This headline represents what I want all people who are racialized, who are discriminated against for their identities, cultures or their beliefs to know.
We are on a journey together and Pique is part of that. We do not have all the answers and we have made, and might again make, mistakes along the way. But we hear you, see you and stand with you.
March 21 marked the UN’s International day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and predictably we heard from the province and the federal government on the issue.
Said B.C.’s premier John Horgan (NDP): “We know there’s more to do and the issue of racism will not be solved by these actions alone. Today, and every day, we must stand firm in our commitment for equality and justice.”
And the government has told us that it is working to introduce B.C.’s first anti-racism Act.
Federally, Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “While we have made progress toward a more just and equal society, more still needs to be done, and the Government of Canada remains committed to this work… I encourage Canadians to stand up against racism, discrimination, and xenophobia, whenever and wherever they occur. By working together, we can build a fairer, more inclusive, and better Canada for everyone.”
This all comes as we absorb another mass shooting in the U.S., which looks to be targeted at people of Asian descent. And closer to home we learned this week that Vancouver’s former mayor Gregor Robertson’s new wife Eileen Park, who is of Korean heritage, received threats and vile comments on social media when their wedding pictures went public this week in Vogue magazine.
Indeed we have seen anti-Asian sentiments skyrocket during this pandemic.
We all know the big picture, and over the last year we have seen the impact of racist attitudes against people of colour, with those against Canada’s First People’s some of the most disturbing.
What is needed is an understanding by each of us at an individual level that change is needed. Many of us believe we are aware of how we use language, images and behaviour to act in a non-discriminatory fashion (something Pique has been actively engaging in by considering how we reflect all our readers and users in our coverage). But this is something we have to be acutely conscious of in order to create long-term change.
Let me give you a couple of recent examples. A few weeks ago, Pique ran a lovely letter from a couple celebrating the life of their pet, a dog that was a rescue-puppy from the Pemberton region. In the letter and headline we said “Mount Currie mutts.” This phrase absolutely was in no way meant to be offensive or derogatory, and was in fact considered to be a term of endearment.
But we are wrong to think this, and it showed a lack of consideration, understanding and a sort of paternalist view that has no place in Pique or any other publication today.
Some residents of Mount Currie reached out to me and explained how hurtful this term was to them, and also shared how this perpetuated a myth that the dogs that walk around Mount Currie are not cared for. Indeed, one person told me that a resident, more than once, has had to go to an animal shelter and ask for their dog back after someone driving through just took the pet away thinking it was a stray. I am deeply grateful to get this feedback, and I welcome it.
Pique wanted to follow up and write a news story about this issue, but those who reached me would not go public—and I recognize that this reticence stems from a long mistrust Indigenous peoples have of the media, something Pique has worked on for years to address.
My second example is linked to a letter to the editor this week commenting on a recent opinion column by a Pique reporter celebrating her pregnancy and offering some lessons she wanted to share with her baby from her own life experiences.
But from the letter writer’s perspective, what the column did was assume that the baby, a female, would grow up to identify as a girl. If parents do not give their children space to find their own gender as they grow, the outcomes long-term can be devastating for all, said the letter writer.
While I would argue that the column’s writer’s advice is valid for any sex identity, and as opinion is valid and authentically expressed, in reacting to it, this week’s letter writer made us think about the issue from the perspective of someone who had a different life experience.
It is the fact that these events occurred in the pages of Pique, where we are consciously aware of portraying our community fairly and accurately, that underpins the understanding that we each have to examine our outlook along this journey.
This is a journey of a lifetime and one that has to be done in partnership. So Pique is asking you, how can we do better?
