Fighting Racism

There are moments when the weight of what is happening around us feels impossible to ignore.

This reflection comes from my shuyulh, Wholwolet'za. It speaks to what many are feeling right now as we witness a rise in racism, denialism, and the continued harm of systems that were never designed with Indigenous peoples in mind.

I’m sharing his words with care.

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Uy' Skweyul siiye'yu (Good day, friends)

It is sad to say, but racism is on the rise in our world. We are seeing it more openly now than we have in recent years. Groups like One BC are pushing Residential School denialism, working to erase and dismiss the very real pain and truth of what our people endured. And now they are taking it even further, implying that Indigenous people cannot serve as Parliamentary Representatives for their own ridings and support the Indigenous communities they belong to. They are actively trying to shut us out of the very spaces where decisions about our lives are being made. And south of the border, the leader of our neighbours is openly discriminating against people of colour, emboldening others to express their hateful views without shame or hesitation. When hate is modelled from positions of power, it gives permission to those who were already carrying it quietly.

But we are not new to this fight.

Our ancestors faced hatred, legislation, and systems designed to erase us, and they stood anyway. They fought for a better life, not always knowing if they would live to see it, but trusting that someone down the line would. That someone is us. And so today, we stand up not just for ourselves, but for our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren, so that maybe, just maybe, they will walk through a world with a little less of what we had to carry.

We have known tremendous loss. Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, children, brothers, sisters. The grief our communities hold is deep and real. And still, we stand. Still, we speak. Still, we show up. That is not a small thing. That is one of the most profound acts of love a person can offer.

We are creating a new path for our young ones to walk. We are clearing away the prickles so their feet do not have to bleed the way ours did. And when they grow, it will be their turn to continue that clearing, for the ones who come behind them. This is how it works. This is the responsibility we carry and the gift we pass forward.

In seven generations from now, I hold the hope that the hate people carry in their hearts for me and my people will be gone. That we will all live here together, on this land, in peace. That is not a naive dream. It is a vision worth working toward every single day.

We owe it to our ancestors to rise. And we are rising. Indigenous people are stepping into leadership roles in organizations, in government, in communities across this land. People like my cousin Wade Grant, who currently holds a seat in Parliament, showing our young ones that we belong in those rooms. My chosen family, Melissa Louie and Leah George-Wilson, who have become lawyers and are walking that path with strength, integrity, and a deep commitment to our people. My brother Bob Chamberlin, who is out there fighting to save our wild salmon and the habitats they depend on, because he understands that protecting the land and water is protecting who we are. These are just a few of the many out there fighting the good fight, each in their own way, each carrying the spirit of those who came before them.

And we do not walk this path alone. We are calling on our allies, those who believe in a more just and compassionate world, to come and stand with us. Walk beside us. And when the moment calls for it, fight beside us. This is not only our fight. The rise of hate and the erasure of truth diminishes all of us. When you stand with Indigenous people, you are standing for the kind of world your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren deserve to inherit as well. We are stronger together, and together is how we create meaningful change.

What my ancestors did ripples throughout history. What we do today, and tomorrow, will ripple throughout eternity.

Huy ch q'u | Thank you

Wholwolet'za | George Harris Jr

I feel this in my whole body.

There is grief here, and there is also strength. There is truth, and there is a call to all of us to pay attention to how we show up in this moment.

If you are reading this as a settler, there is a responsibility here. To listen. To stand beside. To speak up when it matters.

With deep gratitude to George for his leadership, his courage, and the way he continues to guide so many of us forward.

Huy ch q’u.

<3 Kim