Building On-Ramps to the Black Lives Matter Movement
Why we need white, anti-racist Canadians to help fight systemic racism
Opinion: Stephen Dorsey, Black Resident of Roncesvalles (Toronto, Canada)
Over the past six weeks since the very public killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, the focus on anti-Black racism around the world and in Canada has been intense.
As a Black Canadian, I have personally experienced a range of emotions no doubt enhanced by the effects of the pandemic. I’ve gone from shock to sadness, to anger and reflection, and finally landed on hope. I’m hopeful that this moment in history is a tipping point, and that real change is coming.
As an eternal optimist, I feel that the realities of systemic, anti-Black racism are finally being recognized or addressed as a real issue by a majority of Canadians in a manner that seems and feels serious and purposeful.
We’re also seeing corporations take action (I hope that it is with purpose and conviction) putting their brand capital at risk for what they believe is more important and of value to a changing world — social capital.
In this historic moment, we are seeing some elected officials at all levels of government, standing up and putting forth policies to mitigate systemic, anti-Black racism. For some politicians, this has meant taking the risk of moving away from their safe and comfortable status quo positions that have traditionally kept them in office.
The cynics can say that these efforts are very late in coming, but I think it’s more constructive to focus on the positive actions they are taking today. We can’t change the past.
Much like what we saw during the civil rights movement of the 1960s in the United States, many non-Black citizens in this country are also wanting to be part of the change.
This desire to lend support is not the same for all white people as many are starting from different points of reference and understanding, or willingness or ability to do or say something. This is an important reality that must be considered as we navigate through change.
In watching the many protests in streets across our country we’ve seen the visible support of many non-Black citizens joining in the demand for change in support of Black Lives Matter. Marching arm in arm with Black people, standing at the barricades if you will.
For other white “allies”, this moment in history has challenged them in other ways. As you may have experienced in your circle of friends, this group of white Canadians have perhaps focused less on marching in the streets but instead, have taken time to intellectually and emotionally reflect on where they stand in all of this.
They have been trying to make sense of what “white privilege” actually means in our society, what it means to them and how they have benefited (consciously or unconsciously) from it. I’ve had so many conversations with white friends, neighbours and colleagues about this — many coming to their own understanding that anti-Black racism is real and that it has had a negative, generational impact on Black people in this country.
Other white people have started from a more traditional defensive position - “I’m not a racist”, and gained a new understanding of the difference and importance of being anti-racist.
There is another segment of the white population that for whatever reason (age, socio-economic, cultural background, etc.), are unaware of the social, political and cultural movements that are shaking up the world around them. Some choose to be distracted and unaware by choice, others are simply walking through life oblivious of the tempest around them.
For some in this group of white Canadians, they are just now grappling with the basics around the anti-racist dialogue thrust upon them, even with why the All Lives Matter statement is considered to be a direct attack on the Black Lives Matter movement, and why it is as a dog whistle to actual racists and white supremacist. I’ve personally had many conversations with white people on this one topic alone trying to bridge an understanding.
Earlier this week, in my Toronto neighbourhood of Roncesvalles, Len McAuley the owner /operator of the Home Hardware store (in business for more than 85- years) posted a message on his store marquee that read, All Lives Matter. Be Safe. Be Kind.
A neighbourhood resident took a photo, shared it on social media, and the post quickly went viral. BlogTO also covered the story.
As you can imagine, the backlash was immediate, with lots of angry posts including calls for boycotting the store.
There were also many apologists who came to Len’s defence — some using familiar refrains noting that Len has “no racist bone in his body”.
Within 24-hours, Len’s resignation from the Roncesvalles BIA was accepted by the board (he had served for 20-years), he took down the offending message and replaced it with a Black Lives Matter statement.
This incident has caused much discussion and debate in our neighbourhood and generated many opinions. Based mostly on information from social media posts, many have made their decision as to who Len is as a person, how he should be treated as a result of his transgression, and their view on how his business should be impacted.
I was motivated to fully understand this situation and to see if this could be a learning opportunity that could contribute, in a small way, to the efforts towards changing the anti-Black racism realities we currently face.
So I called Len — I had many questions. We had an interesting 15-minute discussion which quickly revealed to me that he was very unaware of the big picture of the systemic racism realities in our society, and of the recent uprising in consciousness and energy around anti-Black racism and the BLM movement. I wanted to know more, so I told him I would meet him in person to continue the conversation.
The next day, I met with Len at his store. Len and I knew each other casually from the hood. I shopped regularly in his store, and in my role as a volunteer director on the board of the Friends of Sorauren Park, I had interactions with him as he was a major supporter and sponsor of programming activities in the park.
I wasn’t going in with the express objective to find out if Len’s action was that of a racist, but I simply wanted to understand for myself rather than pile on to the debate without context and solely taking my cues from much of the social media vitriol or apologetic tropes.
I asked Len if he was a racist. He said no. “I was taught by my father to respect all people,” he added.
I asked him if he understood the difference between not being a racist and being anti-racist? He said no, so I took the time to provide an explanation.
I asked him if he was aware or understood what was meant by and the realities of systemic anti-Black racism. He said that someone had just explained it to him the day prior but that he had no clue about the broader issues and of the real impact on the daily lives of Black people.
I asked him how he came to decide what words he was going to put on his marquee that day. “I just wanted to share a positive message with the community, and the All Lives Matter sounded inclusive and positive.”
So, of all the words you could have picked, that is what you chose? “Yes”.
That’s like winning the lottery jackpot in reverse I noted. 1 in 14 million chance of getting it wrong, and you did. Hard to believe I noted.
He added that one of his children had seen the sign and called him letting him know that his statement was very political. Len said that after this conversation he was still unsure as to the context of the ALM message until the tsunami of backlash hit him.
Len reiterated his previous public position that he had no intention to hurt anyone and that there was no malice behind his action. He said he now recognizes and understands why people are upset at what he did.
I asked him how he could be so out of the loop in a world filled with 24-hour cable news, newspaper articles and online posts.
Len said he worked 12 hours a day, went home to have dinner, and he and his wife mostly focused their discussions around their family- their children, grandchildren and plans for holidays and family get-togethers. He hardly went online, and barely read a paper or watched the news.
In short, he detailed that his family did not often discuss what was happening with the world around them- that they were comfortable in the bubble of their immediate life. Hard to imagine for many of us but I expect it’s more common than we think.
I asked him if he understood what was meant by white privilege? “Not really” he answered. I did my best to explain it to him in terms that would make sense to him.
I made the point of how different things were for white versus Black people. That his white privilege enabled him to stay in a bubble of blissful unawareness with no real negative consequences (until now), while Black people and other visible minorities had no such luxury, as they were impacted by systemic racism in their daily lives. He acknowledged understanding and that it probably accurately reflected his reality.
In the ten plus years that I have shopped at Len’s store, I have never seen an employee from a visible minority. I asked Len why he had never hired a Black person. He said that most of his employees had been with him for a very long time, he hired some of his children over the years, and that not one Black person had ever applied for a job in all the years he has been running his business.
Possible? Who knows. As one of a handful of Black residents in Roncesvalles, it’s not an impossibility. But only Len knows for sure.
Len shared a story about having been invited years ago to an indigenous blanket ceremony where he learned about the injustices and cruel treatment of indigenous peoples in Canada by the “white man”.
He was moved by the experience but admitted that he subsequently took no action to affect change with the new learnings he had gained. He stayed in his bubble.
As he was sharing this story, I could see he was connecting the dots to the current crisis of his own making and realizing the magnitude of his action, a big mistake as he tells it.
Len told me that he is accepting full responsibility and the consequences of his mistake. He understands that some will choose to stop shopping at his store, Home Hardware may sever their ties with him, and possibly in time, he may lose his business. He understands that this could all happen and that he would be solely responsible.
For now, Len shared that he is taking steps to become more aware, to learn and listen (he was grateful for our conversation), and to find ways to do his part to affect change.
For my part, I feel more anchored in having heard his version of the story and gained my own understanding and perspective of the situation.
“Ultimately, the proof of Len’s truthfulness and sincerity will be judged by his actions going forward.”
Ultimately, the proof of Len’s truthfulness and sincerity will be judged by his actions going forward.
If we hope to have white people, who have erred purposefully or by mistake, and who now want to be part of the change- including Canadians like Len who may be very unaware or misinformed or possibly worse, should we not provide these potential allies with an on-ramp to do so? How will burying them in shame and scorn lead to the progress we seek?
Outrage culture (spewing anger before fully understanding) as exemplified often on social media, leads to more divisions, and the associated negativity impedes progress towards finding common ground and achieving the positive change we all want.
Canada will only achieve its anti-Black racist, societal goals with the support of its anti-racist, white citizens. This includes white Canadians who are in positions of authority with the power to affect the needed corporate and government policy changes we need, and at the other end of the spectrum, the average white citizen who is willing to stop normalizing the racist behaviours of others by simply calling out racism when they see or hear it.
Everyone has a part to play.
We need more truth and reconciliation in our everyday lives. South Africa was able to move forward as a new, non-segregated nation by acknowledging the wrongs of the past, forgiving those that took responsibility for their misdeeds and establishing the laws and policies that set the stage for white and black citizens to work together towards true equality, equity, and justice for all. It’s still not perfect but they continue the work to get it right.
“Forgiveness liberates the soul, it removes fear. That’s why it’s such a powerful weapon.” — Nelson Mandela
Over my 50+ years on this planet, I’ve lived the majority of my life surrounded by the white experience. I grew up in white households, in white neighbourhoods, and went to schools in Montreal and Victoria where there were only a handful of Black students or other visible minorities.
At home and abroad, I’ve personally experienced hundreds of occurrences of racism — simply due to the colour of my skin.
This included name-calling and exclusion from groups as a child, barriers to jobs I applied for, denied promotions I merited, having been turned away from available rental apartments which were suddenly “rented”, denied access to certain bars and nightclubs, and witnessed white women cross the street fearful of the tall black man walking towards them.
I’ve also had many scary situations including being pulled over and out of my car by “military police” in Spain and Portugal — several times with machine guns pointed directly at me. And much more.
I’ve pushed through all that and continued to make my way in this world, remaining optimistic that if we make the effort to better understand and respect each other, that we can forge a more just society.
So, let’s all work together to create more bridges of understanding and more on-ramps for the many white Canadian allies that Black people need to make real change happen. It’s our best chance at a better future for all.
