Black lives matter.

The events in Minneapolis, that started with the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers, is something overwhelming for all of us to process. 

I admit I have been on a rollercoaster of emotion trying to make sense and process what has occurred. While I have spoken a great deal to close friends and family, I have not said anything more publicly. While it may be true that I am not one for social media pontification, regardless I have a platform and the question I asked myself is, “Does saying nothing say something?” My conclusion is that, yes, yes it does.

My doubts about speaking up have sprung from several places. 

First, I am white. While I believe there are justified questions about the contract between citizens and police in what occurred to George Floyd, the larger spark it has ignited is another reminder of the systemic disadvantage - a great filter - that is placed on black people. And the profiling they face at the hands of police. I have watched and re-watched a number of clips from TV shows, such as Carleton’s realization in the Fresh Prince of BelAir’s “Mistaken Identity” episode that his BelAir roots do not hide the colour of his skin, or the talk that Miranda and Ben have with their teenage son in the “Personal Jesus” episode of Grey’s Anatomy so he knows what to say to police so he makes it home alive. Perhaps most profoundly for me was LZ Granderson’s recent article in the LA Times as it relates his white partner’s realization of this difference, which makes it more relatable to me. Ultimately, through these examples I have sought to understand an experience I do not face myself, and that lack of understanding has made me hesitant to speak. 

What shook me out of that inaction came from a place I didn’t expect - Formula 1 World Champion driver Lewis Hamilton. As a black man in a white dominated sport, he shared his frustration in finding himself a lone voice in calling out the injustice he saw. To their credit, many of his fellow racers immediately apologized and related they realized their silence was saying something. As fellow driver Charles Leclerc put it, “I felt out of place and uncomfortable sharing my thoughts on social media… and I was completely wrong.”

To move forward we must all participate, and break free of the hesitation to engage.

Secondly, I am Canadian. There is a natural hesitation to speak about the challenges faced by your neighbours. The most obvious counter to this point is that racism is, unfortunately, a universal issue. Canada’s problems with racism overlap with those of the United States, and also come with their own unique horrors. This last week I learned a new term - starlight tours - which was the name used for the horrible practice that some members of the Saskatoon Police Service used to describe driving indigenous people out of town on a winter’s night and leaving them to freeze to death. Regardless of where the incident occurs, we must all participate in the conversation to remove racism.

Moreover, because racism is so universal, and because it is so absent of justification we all have the right to call it out wherever it takes place. Should the world have forever remained silent and said that apartheid was an internal problem for South Africa? And whether you think it fair or not, America is held to a higher bar because it is a beacon. A superpower that on the world stage has been for decades the beacon for freedom and human rights. Forged as a melting pot of peoples where the American dream is supposed to be accessible to all. We all lose when that dream is withheld, and when those rallying to make it accessible are labeled enemies to be dominated. To my friends and family who are American, we’re rooting for you to make change.

So, then, if silence is wrong, what is it I want to say? We can do better. We all need to participate to make it better, and black lives matter.