Happy Canada Day

Happy 143 birthday to our free country. Free, let us look at this word. I live in a country where if I wear traditional regalia to a gathering or any other public place I can be assured one out of three people I meet will say "nice costume". However, bluenotes and teeshirts are considered clothes. Any clothing not considered mainstream is relegated to costume status, something one might wear on Halloween. I live in a country that embraces other cultures. Embraces them for a weekend in various cities around the country, usually for a weekend, but only if the 5 D's are involved; dress, dinner, dance, dialect, and drum. We call them multicultural festivals. They are a time where people can go and watch the entertainment and feast on exotic foods..because anything outside of mainstream has that exotic label. In other cultures, it is called just food. A country where if my children qualify for a scholarship targeted for strictly their culture, I can be assured that the comments in the audience will consist of "great use of MY taxpayers dollars" or "where are the scholarships for the white students?" Based on a the systemic and institutional racism that plagues not only our schools, but the curriculum itself, the majority of scholarships are designed for whites only (but to come out and say that would be considered racist, but the comments of taxpayers dollars and on designated scholarships is not...it is freedom of speech. A country where, speaking of freedom of speech, our federally funded broadcasting corporation, will allow racist comments to be posted on any story relating to minorities, but refuse to post comments from someone who points out the truth about topics such as racial profiling, racist attitudes to minority communities, the abuse our elders faced in the government sanctioned residential schools, and the continued legacy they carry. A country where the government loves to announce the billions of taxpayers dollars that goes towards the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, without mentioning the majority of that money goes to the bureaucracy that it is. That money goes to White folks who run the department, not us. And it is not only you tax dollars, mine go there too. A country where a racist action from a white youth can be brushed off as a confused person, who in most circumstances, was just carrying on..kids will be kids. But when a Black or Native youth lashes out because they have dealt with upwards of 40 racial incidents...by lunch, they are considered violent, dangerous to society, angry, disrespectful, criminals, and example of whats wrong with their race. A country where if a white community has water problems, it is a disaster and the government will help right away. After all, clean water is a basic human right. However, we still live in a country where over 112 First Nation communities do not have access to water clean enough to wash their hands.
Happy Birthday Canada, you do not look a day over one when it comes to racism. Do not get me wrong, I love my country, I only wish it would love me back

First Nation University, well worth saving

As you may or may not know, First Nation University in Regina may be forced to close its doors due to the down right nasty spending habits, ok, let's just say it, theft of "tax payers money" The board has since been disbanded because funding has been cut at multiple levels. Let me start out by saying let's cut funding to all levels of government. If you have been following the news lately here in Nova Scotia,you will get what I mean. After all, $8000+ generators wired up to your home is not exactly above board, nor are the plasma televisions, $2000+ digital cameras, or 3 ipods all bought on the same day. Anyhow, this university is well worth saving, as it is providing the same thing each and every university out there provides, education...and yes culture. This culture comes in a slightly different package and here is where some of the public problems start. Comments I have been reading include verbal diarrhea such as "get an honest education that is actually recognized world-wide"(interesting seeing how the writer spelled recognized wrong), "why should my tax dollars go to help someone learn their culture?" cash in your child tax credits and welfare cheques to pay for it" What people forget to realize, or are so oblivious to the ocean of whiteness we live in, is that this school is teaching the exact same things. One can go to school at FNUC and get their education while at the same time, learn about their culture. They can read FN authors, learn about FN music, ceremonies, and traditional elder teachings. This is the same stuff that is taught, as one poster put it, at "normal" universities. Think about it, at say, Acadia, you learn about white writers, white music, white history, white thinkers, but we do not names these white, we simply call them music, literature, history, philosophy. We have all read Shakespeare, Longfellow, Blake, etc. These are considered classics. I ask, classics to who? Personally I find them quite boring and stuffy...but some folks like them. This university has gone through hell due to its leadership, we all know that, but do not knock the education provided, just because it does not fit your culture, does not mean it is not good. Who is to say one is better than the other, other than being better for the individual. Please save First Nation University.

Why?

Why is it that if there is a crime in Preston, when you look at the article in the Chronicle Herald, right after the heading, the town is identified as Preston? Why is it when there is a crime committed in Millbrook, when you look right after the heading, the town is identified as Millbrook? Why do you find the same thing with Membertou, Pictou Landing, Wagmatcook, and Eskasoni?
Why is it when there is a crime in Cole Harbour, when you look at the article in the Chronicle Herald, right after the heading, the town is identified as...Dartmouth? Why is it that when a crime is committed in Porter's Lake, when you look right after the heading, the town is identified as Dartmouth? The same is true for many other areas. What got me thinking about this...once again is an article in the paper today. Turns out a great deal of stolen goods had been recovered in Debert and the article, right after the heading, said Truro. For those of you who do not know Debert is located approximately 14 kms Northwest of Truro and has a population of 1422. I remember looking at an article about a crime that had happened in Millbrook First Nation a couple months back and found it, well, not surprising, that right after the heading, it was actually identified at Millbrook. For those of you who are not familiar with the area, Millbrook is located on Truro's side doorstep and has a population of 1345. One only has to take a look at the racial makeup of these towns that are identified in stories and the racial identity of those towns that are not identified to see what the "real" story is behind the reporting of crime in the media. Shame on you

Welcome to page 9 of the Chronicle Herald

So as a continuation of my blog from September 16 "5 arrested in raid in Preston", my point has once again been proven. Today in the Chronicle Herald, an article ran on the drug raid yesterday in Cole Harbour and Dartmouth. Get this... ON PAGE 9! Please read the previous blog if you are unsure about what I am talking about. I checked the CBC website and found exactly what I expected...nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. There were three comments:

• Put them in prison for life (11 disagreed)
• Unspecified(small amount), no weapons, what a waste of officers time and tax payers money (11 agreed)

• So what? The government is a big drug dealer anyway (18 agreed)

As predicted, CBC did not even run the names of the communities in the headline "12 charged in Halifax-area Drug raids" News flash, none were in Halifax. Last time I checked, Dartmouth and Cole Harbour were part of HRM, but not part of Halifax, nor is Preston, but they ALWAYS make sure that is known.
Amazing, and proves my point. A couple months back when a raid happened in Preston, people were all over this site wanting to get rid of the neighborhood, saying how it was such a horrible community. When I mentioned these raid happen all over the place, not specifically in one community and dared to even mention to check with your neighbors, as they may be dealers (think about it, what a great cover, selling drugs out of a middle class white community, police will never think of looking there), people were all over me. Correct me if I am wrong, but this raid was in Cole Harbour, and those names don't quite seem to fit the names people on this comment site THINK..yes THINK fit the names of people who should be charged in these raids. If you want to see then names, try not to get too tired flipping all the way to page 9, but they are there. Let me tell you, that Cole Harbour is nothing but a slum and crime community...sound familiar?

Do I want to Speak on Columbus Day...let me think about it!

First I want to personally thank Glenn Singleton and the staff at Pacific Educational Group for organizing once again an amazing Summit for Courageous Conversations in Baltimore. The feeling you get attending such an event with 500+ people passionate about anti- racism is, for lack of a better word, overwhelming. I was excited enough to be presenting my Historical time line workshop, on Columbus Day... in the US, and sharing the truth about terrorists like Columbus and Cornwallis to 25 or so people. However, on Monday, the day of the national celebrations of a glorified boat captain (I do not use the word explorer to describe these men. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Alrdrin are explorers, the others more like tourists visiting a place where someone already was/is), I was asked to speak to the entire conference for a couple minutes about Columbus. Talk about a dream come true...but only a couple minutes? Sure that is all this history deserves in a classroom, in the curriculum, but 2 minutes to to undo 517 years of lies...hmmm... I got it let's focus on present day

Here is a copy of what I said:

Columbus, South Carolina
Columbus, Missouri
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus, Wisconsin
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus State University...in Columbus, Georgia
Washington, D.C.
There is actually a statue of Christopher Columbus right here in Baltimore on the Inner Harbour, next to Christoper Columbus Building. Yesterday there was a parade through this very city to celebrate Columbus. Now I am one who loves geography, so I got out my maps and looked:
Hitler, Montana
Hitler, Arizona
Miloshevich, Kansas
Aldof Consolidated School
I could not find any of these places. If we are ok to name places after one person who committed genocide, why not others?

I would like to read you a few statements from the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948:

Article 1
The contracting parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace on in time of war, is a crime under international law.

Article 2
In the present convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group as such:

1. killing members of the group
2. causing severe bodily or mental harm to members of the group
3. deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part
4. imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
5. forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
   

Were Canada and the US guilty of genocide? In Canada, First Nation children were forcibly taken, sometimes by gunpoint by the police, from their homes and sent to Residential Schools, in order for them to learn how to assimilate into a society that did not want them there in the first place. If they made it through alive, which many thousands did not, where could they go? Home? No, they no longer spoke the language or knew their culture. Into the dominant society? No, they were still not wanted there. The destruction is still being felt, generations later. Our students are disengaged from school at grade 3 and dropping out on average at grade 9. Many generations destroyed by one act. I ask you, where did this start and when will it end? Our Prime Minister, this year, stood up in the House of Commons, actuallystood up and issued an apology for the treatment of children at the Residential Schools, which was the first time in our history a group representing First Nations was allowed on the floor of the House of Commons...FIRST TIME. However, just a couple weeks ago, this same Prime Minister actually stood on the floor on the United Nations and said (Canada)"...we have no history of Colonialism" I guess that apology was nothing more that words.
As we observe Columbus Day today, I ask you, when did this genocide start, should it be celebrated, and when will it end? Thank you


I did not have enough time to finish my thoughts, so here it goes. This convention was written in 1948, after WWII. That year there were 72 residential schools open in Canada. The last federally run residential school officially closed its doors in 1996. Should Canada be held accountable for this genocide? Today, in 2009, Canada and the US still practice genocide through our biased judicial systems. A disproportionate number of Black, Latino, First Nation, men and women are being incarcerated as compared to Whites. For identical crimes, the first group is more likely to receive higher sentences, at higher security levels, for no other reason, except for the colour of their skin. In many of these cases, in relations to drugs, you will see the first group sentenced to federal time, while the second group is given a chance at rehab. Now, what happens when these folks have kids? The province/state steps in, removes the kids and puts them where? Many, many times, they are completely removed from their own cultural and racial identity., please see Article 2(5) above

What is media, I mean, who owns media and why they say what they do

Media is more influential today than it has ever been, even more so than the reports from the mid seventies on the cold war and the general hatred spread towards Russians. Canadians, the same as Americans, have always depended on the media to tell us what to think, how to think, and how to judge others. When I look at the media, I do not look so much at the message, but first and foremost, at whom the message is coming from. I am not talking about the picture of “whiteness” that is on the screen, but the people you do not see. The people who have the say in what is put out there, those with the deep pockets, those who have the privilege to tell society what is the norm.

Up until the election of Obama as the 44th president of the US, the only time (generally speaking) you would see a person of colour in the news was if he was gunned down by the police for threatening them not with a weapon but with a cell phone. Instead of reporting the MURDER as done by the police, the focus is on the previous records of the victim. This happens all too often. One of the big offenders of this portrayal of people of colour as violent is the show COPS. Do you ever see them following an officer in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut? Do these areas not have crime?

The portrayal in sitcoms is even worse than the news. The recent hiring of Adam Beach, a First Nations actor, to the cast of Law and Order was a big day for FN people everywhere. Finally a FN actor not being type cast. After only a season, the last scene he was in saw him getting hauled away in the back of a police car. What does this tell society? First Nations people have always had a rough go with the media, from the cartoon antics of Bugs Bunny, the Flintstones, the Jetsons, even up to current children (teen) cartoons like the Simpson (who have a license to attack everyone it seems) to children programming on YTV that portrays the “noble savage” otherwise known as the Hollywood Indian. These are shows, produced by the dominant society, for, get this, their children! If these negative stereotypes are a thing of past generations and if society continues to let the media dictate what the dominant society believes and holds true, then how far have we truly come, where did we really come from, and where are we heading next?

Beat Obama with the GREAT WHITE HOPE

Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins has found a way to defeat the political agenda of the Democrats. According to remarks she made during a forum in Hiawatha, Kansas, "Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope". She also named three colleagues who could possibly be the next party leader, all three are white. In 1908 Arthur John Johnson, aka, Jack Johnson, won the World Heavyweight Boxing title, and the term "Great White Hope" was born in search of a white boxer who could actually beat Johnson. Congresswoman Jenkins, I would like to ask you what rock you have been living under, or are you so wrapped up in your own white privilege that you had no idea that the term "Great white hope" could be so offensive? Now I know you have been backpedaling, saying that it was taken completely out of context, however, unless you can please send me a picture and location of that rock you have been living under for your whole life, I do not believe you. Then again, maybe you are telling the truth. Maybe you honestly did have no idea that the term is offensive. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in your own white privilege you can not see the true meaning of the words that spew from your own mouth. I would personally like to thank you...thank you from the bottom of my heart, for once again providing the undeniable proof white privilege exists. Unless, of course, you can email me the picture of that rock

Townhall meetings, healthcare, Rosa, and Hitler..who would have thunk it

So I have been watching, reading, listening to pretty much everything I can about the goings on in the US of A as of late regarding the town hall meetings and Health Care Reform. To recap, a Black woman attending this meeting was sitting in her chair with a rolled poster sitting on a chair in front of her. A reporter approached her inquiring as to the contents of the poster. Turns out it was a picture of Rosa Parks. A White gentleman ( and I use that term to be polite)...to hell with it, this asshole, gets up, walks over to the Black lady, destroys the poster and sets back down. As the police or glorified security roughly escorted the lady from the premises, the audience had the audacity to cheer them on. For those of you who may have watched this incident on any channel OTHER than CNN, what you saw was a vocal, agitated Black woman being escorted out of the hall. you did not get the whole story. What you did not see is the footage of the police confronting a White male, female, and child holding signs, then laughing and walking away...as the signs stayed. What you did not see were the posters being held by White folk showing Obama as Hitler. What you did not see was the White folks holding signs calling Obama the "n" word. No, what you saw was the Black lady being escorted out after SHE was assulted by the White male. And for what? Having a poster with Rosa Parks rolled up on a chair in front of her...how dare she!
So what does this tell us? White privilege exists...of course. Why did the police treat a Balck lady..who was assulted remember, as a criminal and escort her...no forcibly remove her from the premisis, and at the same time, say nothing to the asshole who assultes her..or nothing to the assholes holding signs using the "n" word or the Hitler posters? So what else does it tell us? People, no those who fear they have something to lose with the Healthcare Reform (the haves vs the have nots) are not impressed with the idea of giving a little to help those in need. After all, is it not many of the haves that have been helping themselves to what little the have nots have for years? People no, the privileged, have an issue helping those who need help (taking from themselves to help others. No, because as I recall there was a special on ABC back in February where Diane Swayer went to visit the poor of Appalachia (everyone interviews was White) and low and behold, the day after the special aired, offers of money, scholarship, and all came pouring in for the poor White folk. So what does this prove? The haves do not mind helping out the have nots...as long as the have nots look the same.
By looking closely at what is happening and what is being said during this volitile time in the US, it is so easy to see that race is not just playing a part in the current atmosphere of heathcare reform, it is playing first, second, third, catcher, pitcher, outfield...and umpiring. This is so obvious, someone as dense as Rush Limbaugh should even be able to get it...but oh yeah, I forgot, now that there is a Black President, racism is over...WHATEVER

The meanings of Privileged language

I will be quick and to the point. I am very curious about the language not only society chooses to use but that of the media. I can remember seeing many protests or picket lines around Nova Scotia over the years. As a matter of fact, from what I recall, quite a number of them have been public civil servants (you know, the whole" I pay your salary" jobs..trust me, I can not stand this saying either). Now the issue I have here is the language used to describe these picket lines...just that PICKET LINE, or even more rebellious, how about protest ( a little more powerful sounding that demonstration). How many of us have heard of these picket lines not letting anyone through? no vehicles, no bodies. How many of us have heard of folks getting a bit, shall we say, roughed up by these lines? How many of us have heard the tongue lashings these folks throw out on these picket lines. So my question is, why do we chose such soft language to describe these lines, but when the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation near Nelson House, Manitoba, forms a picket line, WHICH, keep in mind is blocking vehicles only and letting people through, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, aka the CBC, runs the headline "Natives blockade norther Manitoba dam project"?? BLOCKADE?? That sounds more like a demonstration to me.
By the way, if you are wondering what exactly are they demonstrating against, no, it is not that it is sacred ground. No, it is not over land that was stolen. It is over promised jobs. Now, for those of you who say they are protesting over jobs that were promised to Natives...WRONG..they are protesting over jobs that were promised to LOCALS, it just so happens that locals in this situation happen to be from a First Nations community. Just the same as if the dam was being built in Guysborough (or fill in the blank with any small town Canada or US name) and most of the jobs were promised to said town. Now, if said town were upset and decided to demonstrate against what was promised, I am damn sure the CBC would not use the word "blockade" in the headline...CBC...smarten up, or is that too much to ask, after all, I pay your salary

Fuck off, we're full??? Racsim and facebook

This morning on facebook I was invited to join a group called "FUCK OFF, WE'RE FULL---> Canada. First I apologize for the language, it was theirs...not mine. Now don't get me wrong, I tried to stay off of Facebook as long as I could, and as my children can attest, I managed to stay off for a LONG time. However, it is a great Forum to discuss issues of the day. It is also a great place for the whole privilege piece to come into play. This group is all about how immigration is ruining Canada (remember, a country that is made up of approx 95% immigration). I have decided to copy my one and only posting to this group here, as I am sure it will not be on the site for vary long:

First of all, the only reason I joined this group was so I could post here. Once posted I will be leaving.

1. The national anthem was FIRST written in French, not English, wow...and you call yourself Canadian. It was not even proclaimed the national anthem until 1980, and the Englis version was not approved until 1968 by the Senate

2. For those of you who say immigrants should learn our ways...how many of you have been to a sweat? A sundance? Even smudged? I take it the silence means very few.

3. For those of you who say immigration should stop, remember, 95% of Canada's population is immigrants, from the past 400 years.

4. For those of you who say that stuff was in the past (treaties, etc) get over it. I say stop celebrating Canada Day, Confederation was in the past...GET OVER it

5. The problem here is something called privilege. When someone feels something is being taken from them (ie, jobs) what they are really saying is "hey, that job should have been mine.... but it was TAKEN away from me.. I deserved it." Why? Because I have privilege and when I did not get that job, it is unjust because a piece of that unearned privilege has been taken away. (if you honestly do not believe in this whole concept of privilege, you have just proved to yourself it does indeed exist, because EVERYONE else knows it is there. If you do not see it, you got it

5. As for the whole taking jobs thing. I hear people whining about immigrants working at corner stores, driving cabs, etc Are these the jobs they are taking away? APPLY FOR THEM dumbass! At the same time, please keep in mind that those immigrants that are working at the cornerstore, or driving you around in a taxi, could be much more of a hero than you. Chances are, they could easily save your life, as they are probably doctors, but due to our racist policies, are unable to practice.

Inclusion, not just for school

When you mention inclusion in schools to most parents, the conversation always falls to the outdated “Special Ed” classroom. Parents look at this in one of two ways: This is so great for my child, or my child will suffer from this. From my experience, the latter is usually the parent of a child who would not have fallen into the category of “Special Ed”. These parents fail to see the benefits of inclusion in the classroom. If these parents would get the opportunity, as I did, to see 60 elementary students forming a circle around one child (who without inclusion would not have had the opportunity to go camping) and cheering her name as she climbed a tree, they would see the benefits that all children get from inclusion.
When society thinks about inclusion, I believe this is the topic that is at the front. However, inclusion goes far beyond the classroom, and far beyond abilities. First Nations (FN) have never been included in mainstream society. As a matter of fact, when it comes to FN, the opposite holds true, exclusion. For many years, up to and including today, the Federal Department that is in charge of the “health and welfare” of FN people, the Department of Northern and Indian Affairs, employed very few FN people. Decisions are made without consultation of First Nations people themselves over and over again. Relocations such as James Bay, bending of their own rules, as in the case of Indianbrook Fisheries, mandated two year elections (the main reason very few enterprises will negotiate with FN governments), Residential schools ( I use the term schools lightly, prisons fits better), have all done nothing but help build a distrust of Mainstream society in FN communities. A lack of understanding of FN issues, life, culture, and society, from mainstream Canada has led to mistrust, cultural stereotypes, animosity, and sometimes hatred from mainstream Canada towards FN people. So, where do we go from here?
Education is the key. A strong understanding of the lives of FN people. An understanding of what it is like to be a stranger in the land your ancestors walked on for thousands of years. An understanding of the system we have to navigate constantly to get through this life. A willingness to forget all the things you THINK you know, and replace it with things you DO know. A willingness to see that Canada has a system set up that has two sets of rules, one for FN people and one for the rest of Canada. A willingness to understand that if we live in our communities, we can not start a business, as we are unable to build equity in homes we are not allowed to own, unlike mainstream Canada. A willingness to understand that the drug and alcohol abuse is a mechanism to deal with the pain and hurt mainstream Canada caused with Residential schools (and remember, not just the survivors are hurting, three generations and counting are suffering due to the abuse their grandparents and great grandparents suffered) A willingness to let our voices be heard in decisions that affect us (for the first time in the history of this country, June 11, 2008 was the first time a FN organization was invited, no, allowed in the House of Commons)
It is time for inclusion of FN in the Canadian society, but mainstream Canada, please remember, we do not want you to say we can be included, we do not want your permission to be included, we just want it to happen.

Too many to talk about, whiners abound

I have been reading a lot of posts recently, on Facebook groups, CBC discussions on articles, and have seen a common theme. "Minorities stop whining". "Pull yourself up by the bootstraps", if you have never had the opportunity to own boots, how is this possible.
I just finished reading through post about a article in where a local drugstore had a display case, under lock and key, for certain products for Black folk. Yes, under lock and key. Along side you could buy products such as you aussie shampoo, brylcreem, clips, barrettes, combs, and any of the other millions of products geared towards White folks. While reading through the comments people insisted the store had a right to lock up anything they feel neccessary. They had a right to protect their property. I totally agree to this, yes, they do have a right to protect their property. But are they protecting it properly? Since statistics in the US and Canada show the majority of shoplifting is done by White mid to upper income females, should they not be locking up the aussie shampoo? what about those barrettes? This is not protecting your proprty. This is buying into the stereotype that Black folk are theives, and not law abiding like the "norm" of society. Like I said, buying into and perpetuating the stereotype. The same stereotype we see on shows like Cops, Law and Order (remember Adam Beach, in his final show, even he was hauled away in the back of a police car.. I wonder if he was dropped on the outskirts of Saskatoon like so many before), even the current season of 24 has the Whitehouse being taken over by a poor country in Africa who the Americans are trying to save. The same stereotype that shows a black man on the front page of a local newspaper being put in the back of a car (caught) and a White guy's picture, small as possible, buried in the paper even though he is wanted for robbing a bank.
The other comment I noticed over and over is that minorities should "stop whining". I find it interesting that pointing out an injustice is considered whining. Is it whining that is going on in the South end of Halifax because they want to divert tucks onto the throughway for the train? No, it is called a community rallying together. Is it whining when a group of Black folk get together to protest the newest racial profiling case, aka "driving while Black", by the police? Why do these two questions get different answers. I find it quite ironic that when White folk are telling minorities to quit whining, they themselves are the ones doing the whining.

What's in a name?

A few months ago I was in a workshop about How to Teach Biracial and Multiracial Students: Racial Literacy for Today’s Classroom. The Presenter started off the session with a simple question, “What are you?” I choose to sit at a table where I knew I would have allies. I will admit, being a person from a biracial background and one who all to clearly knows the meaning of White Privilege, based on outward appearance and outward appearance only, I was getting looks from participants not of my table. To those around me, I was out of place. Sitting at my table were an African American male, two African American females, as well as a male and female of Latino descent. We were sitting at a table in the centre of the room and all along the perimeter was White Privilege. Keep in mind, we were there for similar reasons, to gain the ability and experience to talk about race.
When the question was posed by the facilitator, “what are you?”, and interesting thing happened, no one talked and all eyes pointed to our table. Finally after the longest 30 seconds of my life, and I am sure of the facilitator’s life, someone answered the question, “I am Irish American”. A few seconds later, “I am Russian American”, followed by “I am Italian American”. Not one person from my table spoke up. I found this fascinating, everyone who labelled themselves during this small exercise, had white privilege. They all felt the need to define themselves. It got me thinking, why do these people, who from outward appearance seem to fit the loose definition of race we were all taught growing up, feel the need to differentiate themselves from on another by labelling? Why were the people sitting at my table not labelling themselves? Is it because they did not feel the need to do so, or was it because they knew everyone in the room had already given them a label because oft heir outward appearance?
As the session went on, one male from another table asked an interesting question, “Ok, so what do we call these kids who are biracial? What is the new safe term we can use?” As I looked around the room, I could see many of those in a privileged position hanging on, waiting for the wonderful answer to all their problems from the facilitator. In the meantime, I could feel a real shift in the aura around my table. We all sat there, not looking at the facilitator, not looking around the room, but looking at each other. I could not take the silence any longer. People were no longer wanting to talk about race, they simply wanted the “quick fix” to all their problems. I blew up…no sorry, spoke up. The following is a recap of my words: Why is it that the dominant Eurocentric society feels the need to give those around them a label? What is it that gives you the right, the power, the justification to do so? These names you give, YOU choose, are they ever what the group wish you to use? If you want to know what to call someone, here is a novel idea…ask them! Let’s take a look at naming though history. Seeing how we are in America, how about we look at the term that is given for Native Americans, Indian. Where does that come from?
From this question I got all the typical Columbus answers one would expect. When I shared the truth about this term, people flat out denied the true history of the meaning.
As educators, we must realize the hidden meanings some of labels we use for people carry. Unfortunately, the only people who seem to see the hidden meanings in these labels are those the dominant society choose to label.

Nothing like a good old fashion drug raid to bring out the BEST in people

This past week we have seen the arrest of a First Nations band manager for possession, trafficking, and weapons offences. While scanning through readers' comments, it appears the accused's actions speak for a whole race. Amazing the number of racists events like this bring out. Some of the posts I read include: "Reserves breed drug use", "Corrupt politicians", "What do you expect", "Bet he plays the Native card","typical, those people will defend him", "The sad part about this is you will most likely see this guy back in business soon. Most likely going to see the native card pulled on this. I wonder if drug trafficking is mentioned in the treaty. .", " Chief must of been sleeping on that day or nursing a hang over"," No wonder First Nation's people are in such dire straits", The list goes on and on. So why is it the actions of one individual, guilty or not, are representative of a group? Let's look back at the recent events in Halifax involving two families heavily involved in the drug trade. There were almost daily shootings, one in front of the Children's Hospital. These two families are located in the same area. I did not recall seeing any comments stating the actions of these groups represent the actions of all white folk. Saying something like that would be , well, just plain silly. So why is it, the actions of individuals of colour, African Canadian, Latino, First Nations, to the dominant society, seem to represent the group as a whole? Racism at its finest