I’m a racist. You’re a racist. Almost every White person in your family, neighbourhood and country is a racist. Why? Because racism is a hidden demon that exists in all of our lives, whether we know it or not.
Now don’t get me wrong, when I first heard this idea a week ago I thought it was crazy too. The North Shore community prides itself in being welcoming and diverse, so how can we all be racist? Well, it’s because we misunderstand what racism means.
The definition presented by the oxford dictionary is:
What makes this definition interesting is that although it implies that racism is commonly done as an act of consciously creating divide, it doesn’t specify it has to be. It also doesn’t state that hate has to be a part of it, which if you think about it pretty much goes against everything we have been taught racism to be. It is important to recognize these facts, because it allows us to realize that we all might be racist and not even know it.
Last week, our PLP 11 Humanities class started a new unit focusing on the Civil Rights Movement. I was quite excited to start this because it felt like the next chapter in the history story that we have been building up since grade eight, and the first glimpse we would be getting into old American history. What I didn’t realize however, was that a lot of our learning would also focus on the present. We read the book Dear Martin by Nic Stone which focuses on the life of a modern Black teenager, listened to an episode of the 1619 podcast about Black music today and discussed how each and every one of us was a racist.
By exploring all of these sources, I came to realize that we, as members of the White hierarchy of society, are indeed racist. Everything from ignoring the past struggles of Black people to not doing anything to challenge this society of White superiority is perpetuating the problem. I have come to understand that you don’t have to know that you are being racist to be so, and this is what makes it so dangerous.
So what can we do? How can we fight back against something that’s indivisible? Well, through this initial understanding I have determined that the first step is education, and that by taking small steps each day to combat the evils ingrained in our lives we can overcome:
How I decided to respond to this information is by making this book. It is a collection of hidden racist actions that I have discovered exist in all of our lives from the research we did in class along with some I did on my own. It draws upon facts and history, along with my personal connections. For example, I researched where the word Caucasian comes from and its racist connotations, but developed how to combat its use by making a connection to my own life. It was by learning its true meaning and reminding myself that it wasn’t based in fact that I now can make an effort not to use it anymore, which is what I suggest others to do in the book. I also make connections to the understanding that others have to my texts by making the disclaimer that I am not an expert so that they do not view my words as absolute truth. Hopefully with this perspective, I can start making a difference in my world without causing any damage.
To make this book, I used the app Keynote (like usual). What I’m really proud of however is that I didn’t use any google pngs; all of the images are made from Keynote shapes!
PGP Update:
A lot has happened since my last blog post with being quarantined and everything, but it has given me an excellent opportunity to grow. This is because I have had a lot of time for myself and have been able to focus on my physical, mental and emotional health. By taking more time for myself, getting better sleeps and exercising more, I have noticed a big change in my mood and energy. I have also taken to looking to my future, applying for weekly scholarships and asking important questions about my post-secondary education:
