"You grew up the white way"
Last night I was reflecting on micro-aggressions I've experienced. I remember when I was in university, one of my classmates said:
"you grew up the white way."
Thoughts kept cycling through:
My parents are both entrepreneurs and are doing really well career wise.
My family has the privilege to travel if and when they choose.
My mom has fair skin, and recently found out she's actually Metis.
My dad has brown skin and identifies as Swampy Cree from York Factory.
I have fair skin in the winter, and darker skin in the summer. I have the privilege to shapeshift.
My family is so caring and are willing to help people and the community out. They have big hearts.
I grew up in a northern town, with more than 50% Indigenous people making up the population.
Did I grow up white then?
In 1957, the York Factory depot owned by the Hudson's Bay Company. closed their doors. My grandparents chose Churchill to relocate to. I believe it's two or three generations that worked with and alongside the Hudson's Bay Company.
They said see you to the land, waters, and sky along the Hay's River, and said tansi to the Flats to live among other Indigenous families.
Churchill - A community of 1000 people with three churches. The Anglican Church was the church my grandparents, my dad and his siblings would walk to and sing hymns in Ininimowin, swampy cree language. Even during a blizzard.
I didn't hear of ceremony, creator, the drum, or the rattle until I was 19 years old at Lower Fort Garry when I attended my first sweat with colleagues and a lodge keeper, Allen Sutherland aka White Spotted Horse.
Do you see why I could have grown up "white"?
Life is a trip. In saying all this, I didn't have the language or understanding on how to respond to the classmate that said "you grew up the white way" at the time.
However, my response now is:
What makes you think I grew up the white way?
I would listen, and I would let him know how harmful it is to say that, and I would encourage him to look into why he would think that, to research white body supremacy, the ACTUAL history of Canada, and listen to Indigenous folks on why Canada is built on genocide and land theft.
In sharing this, I hope you have the understanding and concepts to respond with confidence, love and compassion to folks who make micro- aggressions towards you, Indigenous relatives.
Here's to daily acts of resistance.