B次元官网网址淢y grandma used to tell me that the reason why Black people exist was because God ran out of the colour pink.B次元官网网址�
It was a co-workerB次元官网网址檚 attempt at humour just a few years after Nadia Mugeni had moved to Canada.
That wasnB次元官网网址檛 the end of jokes that fell flat while Mugeni worked toward owning her own boutique lash studio, .
| 'The moment they saw my black skin and heard my thick accent they put me in a box,' recalls Nadia Mugeni about meeting some of her coworkers at previous jobs. (Aaron Guillen/B次元官网网址 Staff) |
In another instance, she spotted three white men wearing suits going from store to store near where she worked and asked her coworkers what the men were doing.
B次元官网网址淥h, thatB次元官网网址檚 the KKK,B次元官网网址� one responded with a chuckle.
Mugeni didnB次元官网网址檛 even know what the Ku Klux Klan was. She moved to Canada in 2014, without knowing English. She hadnB次元官网网址檛 learned about the North American white supremacist hate group while growing up and studying in Rwanda. After her coworkers explained, she was shocked by what they found to be lighthearted and funny.
B次元官网网址淭hat was one of the first times I became conscious of my black skin,B次元官网网址� recalled Mugeni, at her studio on Fifth Street in Victoria.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a part of me that thinks I just gave them the permission to say whatever they wanted cause I was so naive. I realized that when I met people for the first time, they didnB次元官网网址檛 see the skills that I brought to the table. Instead, the moment they saw my black skin and heard my thick accent they put me in a box.B次元官网网址�
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Victoria photographer Nathan Smith was born in Canada to a white mom and black dad, but raised in Jamaica. He was working at another job once when a man told him his dreadlocks looked like B次元官网网址渟h**B次元官网网址� and that it wasnB次元官网网址檛 a professional hairstyle.
In another instance, Smith was speaking with a woman who appeared visibly upset about her sisterB次元官网网址檚 use of the B次元官网网址渘B次元官网网址� word. While explaining her concern, she blatantly said the word without hesitation.
| Nathan Smith was working with a former employer in Victoria when he encountered a man who told him his dreadlocks looked like 'sh**' and that it wasnB次元官网网址檛 a professional hairstyle. (Aaron Guillen/B次元官网网址 Staff) |
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 so exhausting going into those situations because I now have to decide whether IB次元官网网址檓 going to engage and start trying to educate,B次元官网网址� said Smith.
B次元官网网址淚 shouldnB次元官网网址檛 have to defend my experience as one that isnB次元官网网址檛 an outlier because it happens all the time in our society. Even saying that white supremacy still exists shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be anything major. There are more people out there that experience discrimination, micro-agressions and violence than we realize.B次元官网网址�
Smith launched , a photography project that unveils the experiences of racism and racial profiling felt by people of colour in Victoria, Vancouver and nearby communities. Though he had a great response to a photo gallery he hosted in Chinatown in 2019, his have multiplied two to three times in the past few weeks.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 so glad that more people are joining the conversation, but I worry that B次元官网网址� people will only give me jobs for affirmative action. IB次元官网网址檇 like to think that IB次元官网网址檓 not a pity hire or only brought on to fill their diversity goals.B次元官网网址�
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James Bowen is tired of seeing protests and peace rallies in Victoria. As an immigrant who arrived from Grenada nearly 22 years ago, he sees those with signs and chants as B次元官网网址渨eaklings.B次元官网网址�
The owner of Caribbean Village Cafe on Quadra Street, Bowen said showing up at events doesnB次元官网网址檛 necessarily bring change.
| James Bowen, owner of Caribbean Village Cafe, moved from Grenada to Victoria nearly 22 years ago. (Aaron Guillen/B次元官网网址 Staff) |
B次元官网网址淚n fact, they [society] laugh at you. They give you time to demonstrate because they know you canB次元官网网址檛 sustain those things. We have to start from within.B次元官网网址�
Bowen said pressure groups within government are needed to start breaking down cultural hegemony, which dictates the dominance of one social group and its ideologies over other social groups. He pointed out that educational systems need a hard look at what theyB次元官网网址檙e teaching the next generation.
Bowen cited an example of a popular childrenB次元官网网址檚 song with deep roots in the slave trade.
B次元官网网址淚t used to be: Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, catch a n by the toe, if he hollers let him go, eenie, meenie, minie, mo,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淐hanging it to B次元官网网址榗atch a tiger by the toeB次元官网网址� doesnB次元官网网址檛 change anything. ItB次元官网网址檚 still derogatory. ItB次元官网网址檚 hurtful, no matter if you change a word. You donB次元官网网址檛 use it. You eradicate that nursery rhyme for what it connotes.B次元官网网址�
When someone wrote, B次元官网网址淕o home, nB次元官网网址� on his storefront many years ago, he wasnB次元官网网址檛 surprised.
B次元官网网址淚 am more than the word they wrote on that wall. What I wouldB次元官网网址檝e liked is to confront that racist in dialogue. I donB次元官网网址檛 want him or her to like me, but I want to understand where theyB次元官网网址檙e coming from. When we do that, we have better protocol to understand each other going forward.B次元官网网址�
READ MORE: B.C. Black-based group starts COVID-19 fund, urges officials to collect race-based data
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