In Cecil Foster's essay, "Why Blacks Get Mad", he discusses the clash between black and white society, especially middle-class blacks like himself and his wife. Before coming to live in a multicultural society like Canada, he believed that if he were educated, he would become a successful writer and be accepted in society. He was partly right because he did become successful but being accepted into society was a different story. Foster believes that racism is not shown openly in Canada but rather subtly. He noticed it in the way people talk to him and treat him. This was when he first arrived in Canada at the Montreal airport, he was taken for questioning while all the other passengers, which were white, were processed quickly. He was told to expect treatment of this kind by people who had come to Canada before him; they would assume the worst of him. .
When he did arrive and settle in Toronto, finding a job was difficult because the only skill he had was reporting, and was told that there are only white people on Canadian television. Foster also explains the way he was interrogated by a white police officer who assumed that Foster was an illegal immigrant. Again he discusses the way he was treated before an interview at the Canadian Press News Agency, and the man that was to be interviewing him made him wait and made up a lie about how he couldn't talk to him and basically blew him off without giving him a chance. The author also describes the way he was stereotyped, people would automatically assume he had a blue-collar job like a construction worker when he was actually a reporter. He says that she thought that because of his name, which was not African, but a white man's name and despite what he was wearing. He also states that he gave his Children African names for that reason, so people would not think they were white by hearing their names. Foster and his wife did make something of their lives, got better jobs and even opened a business.
