Caritas Christi
I was trying to avoid this discussion. I really was. But it’s not going away, and pretending that it will is just hurting me. For the past few years there has been increasing attention paid to anti-racist activities, and the effect that they are having on the national conversation, and I hoped that things would improve. But no. Instead of turning the corner, it’s sliding into disarray. It’s horrible, and I’m forced to talk about this, when I’d rather tell funny-ish stories about my dog who is planning to eat me…
Last year, there was an increase in protests related to anti-black racism in response to a spate of killings by police officers. Then there was an uptick in anti-Asian racism in the past year where people were attacking persons of Asian descent for reasons that border on monumental stupidity. But now there are stories of bodies being found in unmarked graves of over 1,000 children so far that were at residential schools. All of these are unbelievably dreadful and tragic on levels that should not exist in a civilized nation. What’s worse is the expected and predictable response where there are excuses made that cover things like, “I shouldn’t be blamed for this just because I’m white!” or “Can’t we just move on?” While it’s true that none of us now present were involved in the decision making process or had anything to do with the abhorrent conditions that led to where we are now, it remains up to us to change the situation and improve things so that it doesn’t happen again. It’s not enough to just say how terrible things are and wring our hands in misery and push it down the road. And it’s definitely not enough to complain that there’s too much money being paid out by governments to cover the damages while losses and pain continue. Pain and loss continue. It’s just beyond words that these things continue.
Yes, the bodies of those children were buried possibly decades ago, but the ongoing situation is still shameful. The ripple effect of the damaging choices that were built into the system all those years ago still are visible. It took years for the system to be put in place, and it’s been decades that it’s been there, so it will take at least that long for it to be eliminated, unfortunately. I know that it’s hard to find a way to act to make a difference, and it continues to be a challenge to find a way to be an ally. But let’s begin by not calling each other names, nor using racialized epithets to refer to others. Contrary to popular belief, it’s very easy not to be racist! It’s a choice you make to avoid hurting others. Don’t hurt them, and you’re already a long way ahead to supporting other groups. The other thing, and this is really important, is that you don’t use religion as a crutch. Don’t use the bible to support your hatred — it’s contrary to everything that the bible teaches to use hatred against a group or an individual. Instead of that, talk to the person, and clear up any misunderstandings. Don’t use hatred as a currency. It makes it challenging to celebrate Canada Day this year — it’s hard to have a “rally round the flag” moment when the flag has been sullied by 1000 extra deaths and the values that were hailed as being the most effective way to bring us into the future have been trampled underfoot. I’m
Your role, simply, is to consider how you would react in the same situation. How would you respond if you were dealing with hatred? Bear in mind that you can’t lash out, that you can’t retaliate and you can’t respond with anger. You are limited to replying in mild language, because you’re in the wrong from the start. Your power is stripped from you and that’s all that’s available to you. How else could you reply? It would feel like your only option is violence, but that’s entirely wrong, and it’s extremely limiting. Please, please, let’s redirect our energy to finding other solutions and find ways to building new options. Our choices become better if we work collaboratively and if we build links to heal. I’m not asking victims to solve all the problems, but I am asking that we show that the road to a whole society lies through the application of the Beatitudes. Let’s vow not to retaliate.
For those of us who are not implicated in the direct violence, let us bless God for His grace to us, as we don’t have to deal with this directly. But let’s get involved! We can support businesses, artists and individuals in the community, and we should. That will be our solidarity and we will speak out against attacks. Right? Maybe next year we will have restored our commitment to maintaining our human rights and we can again sing, “we stand on guard for thee.”
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