On August 12th, I sat in silence with my family watching CNN. Ironically, they had just come back from a trip to the states where my sister will soon go to school, and we watched the development of Charlottesville in disappointment. While the room was filled with a fog of horror and anger that has unfortunately become all too familiar, it was also filled with guilt. I am a woman of colour from a biracial home, so I do not walk free from racism, but I do walk safely. First and foremost, I am a Canadian from a middle-class family and being a person of colour has never limited my safety. Sure I feel uncomfortable in a small town and have to deal with micro-aggressions daily, but I do not live in a society run by people who hate me for the colour of my skin. So, when I see cases like Charlottesville, where “Unight The Right” rallies are formed by white supremacists, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, neo-Nazis, and militia movements to protect the Confederacy, I feel confusion. What am I supposed to do when I live in a society that embraces diversity when just an hour away from home is a country ran by a man who supports bigotry.
These feelings of unease have only risen with the police brutality black Americans face daily. After watching a video inspired by the Ferguson unrest of a white-Latina mother much like my own, I have felt this sense of obligation that I do not know where to apply. In the video, she cries in fear because she doesn’t know how to raise her children to be black in America, and here I am, never once fearing for my safety. After watching the Vice News piece on Charlottesville, that feeling of guilt only increased. In it, a racist Canadian has to drive 12 hours into the American South just to find camaraderie and power in his ignorance.
The scene involving the Canadian is one that stuck out to me the most, in conversation with white nationalist and “Unite The Night” speaker Christopher Cantwell, they discuss differences between both countries. Cantwell jokes that “If I was doing the radical agenda in Canada, I’d probably be arrested” to which the Candian responds, “In Canada, basically hurting someone’s feelings is illegal”. They both joked that only white males are affected by injustice in Canada, and while I’m sure many shake their heads at that, as a Canadian, I do not have to worry about men like that in power under Trudeau. Now don’t get me wrong, Canada is not perfect and racism does exist here. There is a reason the Black Lives Matter Toronto chapter is working so passionately, our Indigenous people are not only mistreated but ignored. However, the racism we face is put on steroids when it comes to American culture.
Charlottesville is a reminder that racism has not gone anywhere and as a person of colour, that affects me. However, I will never have to experience the fear and disappointment that comes from living in Trump’s America and as an ally that makes me feel helpless. I feel sadness and kinship for the struggles these people are fighting, but this federal issue is not mine. Canada’s cultural attachment to America alters the way we view ourselves, we all grew up ingesting their pop culture. As a result, it defines so much of our national pride and understanding of society. How many jokes surround the notion that the best part about being Candian, is not being American? Most conversations about Charlottesville seem to start with “how could this happen so close to home?” “Why are they so different?”. While that debate could go on forever, more steps need to be taken to stand up against racism. Conversation and awareness are important, but there needs to be more done than simply retweeting or liking a post, I’m just not sure what to do from this side of the border. If there is an obligation from non-Americans to stand up against this bigotry at all, as ignorant as that may sound. As a woman of colour, and as a black woman, I feel an incredible kinship to those fighting for their rights across America, but as a middle-class Canadian, I feel like I’m living on a different planet. Where does the fight start and end for human rights when they become political in a country that is not yours? I’m not sure there’s an actual answer at hand, but until then, I’ll still be watching the news and hoping for the best.
Excellent , you get the point!!!! Congratulations!