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Ontario NDP candidate drops out over: 'I want to be
a Black woman' comment
Amanda Zavitz quits 'after further reflection and discussion with community
members'
Andrew Lupton · CBC News · Posted: Feb 20, 2025 1:25 PM EST | Last Updated: 8 hours ago
Ontario NDP candidate Amanda Zavitz has pulled out of the race in the riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London over
comments made last year in which she expressed a secret desire to be a Black woman. (Ontario NDP)
With one week to go before Ontarians cast their ballots, a white Ontario NDP candidate
has dropped out of the race over comments she made at a conference last year in which
she expresses a secret desire "to be a Black woman."
Amanda Zavitz, a sociology professor at Western University running in the riding of
Elgin-Middlesex-London, announced in a Facebook post that she was resigning her
candidacy.
"After further reflection and discussions with community members, I have decided to
resign as the Ontario NDP candidate for the upcoming election," she wrote. "It has
become clear that my past comments are distracting from the critical task of defeating
Doug Ford and electing an Ontario NDP government.
Her decision to drop out comes a day after she apologized for the comments, also in a
Facebook post.
The controversy began when Progressive Conservatives highlighted a YouTube video of
Zavitz speaking at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women conference
in New York City last March. CBC News captured a copy of the video, which has now
been removed.
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Zavitz, speaking at a podium at the New York conference, recalls an exercise she and
participants did at a Toronto conference 10 years prior called "post secret." Zavitz said
participants were asked to write down their deep-rooted secrets. Some were picked and
read to the audience. One included an admission of an affair, another spoke about
stealing money from a spouse's bank account.
In relaying this to the audience at the New York event, Zavitz revealed her secret.
"My secret is that I want to be a Black woman," she said. "If you don't know me, you
might question this. You might wonder if I'm lying, or if I've really thought this through.
If you do know me, you will know 100 per cent for certain, it is true."
WATCH | Amanda Zavitz speaks at the 2024 UN Commission on the Status of Women
conference:
'My secret is that I want to be a Black woman,' NDP candidate at past UN conference
8 hours ago 7:38
Amanda Zavitz, a sociology professor at Western University who was running for the NDP in Elgin-London-
Middlesex, speaking at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women conference in New York City in
March 2024. She recalls an exercise she and participants did at a Toronto conference 10 years ago called "post
secret" and shared her secret that she wants to be a Black woman.
In the video of her speech, Zavtiz goes on to tell the New York audience she's often
criticized as being a "Karen" because she's a white women who advocates for equality.
The name "Karen" has fallen into use as a generic and pejorative term to refer to any
privileged woman, often white, who is perceived as demanding and entitled.
"The easy answer is that I want to lead the fifth wave of feminism and that when you
look like I do and people call you a Karen, it's difficult to be taken seriously as a leader
of the fifth wave of feminism," Zavitz tells the New York audience.
"The more complicated answer is that I want to know all that I know, I want to be a
sociologist and a women's studies professor. I want to be an expert in inequality with
lived experiences of poverty and living in addiction and alcoholism. I want to be able to
share my ideas without the barrier of looking the way that I do."
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Nicole Kaniki, director consulting firm specializing in equity, diversity and inclusion planning, said Amanda
Zivitz's comments 'really demonstrates her lack of understanding of the Black woman experience.'" (CBC News)
Nicole Kaniki, a founder and director of Senomi Solutions Inc., said Zavitz's decision to
stop her campaign was the right one in the wake of the comments. Kaniki's firm
specializes in equity, diversity and inclusion.
"She wants to be a Black woman to be a better advocate and ally, which really just
demonstrates her lack of understanding about the Black woman experience,"
said Kaniki. "It objectifies us further, as if our race and gender is something that we can
put on and take off and that she can put on."
Kaniki said a white person talking about stepping into the identity of a Black woman is
problematic.
"What about making space for Black women to lead ahead of you rather than leading
for them?" she said in an interview on CBC's Afternoon Drive.
Comments 'deeply concerning' said Stiles
On Thursday, Zavitz sent an email in response to questions about her comments from
CBC News.
She explained herself in this way: "The point I intended to make was that greater
awareness of the lived experience of Black people and communities would improve
understanding of what it's like to face systemic racism. I apologize for any harm caused
by my remarks."
The video was first surfaced by the Progressive Conservative Party campaign, which
said NDP leader Marit Stiles "owes Ontarians an explanation as yet another problematic
NDP candidate has been exposed." In a statement, the party said Zavitz's comments
"trivialized the life experience of Black Ontarians."
When asked about the comments Thursday before Zavitz had announced she was
quitting, Stiles told reporters she found them "deeply concerning."
"I think they're inappropriate comments, but she has apologized," said Stiles. She
didn't answer when asked if she would keep Zavitz as a candidate.
On her campaign web page, Zavitz describes herself as "a dedicated educator, activist,
and small business owner committed to social justice and community advocacy."
The site also says through her teaching work at Western and Fanshawe College, she's
championed "diversity, equity and inclusion."
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