Racial intolerance How many of us people of color living in the West have been subjected to or witnessed overt racism to people of visible minorities?
And how many of us chosen to remain reticent about our experiences and prefer to just walk away and pretend (hope) that it was just an aberration and it will just go away. I have to confess that I am guilty of this myself. Just today I read another story of a University professor being accosted this way - both physically and verbally. "University of Toronto international security professor says she tried to take a non-flash picture of the orchestra before the show started, and an older man sitting behind her struck her in the neck. “What was most disappointing was the other people in the section, just having looked at both of us, decided that I must have been in the wrong,” she said, noting she was the only person of colour in that section. When she realized other patrons were siding with the man, she “felt threatened” and went out to report the incident to staff." (Link given below: police-notified-after-academic-reports-she-was-assaulted-at-symphony.html) This follows close on the heels of another article by Shree Paradkar (link below: mississauga-womans-demand-for-english-speaking-doctor-spoke-volumes-paradkar.html) Shree goes on to say . . . "The most commonly known micro aggression is the otherization implicit in “Where do you come from,” invariably asked to people of colour. Another — and this one also raises the hackles of some white people — takes the form of a compliment: “How articulate you are. How well-spoken.” So colonized was I that it took me a while to comprehend the offensiveness behind what I thought was essentially a handshake between two equals." I have personally experienced this many times. The comment "How well you speak English" (or words to this affect) is NOT flattery. It is a racist comment and IT NEEDS TO BE CALLED OUT AS SUCH. Reticence today is not an option any more. Trumpism is on the rise in North America and Europe and certain sections of the community seem emboldened to give vent to their emotions either verbally or physically. Please do not stay silent if it happens to you or others around you. PLEASE SPEAK UP or call the Police if the altercation gets physical. Collectively, we can defeat this racism. If we do not act then as Shree says: "In the end, it leaves us well beneath the promise of the potential true multiculturalism holds." If you agree with the content of this message please feel free to send it to your friends. I have also posted it on my timeline of Facebook. Please share. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/06/21/mississauga-womans-demand-for-english-speaking-doctor-spoke-volumes-paradkar.html https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/06/22/police-notified-after-academic-reports-she-was-assaulted-at-symphony.html Timothy C. de Mello
