Tuesday Thoughts | 12 September 2023 | What Does Diversity Mean to You?

Less than a month after I converted Tuesday Thoughts from a weekly post/rant to a Newsletter (on what was then LinkedIn’s brand spanking new Newsletter platform) in 2022, I dove headfirst into my first Black History Month as a weekly commentator.

I crafted and posted thoughts on Black History Month, (my favourite song) Amazing Grace, Breaking the Cycle (wherein I recount a shocking incident of racism that almost derailed my entire life), and the Donor Crisis at Black Lives Matter. Again this year, I wrote about Black Introvert Week, crafted a very special Valentine’s Day edition, spoke to the importance of community in What Might We Lose In The Constant Quest for New and Novel?, and called for everyone to Raise Your Voice, Speak Up, Speak Out in the face of a myriad of injustices.

The harsh reality is that as someone who reads as ambiguously ethnic, I have faced a life-time of Racism, from peers and neighbours, from teachers and other authority figures, and even at times in my place of business.

On top of facing down Anti-Black Racism, I’ve bourn witness to, and believe that at times have been the victim of micro and macro aggressions, targeted to Indigenous Canadians, Latinx Folks, and Muslim Brothers and Sisters, because if you’re looking for someone to hate you’re going to make a lot of assumptions about the person in front of you.

In addition to being a mix of Black Descendants of Slaves and White Colonizers, I am part Chinese, part Jew, and even Indigenous – although of the Caribbean variety (I am part Arawak too). Making me acutely aware of, and sensitive to, acts of Anti-Asian Hate, Anti-Semitism and Anti-Indigenous sentiments in addition to Anti-Black Racism.

In the early months of 2020 when a virus that had already shut down much of the world arrived in Canada, I (along with the rest of Canadian society) witnessed truly shocking Anti-Asian, and specifically Anti-Chinese racism. I saw former school mates of mine who had learned and grown alongside Chinese classmates make horrific statements online, I heard stories of my neighbours accosted on the streets, I joined with many in our community in ordering from Wuhan Noodle to help support a business that became the target of unspeakable racism.

Later that summer I – along with all Black and Black identifying people – were reminded that some places still aren’t safe for us, when George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. The video evidence galvanized not just America but Canada as well, as the video served as irrefutable proof that some people are still treated as less than by others. I’ll reserve comment on how effective many folks’ “listening and learning” exercises turned out to be.

It was against this backdrop, that I spotted a call for volunteers on one of the social media accounts for my hometown – the City of Markham in Ontario, Canada; the city was seeking citizen members for the Race Relations Committee; a committee that exists to ‘advise and assist Council in its efforts to achieve harmonious race and ethno-cultural relationships within the community’.

This seemed to me a wonderful opportunity to combine the wisdom of lived experience, with the real and practical knowledge of how Municipalities – including Markham – work, which I gained in my years working as an Advisor to a former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Someone(s) on the hiring committee must have agreed, because on January 28, 2021 I received a letter form Mayor Frank Scarpitti congratulating me on having been appointed to the Committee for a term ending November 23, 2024 (which is incidentally the day before my Mother’s 75th birthday).

That’s when the real work began, being a Policy Nerd of the particularly Wonkish variety; who can forget the several years I sat as a member of the Policy Committee of the Ontario Young Liberals, or the time I tried to get a policy passed calling on the Party to Legalize Marijuana citing religious freedoms of the Rastafari – true story (for which I probably still owe Andrew Teliszewsky a dept of gratitude for reminding folks that as a Jamaican-Canadian, I was indeed actually being quite serious in my proposal); I set about trying to gather up as much information, and as many diverse perspectives as I could access within my networks.

One of the people I turned to was the Executive Director of the Race Relations Foundation of Canada Mohammed Hashim, I asked him (and many others) one simple question – “where are my blind spots”? I wanted to know, in all of my experiences – let’s not forget I originally crossed paths with Mo, around the planning of Policy Conferences discussing the Arab Spring, and then Idle No More – what might I be missing, what voice might I not be hearing above the din?

I heard many answers, Mo’s answer is the one that sticks out to me now; he reminded me that many people had come here to this land from other countries in Asia, only to face discrimination, in particular he mentioned the Internment of Japanese Canadians, and cautioned me to remember that these sorts of traumas echo through the generations.

I was frequently reminded that this is not work for the faint of heart, that peaking into the darkness around us will at times, chip away at your emotional well being. Indeed, in my nearly three years sitting at a (virtual) table with Markham residents of all backgrounds, and faiths, and cultures; I have heard tales of fear, and tales of sadness, and tales of resilience – and each has touched me deeply.

And so, it was an incredible honour last evening to be selected by my peers on the Markham Race Relations Committee to serve as Chair for the coming year; along with newly named Vice-Chair Jas Atwal, we carry forth on the work of outgoing Chair Darius Sookram, and outgoing Vice-Chair Nayani Nandakumar. There is much work to be done, and it is my hope that the many hands will make it lighter work.

There is an incredible weight to taking on the role of Chair of the Race Relations Committee, in Canada’s Most Diverse Community (according to the 2016 Census), but at the same time, I am so incredibly energized for this opportunity to make an impact.

In the title of today’s thought, I posed a question “What Does Diversity Mean to You”? To be sure, part of my answer is about Race, but there is so much more. As a member of the Board of Directors of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario – and the daughter of a father who spent the final six months of his life as a Quadriplegic – to me diversity includes a range of abilities. As a friend and Ally to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, diversity includes a range of gender identities and expressions.

My understanding and sense of intersectionalities enriches my contributions to Diversity (and Equity, and Inclusion, and Accessibility, and Belonging) work. When I meet and have the honour and opportunity to learn from others, my sense of the value and specialness of each human grows ever stronger. I hope in sharing this story, I have broadened some of your horizons dear reader.

This Week’s Call to Action: Is to embrace Humanity, in all of its beautiful, wild and quirky uniqueness, and to seek to understand the diversity that exists in each person we meet, and within ourselves.

New and Noteworthy is a collection of things readers of #TuesdayThoughts might find interesting, important, or informative;

📣Other Stuff I Did This Week (shameless self promotion): In case you missed the sneaky annoucement in today's thought - last night I was honoured to be selected as the new Chair of the City of Markham's Race Relations Committee | This week I shared the story of how my career became 'Event's Industry Adjacent'

📖 What to Read: Brian's story: From tragedy to triumpth from Hamilton City Magazine | September 2023 issue of World Cement featuring an article from Sarah Petrevan | No Black women CEOs left in S&P 500 after Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer resigns from USA Today | Beginner's Mind from Jennifer Spear (she/her)

📻 What to Listen to: Cher Jones on Nola Simon's podcast speaking about Personal Branding

✨What to Do: CSAE Talk Tuesday | CSAE YP Event featuring Lindsay Murray, CAE h/t Carrie Fischer | The Baby Depot's 10th Anniversary Fundraiser (Hamilton friends check it out) h/t Maggie John

👷🏽♀️ Cool Jobs (Paid and Volunteer): Multimedia Communications Specialist @ Tourism Industry Association of Canada h/t Michel Kafrouny, CAE | Board of Director roles as listed on CharityVillage | Planning Coordinator, Policy and Advocacy @ Building Industry and Land Development Association h/t Paula Tenuta

📝Take Note: If Cindy Wagman says you should be looking to Charity Shift for your fundraising plan, then you should probably do that | ✨Check out this graduation post from soon-to-be super star Laurier Alumni Yasmina Elzagheid, MBA | 5 Ways to Support Spinal Cord Injury Ontario this month

I am a Certified Association Executive with over a dozen years of experience in leadership positions across Canada’s Not-for-Profit Sector, with deep ties in the Meetings and Events Industry. I use the art of storytelling in speech and writing to explain ideas, and to inform audiences and readers on a variety of topics. Learn more about how we can collaborate;

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✍🏽 Contributing Writer: I have written for Industry Publications and Blogs with a focus on the role of Associations, Volunteerism, and the Intersection of Not-for-Profit Management and many current social and economic trends. My inclination towards storytelling lends itself well to the style of Creative Non-Fiction.

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