White Supremacy

I should be editing my book but this is too important this morning. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Charlottesville and to the families of all involved. Killing at any protest is unacceptable but killing because there is hatred is alarming. In the news this morning there is a group to show solidarity and an American spoke to the reporters saying that Charlottesville was the first city by proclamation as a peace city. He added to not allow what is happening in the States to come here. The news also indicated that a high school teacher who I presume was one of the subject’s teacher indicated that he idolized nazism. I look at the picture of this 20 year old man and listen to his mother speak on the news thinking her son was going to a Trump rally and remember the American recruiters sitting outside university classrooms waiting for students to complete their exams and hoping to entice them to the States. I remember being in Connecticut and visiting an historical Native museum and listening to a grade school teacher instructing his students that you could tell by the face of the man in a painting that he was……….. I was surprised that he would teach in that manner. Really, you can tell by looking at a face? Look into the face of angelic looking serial killers and think again. Education is important. I remember in an undergrad class listening to some neo Nazis youths speak about the killing of Jews. Their stupidity was unbelievable. I do not think that what is happening in the States can happen here. I hope not. I remember years ago seeing a front page news photo of the KKK in a town West of Toronto and then I heard nothing of it again. I remember a white supremacy group coming to Toronto in my teens or twenties and their building let’s say was no longer functional. I never heard of them again. I do think we have problems now that I didn’t see as I was growing up. I remember watching a documentary of Toronto the good, and an American Producer, I believe his name is Moore was trying to determine what the difference was. I remember watching American movies and seeing high school kids bringing guns to school and wondered how long it would reach us. I thought it normally takes about ten years for what happens in the States to reach us, but that is not an educated guess, nor based on any facts. That is how I thought at the time. It is no secret that we have gangs in Toronto, and drugs and you would think it was legal here to have guns, the way there are shootings nowadays. Is there a way to curb this? Of course there is. I was fortunate to be raised by parents, to learn that prejudice was wrong. I was fortunate to have an education where I learned that prejudice was wrong. In elementary school we were learning about the concentration camps and reading books such as Black Like Me. We would have debates at home about what if I married a Black man and my parents would debate how that would effect me and my children. We had debates in school (in elementary school) regarding a black person being President. I was so happy when Obama became President but feared for him as well because of all that white supremacy. Since Trump has been elected I have seen a country divided. Even here a Judge got into trouble for wearing one of those “Make American Great Again” baseball caps, during a session. He now has quite a few complaints against him and I think that retirement may be in the forecast. Don’t quote me. That is just a presumption. I try to stay away from politics. I really do, but it is difficult not to. As for myself when I go to an area which is all white and I see a black person, I feel a kinship with the black person. I live in a multicultural city where there is every kind of skin colour, shade, religion, spirituality, etc….The food is amazing and as a young person, I would go out to all the different restaurants and experience the different type of foods. Today I am a vegetarian and so I do not eat meat and Toronto again offers a variety. When I leave Toronto I find that vegetarians and vegans are still not catered to as we should be. Eliminating meat from a plate does not make the cut. When I travelled in the States during holidays driving to New York or Disney world, I always go off the main highway to visit attractions. I am usually asked if I am from New York. When I say I am from Canada, I hear the complaints about how some people from urban cities treat them as if they are less. I have always liked the States. I grew up with American television before we could make a decent movie. I grew up when kids in Toronto would be asked who the Prime Minister was and they would say the President’s name. We have caught up big time. The American in the news this morning was grieving for his Virginia. I have driven through Virginia and found it beautiful and the people there gracious and inviting. One day I hope to drive right through all the States or at least many of them. I know there are many intelligent people living and working in the States. There is an obligation for all of us to make this world a better place, no matter how small our contribution. It begins with helping others. It can be merely a smile which can have a domino response. I am sorry about what happened in Charlottesville. I am sorry for the Mayor who is grieving as well. We perhaps all need to revamp the education system and teach not from bias, but with kindness. We need to educate all people based on facts and not “fake ness” which is projected by those who are. If we do not change, we are headed toward self destruction. We have such capabilities today but if we do not have the emotional intelligence and sensitivity to match, we can be in great trouble. It is time that we heal our planet and those within it. It is time to teach and learn and offer youth the opportunity to do so regardless of their finances. We can all be the best we can be and in the process drive out that poisonous hate which only destroys. What do you think?