February is Black History Month. It’s unofficial right now but the Ontario government is moving to formally recognize it. How ironic and unfortunate that the issue of racism in London has shown its ugly face this month.
E.B. Smith, an actor from Cleveland starring as Dr. Martin Luther King in a production of The Mountaintop at the Grand Theatre, wrote on Facebook that since he’s been in our city, he’s been subjected twice to racial slurs, right out of the blue. Once while he and another black actor from the show were walking downtown, and another time at a well-known pub owned by a man from South Korea who admitted he’s also been targeted by racist cretins since living here.
I know racism exists. It’s certainly alive and well in the US and I’m not naive enough to think it doesn’t appear here. But now that the topic’s been raised, people are coming forward to explain just how prevalent it is.
Best-selling author Lawrence Hill (The Book of Negroes; brother of singer Dan Hill) was born in the States but grew up in Don Mills, Ontario. Asked about Smith’s experiences, Hill wasn’t suprised at all. He said racism is a part of life for a person of colour who grows up in Canada.
After I expressed outrage on social media over the way Smith was treated, I was contacted privately and confidentially by a black woman I know. She listed in detail the types of comments she’s been subjected to, from, “you don’t sound black” to nicknames derived from stereotypes, usually delivered with a laugh to disguise their offensiveness.
It’s deeply upsetting. I’m appalled that some people on Facebook also expressed their disbelief that their own comments and reactions were racist when that’s clearly what they were. How can you tell? When the comment comes from the point of view that being white is the norm, or that another race is evaluated by its comparison to whites. It’s a lot like the prevailing sexism that exists without people realizing it, either. A small example; OPP will send out a media release with this headline: Drunk driver will try walking for 7 days. But if the drunk is a woman the headline will be: Female drunk driver will try walking for 7 days. That insinuates that everyone is a man unless stated otherwise. It’s subtle, but it’s inherent and it’s pervasive and it’s sexist.
E.B. Smith was angry at first when the guy in the pub called him the N word but he didn’t stay mad for long. Smith realizes that this person is an ignorant fool and his opinion should be taken as such. But not everyone has such a sophisticated reaction. It hurts. I don’t see racism in my daily life. I wouldn’t tolerate it, nor would I be friends with a racist person. So how does someone like me do anything to help erode it in my city if I’m not in actual contact with someone who behaves this way? It’s a tough question and I don’t have the answer yet. But I’m going to start by contacting E.B. Smith on Facebook, and telling him how glad I am that he’s performing here.
My perceptions and experiences are that, racism, sexism and discrimination are all part of the same root attitudinal beliefs and each of them are highly pervasive within society and I encounter similar issues each and every day.