On Racism 3 of 3

Part 3

We must speak fearlessly. Hate resonates loudly because it savagely destroys language without concern. Silence is born from the fear of offending others. But we will no longer be silent. We will make noise. We will mess up. Fall on our face. But, we will not cower in silence.

Our words come from warm hearts. We will not be ashamed that we offend one another by accident. We will not shame those who need time to master this new language. We will learn and teach in the same breath. We shall make noise.

We will be uncomfortable. We shall re-educate ourselves in the skill of deeply listening. We shall learn. We shall learn to listen to ourselves. We shall become the safe spaces that we seek. We shall no longer segregate ourselves from love, hope, potential, criticism, and truth.

If silence is no longer Canadian, our noise must be passionate and deep. It must be ever evolving. We must be open to all who seek the path of love. We shall make noise.

We will no longer use language as a weapon against potential allies. Fighting racism, and bigotry is not a competition where we crush the imperfect the way we've been crushed. Our conflict is not with those who try to support and fail. Saying the N word doesn't make you an enemy. You're likely just further down the path. If you carry love in your heart, you will always be welcomed. You've already been forgiven.

If silence is no longer Canadian, allowing those who fester in hate to drown alone is equally a crime. There's nothing after this. Being Canadian must become the act of seeking a righteous path despite the history of shame that we sweep beneath carpets and into therapy sessions. We shall no longer allow our forefathers actions to be dirty secrets. We shall remember that, “Sunlight is the greatest detergent.” We shall learn our history in an honest attempt to build on successes, and prevent the environments that led to our nation's lowest points. We shall call out any hate for what it is, and listen to one another with equal zeal. Our roar shall echo from sea to sea.

Silence is no longer Canadian. Staring down at our phones and texting while our fellow compatriots are being assaulted, or harassed for the colour of their skin is no longer Canadian. We shall call it for what it is. We can no longer be silent. We shall make noise.