by H. Mallett

Created on: June 18, 2008

Racism against white people is alive and well, not only in North America but in other countries as well. We have been so well conditioned over the years to say only the politically correct things. Every white person is taught to feel collective guilt, over the sins of our forefathers. History is taught on an uneven platform; both sides of the story are never equally represented.

I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage; I am white and proud to be so! How can this be? How dare I make such a public declaration? Well it is my right, just as it is anybodys right to be proud of their heritage. Now here is another bold statement; I have endured racism against me because I am white.

I have been denied employment, not because I was not qualified, but because in order to bow to society's demand that we embrace diversity, my skin was the wrong color. I have been excluded from lunches with co-workers because English was my first language, and this group only allowed women from their homeland to sit at their table. I have been treated rudely by business owners, who were quite pleasant to the same-skinned person ahead of me, but I the white woman was treated like I was a lower life form. I once tried to get the ingredients for an authentic Indian recipe, which I had found in the newspaper. I walked into a busy Indian supermarket, now it was noisy when I crossed the threshold, but within two minutes you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was staring at me and making murmured comments to each other; from the way they were smirking I have no doubt that their words were derogatory. I quickly tried to find the items and eventually went to the front to ask the angry looking clerk for assistance. She told me in a very clear, accent free, voice that she did not understand English and I should try a different shop.

What really annoys me is how much white people are expected to forgo their traditions because we have a portion of the population who do not share them. When my family came to Canada, our intentions were to make a new life in a new country. We did not bring our problems and prejudices with us. We accepted that things are done differently in other countries. If it wasn't our cup of tea, then we didn't participate, we certainly didn't demand that the tradition be outlawed because we believed something different.

White people would have a difficult time starting an organization that is for white people only. This type of club would immediately be labeled as a hate group. Yet across this country there are hundreds of organizations for Blacks, Asians and Aboriginals, some of them even get public funding.

In Toronto, Ontario there has a referendum brought before the Toronto Public School board for a Black only school. This was brought forward by parents of black children, one of their reasons being that the current curriculum didn't include enough of their history! Not all black people supported this issue. In fact some are vehemently opposed to the concept stating quite rightly, that it is reminiscent of the enforced school segregation, which they fought so hard to stop back in the 1960's.

Very few people regardless of their skin color, religious beliefs or financial standing, get through life without experiencing prejudice in some form. I don't judge a person based on hearsay. My opinion is formed through my own personal interaction with them, and what I witness first hand. We all deserve an equal opportunity to prove our worth, and pursue our dreams.

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