Toronto The Good
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I moved to Canada in the late ‘80s and having lived here for almost 30 years, I can say that I have felt discriminated against or felt fearful because I was a different race on only a handful of occasions. The multiculturalism and acceptance of others are both attributes of this city that I love fiercely and that I think most Torontonians are so very proud of. The city is not perfect but the feelings of belonging and welcoming are real.
There was one time when I felt a specific fear. It was late one night in the early ‘90s and my then boyfriend/now husband and I were at a Shoppers Drug Mart in East York doing some shopping. I noticed three other people in the store as well, making quite a ruckus and when I looked closely at one of the men, I realized that it was a well known local white supremacist who had recently been in the news sharing his opinions. I felt a sense of dread – here I was, a brown girl in a store with my white boyfriend and this man who was already making his presence known. My dread turned to real fear that anything could happen and I quickly made the decision to exit the store without purchasing anything.
As we got into the car, my husband questioned our departure, saying that we weren’t doing anything wrong so why should we have left? I understood his confusion but as I explained to him, not doing anything wrong wasn’t the issue…our mere existence was.
I am lucky to work at a company that values inclusion and diversity. I have friends who feel the same way I do and I choose to live my life being accepting of others and not enabling stereotypes that can lead to judgment which is a dangerous and slippery path to be on.
The fear I felt that night is returning a bit. I have not been the victim of any incidents however, the increase in alleged hate or race crimes is extremely worrisome.
The most recent incident at the Island Ferry terminal last week is an example of a rage and anger that seems to be building in our city (and in many other places as well). People don’t see people. They see stereotypes, they paint entire groups with a broad brush, based on a small amount of information they may have. It is sad and wrong. There is no doubt in my mind that the increase in these incidents have arisen because of the political situation south of the border and I hope we can hang on and maintain ourselves and our ability to accept others: it is one of our truly great attributes.
Canadians come in all shapes and sizes, colours, accents, hairstyles, food preferences…the list goes on. Torontonians too. The ties that bind us are compassion, empathy and acceptance. Let’s hope we can prevail.