A supposed rally by white supremacists in Vancouver failed in spectacular fashion over the weekend. The organizers were planning to decry immigration, Islam and multiculturalism but they evidently chickened out and instead stayed in their basements where no sunlight could disinfect their festering thoughts.
In their place, came 4,000 anti-racism protestors preaching love, tolerance and diversity. Aside from a few skirmishes, it was more of a love-in than hate-fest and for that, we’re very proud of the people who marched, including a great many from the North Shore.
But these twerps, with their overt hatred for others were the easy targets.
We would argue the more insidious form of racism is the kind that hides in plain sight: The racist comment made at the dinner table that goes unchallenged. The condescending and unfounded assumptions made about an Indigenous person. The frustration over housing costs spilling over into anger at people of Chinese descent generally. The refusal to accept or listen to the lived experiences black people have in dealing with the police. Or the conflation of the actions of a handful of radicals with the beliefs of more than a billion Muslims worldwide.
These forms of white supremacy are every bit as hurtful and limiting to the lives of the victims of racism but they don’t inspire thousands to march together in the streets.
The North Shore Multicultural Society is hosting a public forum called Acting Against Racism: Strategies for Moving Forward Sept. 14 at the Kay Meek Centre in West Vancouver. We encourage you to go and listen, because listening is the first step in solving the problem.
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