When people who have been marginalized speak up, it's on us to listen 

When we saw George Floyd infamously killed near the end of May in Minneapolis, there was a lot to take in.

Many of us were appalled because not only was a man killed in plain view on camera — Derek Chauvin, the now-fired police officer, kept his knee on Floyd's neck for an agonizing eight minutes and 46 seconds — there were three police officers at the scene who did not care to intervene, second-guess Chauvin or show any behaviour to respect the life of the 46-year-old father and truck driver.

This horrendous act in Minnesota has led to protests in all 50 states in the U.S., many major Canadian cities, and in places as far away as Iran. Newfoundland and Labrador's first Black Lives Matter NL protest last weekend drew thousands of demonstrators. 

While discussions of race are part of everyday life for many minorities, the murder of Floyd has galvanized an international conversation on the related issues of race, marginalization and equality. 

Being a whistleblower on issues of discrimination is difficult and unfortunately often comes at a cost — personally and professionally. Colleagues, friends and even family members will not like when you tell them their comment or act was sexist, racist or transphobic. 

While people often don't like being taken to task, we must take these opportunities to end the cycle of discrimination.
 
Call out discrimination at every instance. This is especially true because those on the receiving end are often unable to do so themselves. Sometimes folks may be afraid of losing out on tenure or other professional opportunities while other times they will wish to avoid being labelled as a "troublemaker."
 
We must not be accomplices to discrimination. Many are unable to fight for themselves, unable to speak — and sometimes even unable to breathe.

One may take a step back and consider what some contributors of societal concepts of race and racism are. 

Our concepts of racialized groups are largely shaped by the media, by those we associate with including family, friends and folks that serve as role models such as teachers and coaches. 

This battle is not a sprint to take a public position before the next news cycle, or before the hashtag #GeorgeFloyd stops trending.

We should be more conscious of the media we consume and diversify what we see, read and hear. Media both reflects and defines our proclivities as a society. Media can also try to make us complacent in issues and thus absolve Canada from the work to be done to dismantle discrimination. 

It's not hard to find examples of senior members of the Canadian media who have unfortunately used their platforms to dismiss systemic racism above the 49th parallel. In his recent National Post column, "Canada is Not a Racist Country, Despite What the Liberals Say," Rex Murphy asks how racial discrimination is part of everyday life, appearing unconcerned if it doesn't meet the threshold of being "overwhelmingly present."
 
In 2018, Globe and Mail Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife, appearing on a CPAC show, trivialized systemic racism as being a wedge issue, citing social integration of university students from racial backgrounds as evidence disproving systemic racism.

While these examples show how influential figures in the media can use their voices to dampen critical discussions of race, we must also realize that discrimination of many sorts is local and can present in our everyday lives.
 
You may be surprised to discover the daily struggles that your female supervisor faces in the boardroom, what Indigenous students are accustomed to in the classroom, or what your transgender teammate experiences in the locker room. 

This is partially because members of marginalized groups are often taught, by both explicit and implicit mechanisms, to minimize speaking about the effects that discrimination has of them.
 
But when they speak, we must listen.
 
It's truly something to see. Such a diversity of businesses, social organizations as well as many universities issuing public statements condemning racism, with many highlighting anti-Black racism in particular. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a knee in protest and the Toronto Board of Health recently declared anti-Black racism a national health crisis.

This battle is not a sprint to take a public position before the next news cycle, or before the hashtag #GeorgeFloyd stops trending.

Fighting discrimination is a marathon. 

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