12
      =
      re
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      know,
      I
      know,
      there
      is
      an
     
     
      international
      day
      for
      just
      about
     
     
      everything
      these
      days.
      So
      many
      in
     
     
      fact,
      that
      many
      of
      us
      have
      stopped
     
     
      reading
      past
      the
      “for”
      part,
      and
     
     
      quickly
      scan
      ahead
      for
      something
     
     
      else
      to
      read.
      Every
      international,
     
     
      global,
      or
      annual
      day
      of
      something,
     
     
      has
      events
      and
      fundraisers
      attached
     
     
      to
      it.
     
    

    
     
      The
      International
      Day
      for
     
     
      the
      Elimination
      of
      Racial
     
     
      Discrimination,
      March
      21st,
      is
      no
     
     
      exception.
      There
      will
      be
      a
      number
     
     
      of
      events
      taking
      place
      in
     
     
      Charlottetown
      which
      are
      being
      co-
     
     
      sponsored
      by
      organisations
      such
      as
     
     
      the
      PEI
      Multicultural
      Council
      and
     
     
      the
      Human
      Rights
      Commission.
     
    

    
     
      I’m
      not
      much
      of
      a
      group
     
     
      activity
      person,
      so
      my
      way
      of
      tak-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      note
      of
      this
      day,
      and
      the
      effect
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      this
      issue
      plays
      in
      my
      life,
      is
     
     
      more
      of
      a
      solitary
      affair.
      I
      like
      to
     
     
      honour
      the
      growth
      I’ve
      gone
     
     
      through
      during
      the
      past
      year.
     
     
      Unfortunately,
      this
      growth
      is
      usual-
     
     
      ly
      accomplished
      with
      quite
      a
      bit
      of
     
     
      pain.
      It’s
      not
      so
      much
      growth
      in
     
     
      knowledge,
      but
      more
      like
      growth
      in
     
     
      the
      more
      vulnerable
      part
      of
      who
      I
     
     
      am,
      the
      one
      that
      feels
      hurt.
      This
      part
     
     
      seems
      to
      be
      growing
      rather
      than
     
     
      diminishing,
      because
      my
      experi-
     
     
      ence
      of
      prejudice
      and
      discrimina-
     
     
      tion
      is
      growing.
      Funny,
      how
      30
     
     
      years
      ago,
      I
      had
      never
      personally
     
     
      experienced
      racism,
      and
      yet
      during
     
     
      these
      past
      couple
      of
      years
      this
      has
     
     
      changed.
      These
      experiences
      with
     
     
      racism
      have
      begun
      to
      accumulate.
     
     
      I
      have
      lived
      in
      Los
      Angeles,
     
     
      Spain,
      Victoria
      and
      Vancouver,
      and
     
     
      yet
      the
      only
      place
      where
      I
      have
     
     
      experienced
      both
      overt
      and
      covert
     
     
      racism,
      to
      the
      point
      where
      it
      has
     
     
      touched
      my
      heart,
      has
      been
      on
      PEI.
     
     
      At
      this
      juncture,
      anyone
      thinking
      or
     
     
      saying,
      “well,
      go
      back
      to
      where
      you
     
     
      came
      from,”
      would
      simply
      make
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      point
      for
      me.
      Where
      do
      I
      come
     
     
      from?
      What
      does
      that
      matter
     
     
      because
      where
      would
      I
      go
      back
      to,
     
     
      after
      22
      years
      of
      living,
      working,
     
     
      volunteering,
      giving
      birth
      and
      rais-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      ing
      a
      child,
      not
      to
      mention
      burying
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      parent
      here,
      on
      this
      soil
      call
     
     
      Canada.
     
    

    
     
      Maybe
      it
      is
      the
      fact
      that
      the
     
     
      word
      “racism”
      provokes
      so
      much
     
     
      defensiveness
      and
      protest
      from
     
     
      many
      Islanders,
      and
      it
      is
      in
      this
     
     
      protest
      that
      the
      lack
      of
      movement
     
     
      takes
      hold.
      Until
      an
      individual,
      a
     
     
      community,
      or
      a
      society
      acknowl-
     
     
      edges
      there
      are
      problems
      when
      it
     
     
      comes
      to
      interacting,
      understand-
     
     
      ing,
      valuing
      and
      accepting
      differ-
     
     
      ence,
      then
      there
      will
      be
      no
      room
      for
     
     
      that
      difference
      to
      actually
      exist.
     
     
      Sometimes,
      awareness
      and
      sensi-
     
     
      tivity
      are
      more
      a
      state
      of
      acknowl-
     
     
      edgment
      than
      a
      state
      of
      action.
     
    

    
     
      Racism,
      discrimination
      and
     
     
      prejudice
      all
      deal
      with
      elements
      of
     
     
      exclusion:
      of
      covertly
      or
      overtly
     
     
      being
      told
      that
      you
      do
      not
      belong,
     
     
      you
      are
      not
      a
      part
      of
      something
     
     
      larger
      than
      yourself,
      and
      that
      you
     
     
      lack
      value
      in
      being
      considered
      a
     
     
      part
      of
      this
      larger
      whole.
      In
      fact,
     
     
      you
      are
      excluded
      from
      the
      whole
     
     
      because
      in
      racist
      terms
      “there
      really
     
     
      aren’t
      enough
      of
      you
      to
      bother
     
     
      showing
      that
      you
      exist.”
      UPEI’s
     
     
      promotional
      material
      this
      year
      in
     
     
      the
      form
      of
      its
      course
      calendar
      and
     
     
      its
      television
      ads
      are
      blatantly
      racist
     
     
      and
      discriminatory.
      If
      we
      acknowl-
     
     
      edge
      that
      media
      imagery
      is
      power-
     
     
      ful
      and
      tends
      to
      use
      symbolism
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      press
      its
      message,
      the
      racism
      inher-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ent
      in
      this
      year’s
      imagery
      is
      defi-
     
     
      nitely
      not
      subtle.
     
    

    
     
      I
      believe
      in
      always
      giving
     
     
      someone
      the
      benefit
      of
      the
      doubt.
     
     
      So,
      rather
      than
      thinking
      it
      was
      on
     
     
      purpose,
      I
      thought
      that
      there
      was
      an
     
     
      oversight,
      or
      a
      lack
      of
      awareness
      or
     
     
      of
      sensitivity.
      However,
      I
      was
      told
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FS
      IEEE
      RE
      EE
      A
      a
      ROE
      A
      I
      a
      aa
     
    
   
   
    
     
      this
      was
      not
      the
      case
      and
      that
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      media
      promotions
      were
      well
     
     
      thought
      out
      by
      professionals
      who
     
     
      know
      their
      jobs.
      That
      being
      the
     
     
      case,
      I
      feel
      this
      discrimination
      is
     
     
      intentional.
     
    

    
     
      In
      reality,
      UPEI’s
      student
     
     
      population
      reflects
      the
      larger
      Island
     
     
      community.
      In
      addition
      to
      First
     
     
      Nations
      people,
      there
      are
      a
      growing
     
     
      number
      of
      mature
      students,
      as
      well
     
     
      as
      people
      who
      strive
      beyond
      physi-
     
     
      cal
      or
      mental
      challenges
      in
      order
      to
     
     
      gain
      an
      education.
      UPEI
      also
     
    
   
   
    
     
      reflects
      the
      growing
      cultural
      diver-
     
     
      sity
      in
      PEI.
      On
      this
      campus
      there
      is
     
     
      global
      representation
      in
      the
      form
      of
     
     
      students
      from
      Morocco,
      Asia,
     
     
      Nigeria,
      Ethiopia,
      Lebanon,
      Liberia
     
     
      and
      Latin
      America,
      to
      name
      a
      few.
     
     
      Our
      exclusion
      from
      the
      promotion-
     
     
      al
      material,
      well
      lets
      just
      say,
      I’ve
     
     
      already
      said
      it
      and
      it
      is
      why
      in
      the
     
     
      21st
      Century,
      we
      still
      need
      an
     
    
   
   
    
     
      International
      Day
      for
      the
     
     
      Elimination.
      of
      Racial
     
     
      Discrimination.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      IT
      RUNS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Adam
      Gauthier
     
     
      Joshua
      Hooper
     
     
      Tawnya
      Mackinnon
     
     
      Juhli
      Lyncaster
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEL
      Theatre
      Saciety
      ans
     
     
      DEparturE
      frOm
      SAnity
      prODUCTIONs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      presents
     
    
   
   
    
     
      IN
      THE
      FAMILY
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      british
      comedy
      by:
     
     
      Ray
      Cooney
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      special
      arrangement
      with
      Samuel
      French
      Inc.
     
     
      Directed
      by
      Danny
      Maloney
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Location:
      Carrefour
      Theatre
      ©
     
     
      When:
      8
      pm
      March
      22,
      237240
      6.
      8
      11
     
     
      Cost:
      $5
      Students
      and
      Seniors
     
     
      $8
      Adults
     
     
      .
      Why:
      To
      find
      out
      what
      happens
      when
      a
      lie
     
     
      _
      gets
      out
      of
      controllll
      ,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Featuring:
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Jarren
      Richards
     
     
      Stephanie
      McCormick
     
     
      Lori
      Doiron
      —
     
    

    
     
      Andrew
      MacPhee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Melanie
      Stavert
     
     
      Gary
      Vincent
     
     
      Anne
      Van
      Eyk
     
    

    
     
      Jennifer
      Campbell