Faces of CSC: Ange Kadima

August 30, 2024

Since joining REAC in 2018, the Edmonton-based, Afro-Canadian microbiologist and University of Alberta Senator has been a driving force within the committee. Like Ange, members of the REAC are influential community leaders who come from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Their mandate? To advise CSC on how to better meet the needs of ethnocultural offenders inside Canadian correctional facilities, during incarceration, and outside, during parole in the community.

Ange noted pilot initiatives at some institutions, such as community gardens that empower offenders to grow and harvest their own vegetables and spices, facilitating a connection to their cultural heritage through food.

“This allows them to make the meals they are used to eating growing up, that they wouldn’t normally get within the institution,” he said. “Some people don’t realize how important this is. Through REAC, we can bring that sensitivity and awareness of the issues to the forefront.”

“My goal is to showcase these pilot programs as best practices and standardize them across the country.”

The predominantly English environment in Alberta poses unique communication challenges for Francophone Afro-Canadians. Ange and his peers actively engage in efforts to recruit more Francophone correctional officers and encourage more community members to join CSC.

He also meets regularly with offenders, their families, and CSC staff to raise awareness of differing cultural norms. In one instance, he was asked to speak with an offender whose seeming lack of remorse for his crime was negatively affecting the outcome of his case and his relationship with his parole officer.

Ange told CSC staff that expressing shame can be perceived differently across cultures. “Sometimes admitting guilt or showing that you’re not afraid to talk about it can be seen as shameful in of itself,” he said.

“I could see he was struggling and pained by it but could not bring himself to say it out loud. If you don’t understand these cultural dynamics, you may think he’s denying his crime and not dealing with his issues,” said Ange. “So, there’s an effort we have to make in terms of education that there can be different ways of expressing remorse than what we’ve been trained to recognize.”

Ange’s contributions have also impacted pilot initiatives aimed at addressing the social history of Black offenders upon intake and reviewing security classification practices to mitigate subconscious biases.

“Many Black offenders come from war-torn countries, were former child soldiers, or have experienced the effects of colonization. While Indigenous programs consider why the offender may have committed the crime and the way they were raised, there are no equivalent programs for Black offenders,” said Ange. He notes this is being considered and initiatives are being introduced for positive change.

Ange is optimistic about the progress he sees. Fuelled by his unwavering passion for social justice and a desire to see the community succeed, Ange continues to help champion for enhancing programs and services for Black offenders within CSC.

“Often people only highlight what’s negative. We need to take a step back and appreciate what’s been done and the progress made so far,” he said.