Black people were the most common racial group to be victims of hate crime in 2015, according to an analysis of data Statistics Canada uses to track hate crimes.

Police-reported hate crimes against black people made up 35 per cent of racially motivated crimes in 2015—placing them top of the list, despite 6 per cent fewer incidents from 2014.

This does not surprise Rev. Anthony Bailey from Parkdale United Church, one of several targets of hateful graffiti in Ottawa last fall.

Although black people were the most common victims of race-motivated hate crimes even back in 2012, Bailey says not all Canadians are aware of the fact.

“I think there is a certain naivety about these kinds of statistics,” he says.

“Many people who are not conversant with the realities of racialized people are of the opinion that this is 2017, we’re past that sort of thing, we’re a tolerant society.”

Bailey, who was one of the speakers at a session on addressing hate crimes in Ottawa, says the reason crimes targeting black people are high has to do with racism and the history of black people in Canada.

Race is an “artificial category,” he says, that serves to oppress people and justified the use of black slaves in North America.

He says the implications of racism today are evident in the high numbers of black people who are incarcerated or stopped by police.

“Those things are indications of the systemic way in which particular peoples are targeted.”

Just three weeks ago, Bailey says he was the target of racial profiling by police while driving in Ottawa.

“They followed me everywhere,” he says. “Each way I turned, they turned, until they could examine my license (plate) on their computer, and just drove off because there was nothing to be done.”

“There’s a systemic suspicion and it’s not a surprise that this also spills over into the general population.”

Racial profiling and over-policing of black communities are also among the concerns raised during a forum in Ottawa last summer where hundreds of participants discussed the effects of anti-black racism.

The forum, which was organized by Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership and the City for All Women Initiative, laid out recommendations as to how such concerns can be addressed. They include hiring officers from racialized communities and acknowledging issues of systemic racism.

Bailey also believes education is necessary to address anti-black racism. He visits schools and community organizations to talk about the stories of black Canadians and their contributions to the country.

“A lot of people don’t understand or know the achievements not only of ordinary black Canadians but also those who have excelled.” He cited the example of Viola Desmond, a black civil rights activist who was recently chosen to become the first Canadian women to appear on a dollar bill.

He says this kind of awareness can not only change opinions about black people, but also challenge systemic forms of racism, including racial profiling.

“I think that that’s important for how we mend the society,” says Bailey.

“Yes, we hold people to account, but we also try to put in place something that can change opinions and change behaviour.”