What Black History Month means to me

In order for me to share my story, I need to take you back to my roots – and no I don't mean my roots in Zimbabwe or the Netherlands – I mean my roots in Ottawa, Ontario, where I spent the first 13 years of my life. For those of you who have never been to Ottawa, it's a vibrant place with many cultures and ethnicities. I am lucky and privileged in the sense that I grew up with a mom who did her best to teach my siblings and me that the colour of our skin doesn't define us.

 

The schools I attended in Ottawa were ethnically diverse, a majority of the student body being people of color. To put it plainly, I blended in. Race was never really a conversation that came up amongst friends. I was never singled out because of my skin color and never made to feel any different than my peers, and February was just another boring month of school.

 

When I arrived at Shawnigan in Grade 8, something changed. At Shawnigan I became a minority. I dealt with microaggressions, such as people asking to touch my hair. I received sideways glances and confused faces when I would talk about my white mother. And amongst other things I got comments about how I was whitewashed. According to the Urban Dictionary, the definition of whitewashed is, “When a person who isn't white forgets their culture and acts like a white person,” a not-so-subtle way of saying I was not Black enough. But I didn't forget my culture, rather my culture did not align with people’s ideas of what it should be. I did not fit into the typical Black person stereotypes.

 

When February rolled around, I chose not to participate in the Black History Month Chapel because I felt I had nothing important to add and was not “Black enough” to participate. I had many people come up to me and question why I didn't participate. After all, I was one of roughly 10 Black kids. Shouldn't I have felt compelled to talk about how Black history is important and how people need to stop using racial slurs like the infamous N-word when they think no one will catch them?

 

Well, at the time I had none of these thoughts. The only thing I was thinking was that the colour of my skin was a problem that made me different from those around me. I was lost and I didn’t know where I fit in. I'd like to say I had this great revelation moment where everything became better, but I didn't. I just slowly learned about who I was and what being Black meant to me personally. Of course I had help along the way from great House directors, friends, family and mentors such as Mimi and Timi who helped me relearn that I did not have to be defined by the colour of my skin or the experiences I have had. It has taken years for me to come this far and it is still a day-to-day battle.

 

I can now stand here and tell you all that Black History Month is important because it is a time of year when we all get to celebrate our differences and the people in history that have made it possible for people of colour to come this far, such as Viola Desmond, Lincoln Alexander and Michaëlle Jean, or more famous activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman. It is also a time to educate the uneducated about the issues people of colour still face, such as systemic racism, stereotyping, microaggressions and unfortunately blatant racism. And if you don't believe that these things exist, I hope you take this month to learn more about the experiences of people of colour and reflect on the reasons behind your belief.

 

These issues exist in the ways I'll hear about kids using the N-word because, “their favourite rapper uses it” or because “the people they hang around don't mind.” Well, C.S. Lewis once said, "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” Racism will not end until people choose to do the right thing when nobody's around to see them do it, even if it’s hard and makes them uncomfortable.

 

The Canadian government's theme for this Black History Month is: “Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build.” This theme celebrates the rich past and present contributions and accomplishments of Black people in Canada, while aspiring to embrace new opportunities for the future.” Like everything, Black people come in all shapes, sizes and colours. You cannot define one person by another's actions just like you cannot define a book by its cover. Take not only February but every month in the year to learn about how Black Canadians tie into our history, as well as what you can do to be an ally in the fight for racial equality and the abolishment of racism. In the words of Barack Obama, "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."