Racism

Yesterday I was listening to the radio and an African American celebrity was talking about his troubles with racism while in the Frankfurt airport in Germany. I didn't catch who it was but I couldn't believe the trouble he described while there. He was basically looked down upon and treated very different from everyone else. This got me thinking about my own life and situations where my family and I might be treated differently because my wife and kids are First Nations.

I tried to think of situations and circumstances that we've been in, which might be similar, but couldn't put my finger on any. I don't know if I block myself from seeing that kind of ignorance, or if it is because we live in a small city where mixed couples are very commonplace and people don't take notice to race. My hope is that the latter is the case, that our community is coming out of the dark ages and everyone is treated equally; my fear is that it's the former.

There are situations with my kids and the school system that I don't agree with and strongly express my opinion when circumstances arrive. An example of this is when they want to take my kids out of regular class to attend a First Nations program of some sort. My kids know what their heritage is and learn what they need to learn from their family. They don't need the school coming in and teaching them something they know nothing about. To me, taking them out of regular class and putting them in a "special" class because they are of Aboriginal heritage is segregation, plain and simple.

Later, when I was riding the bus on my way to work, an African American woman was running for the bus and got to the door just as the bus was pulling out. She actually knocked on the door as the bus pulled out; the bus driver pretended not to see her. At the very next stop, everyone got on the bus and the bus didn't pull out right away. A white male was running to catch a ride and the bus driver was waiting for him. That was one of the most blatant displays of racism I'd seen that I can remember. I was disgusted and still am. I should have got up and told that bus driver what I thought of him.

I don't understand how in the year 2008, ignorance still runs rampant. How can anyone of any race, think that they are superior or that others are inferior, based on the colour of their skin. People choose to turn a blind eye and think that there is no problem, but what if one chose to say something to these ignorant people when situations arise. What if their prejudice was exposed and they were made accountable for their actions. How many people would support someone speaking out to that bus driver as I should have?

It's something to think about next time you see someone being discriminated against because of their race. How would you feel if the situation was focused on you? Let's make a move to help make this world a little more livable and a lot more lovable. Everyone can make a difference.