta's "Frying Plantain" are two seminal texts that present a rich and authentic exploration of the black Canadian identity. In "Blossom," Brand tells the story of a woman who cannot come to terms with his cultural background, deciding that she has to adopt an African identity when, in fact, she has to live in a white society. Therefore, Reid-Benta's "Frying Plantain" is a novel that combines a set of interconnected stories that center around a Black girl navigating life in Toronto and her battles with race and ethnicity questions as they are lived. Both texts are interesting social observations on the experiences and challenges of Black people in Canada. In the struggle for belonging, identity, and immigration, Dionne Brand and Zalika Reid Benta raise critiques of Canada's white discourse and disprove the myth of refuge for Black people in Canada. Their works passionately continue the fight for representation and acceptance of Black Canadians, being erased in the narrative of Canada as North Star but as a country filled with racism and exclusion. Brand's work embraces three elements: a sense of belongingness, upholding one's identity, and the repercussions of immigration. Firstly, a sense of belongingness is explored in undertaking the protagonist’s spiritual trip and its relation to the African origins. Allen et al. described a subjective sense of belongingness, therefore defined as the individual's perceived state of fitting into a given group, community, or environment and being accepted and valued in this group. It can include affection, belongingness, reinforcement, vital necessities for a person's health, or a sense of place in the community. Incorporating these into Brand's work, Blossom, a priestess of Oya, regains her traditional African roots, vital to women of color who are engulfed in white society. The Brand shows Blossom's effort to fit into this society by depicting her numerous prayers and the power she seeks in chanting and other Indigenous rituals. This thirst for recognition is well depicted in historical analysis of Black Canadians' struggle to form their communities, such as in Afua Cooper's "The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal," where the ability of Black communities to survive in the face of Black oppression is showcased (Cooper). Brand's narrative establishes cultural heritage and ethnic bonds as means of becoming situated in a strange world. Another essential aspect determining Blossom's character is the issue of identity since she is torn between her African and American roots. Allen et al. state that identity may be understood as the features or assets, including psychological characteristics, ideas, attitudes, and journeys, that make a particular individual unique and distinctive. It relates to culture, origin, gender, and other aspects that define the personality, and it is one of the most critical components that contribute to the formation of personal identity and relationships. Brand employs the imagery and symbolism of Oya, the Yoruba goddess of winds, storms, and transformation, to paint the picture of Blossom's turmoil and her search for acceptance of herself. This is because the main character's dilemma regarding her racial and cultural background echoes the concept of the Black Canadian experience, which relates to the conflict between African roots and Canadian selves. This can also be examined through George Elliott Clarke's "Odysseys Home: In a wider context, "Mapping African Canadian Literature" is...