Tiffany Gordon
PhD Student
I was born in Jamaica. My dad, who is the adventurer in the family, moved us (my older sister, Monique and mom) to a small island called Bonaire when I was two. My little sister, Camille, was born in the adjacent island of Curaçao. We lived there for seven years and then moved to Canada. I have been here since I was nine, so consider myself to be Jamaican-Canadian (emphasis on the Jamaican).
I have been living in Halifax for about four and a half years now, since I started pursuing my PhD in philosophy at Dalhousie University. I moved here because my supervisor, Dr. Chike Jeffers, is based out of here. I was also interested in moving to Nova Scotia because it has a rich African Canadian history.
When I was around 11 or 12 I started writing poetry, and then moved on to writing fiction. I would create stories and illustrate them myself. Since my parents placed such an emphasis on higher education, I knew that I would eventually make my way to university. But because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and knew that I would be paying for school myself, I decided to make some money until I figured things out. So, I worked full-time as an Operations Clerk right out of high school, and started at York University the following year. I entered for Business then switched to a double-major in Political Science and then Philosophy.
I eventually graduated from York University with a BA in Political Science and Philosophy.. I knew I wanted to go to grad school, so decided to give Philosophy a try. By the time I graduated from York I had taken a class in African philosophy, Feminist philosophy and Political Thought. Those courses, and the profs who taught them, gave me hope that there would be room in the field for me to investigate some of the things that I cared about. If philosophy didn't end up working out, I figured I would get into journalism. A lot has happened in-between then and now but I have continued to work in philosophy, so have been able to find room for myself in the field.
At the moment, I am in the fifth year of my program and starting to work on my dissertation proposal. I will be looking at the over-incarceration of Black and Indigenous people in Canada. I am more specifically looking at how Canadians might be held collectively responsible for the consequences of historically rooted, race-based oppression. My fields of research include social and political thought, feminist philosophy and philosophy of race.
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What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
My proudest professional moment was being hired, by an organization called Books Beyond Bars, to teach a writing class at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility. I did that for a couple summers, and it was a full circle moment in many ways. As already mentioned, I love writing and used to write poetry when I was much younger. Poetry allows me to tap into parts of myself that often lie unarticulated, and being able to share a space where other women could tap into their selves was an experience that I learned so much from. To be able to compile 'Zines with the women's best pieces was an added bonus.
What’s your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
A big part of the reason why I was so excited to come to Dalhousie was because I knew that there was a strong history of African Canadian presence in Nova Scotia. Since I have lived in Halifax, I have witnessed the power in organization and how much influence African Nova Scotians have had on the social climate here. There seems to be a much greater awareness of discrimination because of the organizing that has happened on the ground, and I think that other provinces can look to what is happening here for tips on how to move forward.
My vision for Atlantic Canada in the next 10 years is that it will be the leading province on equity, diversity and inclusion in all areas of society. From universities to corporate environments, governments and policing. There is much that we can learn from social justice advocates on the ground, and I have learned much in my short time here.
Our biggest opportunity now is to take advantage of the insights of the Black Lives Matter and move towards a society with much greater freedom and equality for not only Black people, but for all people.
What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
My greatest stage of growth, at least in the past few years, has probably happened in the last year. I passed my final exam at the end of May of 2019, and I feel like I can finally get going on my writing and research projects. The academic world is like any other. There are hoops that you have to continually jump through to prove yourself, and while these hoops are good in the sense that they make you qualified to work in your field, I didn't really think I would get through my program until I received that stamp of approval.
I will always write. But will I be able to write up to the standards set in my chosen field of study, philosophy? That question remains up in the air for me, but I am a bit more sure of where I stand than I was before I passed my exams. There is still that dissertation to work on, but I am much closer to finishing my program than I was four years ago.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
I like listening to social commentary on YouTube, especially on issues concerning gender and race. LovelyTi has been my go-to source of information for all-things news, all-things celebrity for years. But in the past year or so, if not maybe a little longer, I have also been tuning in to what people like Chrissie, Christelyn Karazin and Paris Milan have had to say about colourism, what it means to be a black woman in our society, femininity and dating. Although I don't always agree with their views (some of them are quite controversial) I appreciate listening to perspectives that challenge me to think differently.
What’s your deepest learning from this past year? How did/will you apply it?
The deepest lesson that I learned this year is that change is possible. In a lot of ways, personally and professionally, it has been a year of transition into new and exciting things.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
My greatest inspiration is my parents. I learned about what it means to be brave, have faith and work hard from watching their journey. They came to Canada with three young girls and were able to make a life for us, filled with much more opportunity than might have been possible anywhere else.
What would you have done differently?
If I could have done one thing differently, I would have believed in myself sooner. If I had more confidence I think it would have taken me less time to get through all of my degrees, even the one that I am currently working through. I would have started projects sooner and finished them earlier, knowing that what I brought to the table was good enough.
What are the principles you live by?
I am a Christian so a lot of the principles that I live by are based on my faith. Enduring trials and not giving up is a central part of what the Bible teaches, and it has led me to hold on to the things that I really believe in, for as long as I possibly can. My pursuit of higher education might be described as something like a "dog with a bone." It's been hard, but I have pretty much refused to let go. Having integrity and a good work ethic are two additional principles that I think are important to live by.
How have you recovered from fractured professional relationships? What uncomfortable truths have you learned about yourself in those experiences?
So far, I have been blessed to have good professional relationships that have not been fractured. However, not all of my relationships have been as supportive as I would have liked them to be. What I have learned from that is that it is important to have different people in your corner. You can’t just have one go-to person who you are relying on for feedback on your work (as a grad student, for example) or feedback on your career. It is better to have a few different people that you can draw from and lean on, who have different strengths and can provide you with varying perspectives on your work, and who are also genuinely interested in your success. While it is good to be mentored, as a student of colour by a person of colour, I have found that there are other non-Black people also interested in, and eager to, take on that role. I appreciate support from wherever it comes, and I hope that I have been able to add something positive to those relationships, as well.
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Writer, thinker, philosopher-in-training. Researcher on social justice, race, policing, incarceration, women's equality.