Part One:
鈥淏lack lives matter. We can鈥檛 breathe. Don鈥檛 kill us.鈥�
These were the words that a 10-year-old girl in Salmon Arm drew in a picture after hearing about a racist comment a friend had made.
Sidney Vlieg, her father, said while overt racism comes from a minority in the community, he has heard a significant amount of denial that racism exists, particularly when his daughter, who is black, is not with him. She was adopted from Ethiopia and he is of white European descent.
鈥淗ow can you (know), you鈥檙e a white person in a 90 per cent white town. It鈥檚 minimizing those that have experienced it.鈥�
Denial is more of a passive bias, not necessarily actively racist, he said.
鈥淏ut if you don鈥檛 admit there鈥檚 a problem, you can never solve anything.鈥�
In the overt instance that led to such anxiety for his daughter, he said a friend of hers was bothered by the comment so told his daughter and her teacher when school reconvened.
鈥淚t is great it was brought forward.鈥�
But Vlieg said he didn鈥檛 know about it until his daughter told him when he picked her up from school that day. She was terrified.
He doesn鈥檛 think it was initially taken as seriously as it should have been, but he said the school subsequently responded really well.
鈥淵ou have to stop everything and address it with everybody.鈥�
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More recently, he was pleased with how an incident was dealt with which involved someone trying to get kids to say a derogatory word. A written and verbal apology provided to his daughter recognized the effect on her and her wider world.
With emotion, Vlieg expressed how much he had appreciated the children who spoke up and refused to do what was requested.
Another instance of racism was the painting of harsh graffiti on a city underpass.
Vlieg has also seen pickup trucks flying Confederate flags in town and a person wearing a Confederate T-shirt and hat. He mentioned it on a Facebook page and was 鈥渄estroyed鈥� by commenters defending it, he said. 鈥淚t was sickening.鈥�
鈥淎ll of these things affect us.鈥�
But he notes his daughter is still young and isn鈥檛 out in the world on her own yet.
鈥淲hat about the 15-year-old boy, what about immigrant black families? All they鈥檙e trying to do is survive and fit in, they鈥檙e not going to say anything. And it鈥檚 not just black, it鈥檚 First Nations.鈥�
He said it鈥檚 not uncommon for First Nations people his family knows to be followed around by store staff in Salmon Arm while shopping.
鈥淢ake no mistake, this is not an Indigenous problem, not a black problem, not a person of colour problem 鈥� it鈥檚 a white problem.鈥�
Vlieg added that there鈥檚 nothing wrong with white people, with being white.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not blaming all the white people for what happened 300 years ago. What we can do is do something positive today, be responsible for what we do today.鈥�
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People of Asian descent in B.C. and across Canada have reported racism directed at them, particularly during the pandemic, but those interviewed in Salmon Arm said they haven鈥檛.
Melissa Brett is one.
鈥淚 kind of thought, being a nurse at the hospital, with dark eyes, half-Japanese and slightly Asian eyes, I had thought about it. Would that be something my patients could be more concerned about?鈥�
She said she can鈥檛 imagine how upsetting it would be to be exposed to that when risking your own life, providing care.
鈥淩egardless of an origin of a virus, I think a lot of it stems in fear and anger, potentially trying to direct that at a source to alleviate some of the frustration people are experiencing.鈥�
She said she feels Salmon Arm has been a very respectful place.
鈥淥f course we鈥檝e seen things like the mask rally鈥�, but for the most part I feel people respect each other.鈥�
Her family moved to the community from Steveston, where there are more Asian people.
鈥淲hen I first moved here four years ago, I felt a bit like I stood out a little bit, even though I鈥檓 only half Japanese 鈥� but the dark hair. I have definitely seen a stronger presence of Asian people here in Salmon Arm more recently.鈥�
Brett noted that during the Second World War, her father鈥檚 siblings and parents were among those placed in internment camps, and not together.
She said she appreciates it when people with different foods and cultures can come together and celebrate, as it creates a new perspective for children.
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Vlieg, who moved to Salmon Arm about three years ago, said he鈥檚 sure that by far most people in the community don鈥檛 subscribe to racist thoughts.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 the responsibility of white families to tell their children about our racist past鈥�,鈥� he emphasized.
鈥淓ducate your kids and actually listen to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) people when they speak about their experiences. Believe them and listen to them鈥�
鈥淟isten to the black and Indigenous artists, what they have to say in their songs and their art.鈥�
Asked if he was prepared for racism when he adopted, Vlieg answered somberly.
鈥淣othing prepares you for when you鈥檙e putting your nine- or 10-year-old to bed and she says, 鈥榳hen is this racism going to stop?鈥欌��
marthawickett@saobserver.net
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