As we celebrate Black History Month, I think of how far we’ve come and still have to go regarding race. Being a mixed-race child raised by two Caucasian parents sure made things challenging for me. I learned at a young age that kids can be mean and that they do see skin colour. If I wore my hair down, I was called “Afro head.” When I dressed up like Belle for Halloween in grade 2, I was told I shouldn’t have because Belle isn’t “black.” I found it sad that kids were learning hate at such a young age because I was never taught to judge anyone but to care for everyone for who they are on the inside.
These types of incidents progressively got worse as I got older. I was pushed against lockers, called racial slurs, and spit on because of my race, which made me feel like I was never good enough. When I learned about Black History Month, I finally felt heard because other people were experiencing the same things as me, if not worse. I started to embrace my ethnicity instead of standing in my way and holding myself back from being me. I have thicker skin because of these ignorant kids. These kids, full of hate, turned my mentality into motivation to educate people on racism and advocate for the kids who are growing up the same way that I did.
Black History Month is to honour not only the black community but also celebrate our growth and our culture, and to honour the strengths of the black people who made endless sacrifices and made history in their own right and paved the way for young black youth so we can see that anything is possible regardless of our skin colour.
Brin Marks
Living with PAH, PHA Canada Ambassador, Edmonton AB