Tag Archives: racism

Who’s Your Neighbour?

MC40_BlackPantherLast year I was involved in the production of a television documentary in Nova Scotia. It was the story of a man who moved with his family into a black community outside Halifax in the early 1970’s.  He became active in civil rights issues and inspired many people in his new community to value and respect their heritage and culture once again,

Surprisingly, after several years he was arrested by the RCMP and turned over to the FBI. It turns out that Francis Beaufils was a member of the Black Panther organization and was on the run from U.S. authorities.

The documentary followed Mr. Beaufils over thirty years later, when he returned to Nova Scotia for the first time since his arrest. People who knew him talked about the critical influence he had on their lives and on an entire community. The documentary also brought together members of the Nova Scotia black community today. Some were active in rights issues decades ago, others are young people who did not witness the turmoil of the sixties and seventies but continue to experience racism today. The program was fascinating – the older generation described the racism they faced and how they fought to overcome it and at times chided the younger people for failing to carry on the fight.

The content of this documentary was outstanding, but the value of the program stood out clearly to me when I saw it screened at the Atlantic Film Festival. Continue reading →

Looking Both Ways

MC40_RoadLine_RedOrangeAs a secondary school administrator in Burnaby, BC, I’ve had extensive experience with students and their families from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. Some experiences have been humorous, some uplifting, and some disappointing.

On the positive side, I’ve been able to help steer families to needed community resources and have been the recipient of expressed gratitude by people who are thankful to be here in Canada, undertaking a new life as individuals or families. On the negative side, I have inappropriately been called a ‘racist’ for helping people navigate the established guidelines and regulations of public education in British Columbia. Continue reading →

Family Timelines: A Daughter Reflects on Being Biracial

PatternSquare06I was born in Vancouver in 1960. My great-grandfather, a Christian missionary, came here from China to minister to the Chinese that were building the CN railway. When my father (Chinese) fell in love with my mother (Dutch-Irish) and wanted to marry her, his family opposed it. My mother’s family was not keen on the idea either — they hesitantly gave their approval but that was only because she was pregnant. They never did marry because interracial marriages, in those days, were just not acceptable. Both of my parents have terrible memories of how they were treated in those days. Continue reading →