Ontario NDP candidate Amanda Zavitz has stepped down after a video re-emerged of her expressing the desire to become a black woman and an “expert on inequality” with lived experiences of poverty, addiction, and alcoholism.
The NDP’s candidate for Elgin––Middlesex––London was an adjunct professor at Western University for over 20 years, teaching sociology and specializing in sociological theory, race and ethnicity, media and ideology, social inequality, and gender/women’s studies.
In one of the lectures Zavitz had recorded for the Gender Equality Coalition of Ontario in early 2024, she expressed the desire to become a black woman, something she keeps as a “secret.” The lecture has since been taken off of YouTube.
“My secret is that I want to be a Black woman,” Zavitz said in the now-deleted video.
“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% for certain—that it is true.”
She says that she views black people as “more beautiful” and wants to be taken more seriously to lead the next generation of feminists and not just be viewed as a “Karen.”
“The simple answer is that I believe Black is more beautiful. The simple answer is that I want to be Bell Hooks, and bell hooks was a Black woman. The simple answer is that I want to lead the fifth wave of feminism,” said Zavitz.
“And when you look like I do, and people call you a “Karen,” it becomes difficult to be taken seriously as a leader of the fifth wave of feminism.”
She also said that becoming a black woman would make her a better women’s studies professor, as she wished to have lived experiences with poverty, addiction, and alcoholism.
“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, addiction, and alcoholism,” said Zavitz. “I want to be able to share my ideas without the barrier of looking the way that I do.”
True North reached out to Zavitz and the NDP for comment, though no response was given.
The Progressive Conservatives spliced an attack ad to slam the NDP for allowing Zavitz to run, billing her as “Marit Stiles’ NDP candidate.”
The original video was deleted from the Gender Equality Coalition of Ontario’s YouTube channel just hours after the PCs posted the ad to social media.
True North reached out to the Gender Equality Coalition for comment, though no response was given.
In a Facebook post, Zavitz announced that she would be stepping aside as the NDP candidate for Elgin––Middlesex––London, calling her comments a distraction.
“After further reflection and discussions with community members, I have decided to resign as the Ontario NDP candidate for the upcoming election,” said Zavitz.
“It has become clear that my past comments are a distraction from the critical task of defeating Doug Ford and electing an Ontario NDP government.”