The fact that racism has adverse effects on Blacks and other minorities is obvious. But what is not so obvious are the hidden impacts of racism on all members of society, including white people.

Joseph Mensah and Christopher J. Williams argue that ethics of altruism and social justice are inadequate to curb racism because they neglect the impact of racism on whites. Just like a boomerang, acts of hatred and racism against people of colour and even unsolicited and sometimes unconscious exertions of white privilege ultimately come back to harm almost everyone in society.

Timely and incredibly important, Boomerang Ethics is a much-needed resource in the fight against racism because it does not gloss over the self-interests of members of the privileged, who ultimately have the power to help alleviate racism.

Joseph Mensah is a first-generation African-Canadian intellectual, born and raised in post-colonial Ghana where he did his B.A. in geography with a minor in philosophy at the University of Ghana. He immigrated to Canada in 1987 under a Wilfrid Laurier University Graduate Scholarship for his MA in geography (1987 to 1989), after which he completed his PhD (in 1993), also in geography, at the University of Alberta under another academic scholarship. He taught at various colleges and universities in British Columbia, including SFU, UBC, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University before taking up an Assistant Professorship at York University in 2002. He became a tenured Associate Professor at York in 2005, and a full Professor of Geography in 2010.

Professor Mensah is currently a member of the Senate of York University and the Chair of the Department of Geography. Previously, he was the Deputy Director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples at York University (2010 to 2013); a Board Member of the Center for Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS) from 2011 to 2013; the Coordinator of York University’s International Development Studies (IDS) program (2008 to 2010); and the Undergraduate Program Director for the Atkinson School of Social Sciences from 2005 to 2008. Professor Mensah is a founding member of the University of Ghana Pan African Doctoral Academy (PADA). Sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, PADA runs short-term courses on selected topics for Ph.D. students across Africa. Professor Mensah’s research cuts across a wide range of disciplines, culminating in publications is such diverse and reputable journals as Health Economics, Higher Education, Studies in Political Economy, Housing Studies, Canadian Geographer, and Social Identities. He has written a number of book chapters and books, including the well-received Black Canadians: History, Experience, and Social Conditions, published by Fernwood in 2002 & 2010. Professor Mensah’s current research focuses on globalization and culture; transnational migration; and ethnicity, race, and identity formation. He has received several competitive awards and grants from the likes of SSHRC, the Gates Foundation, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and ILO. He was the recipient of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa’s (CODESRIA) Inaugural Diaspora Visiting Professor Fellowship at the University of Ghana in 2016. Professor Mensah has been a recipient of the highly competitive York University Faculty Merit Award for a number of years. He has been profiled in Who’s is Who in Black Canada since 2006. Professor Mensah lives in Brampton, Ontario, with his wife, Janet, and their two daughters, Nicole and Cassandra. Professor Mensah is an avid runner and a soccer enthusiast.

Joseph Mensah's profile page

CHRISTOPHER J. WILLIAMS is a researcher and educator in the fields of sociology and criminology who has taught at York University, Brock University and the University of Western Ontario. His published academic work has been featured in journals such as Race & Class, Canadian Ethnic Studies, Housing Studies and the African Geographical Review. His first book, Boomerang Ethics: How Racism Affects Us All, was published in 2017 and co-authored with Professor Joseph Mensah of York University. Additionally, at the level of grassroots activism, he has worked with a variety of Toronto-based organizations dedicated to addressing issues pertaining to how police power is exercised against marginalized communities and is currently a member of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition. He lives in Toronto.

Christopher J. Williams' profile page