Racism
      Awareness
      Week
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Motion
      Passed
      at
      November
      18th
     
     
      Council
      Meeting
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Canadian
      Student
      Movement
     
     
      has
      played
      a
      vital
      role
      in
      shaping
     
     
      Canadian
      Society
      for
      over
      60
      years,
     
     
      and:
     
    

    
     
      Students
      across
      the
      country
     
     
      recognize
      that
      racism
      has
      become
      a
     
     
      problem
      of
      increasing
      proportions,
     
     
      and:
     
    

    
     
      as
      students
      we
      believe
      that
      everyone
     
     
      has
      the
      right
      to
      work
      and
      grow
      in
     
     
      an
      environment.
      free.
      of
     
     
      discrimination.
     
    

    
     
      UPEISU
      declare
      November
      21,
      1990
      as
      "National
     
     
      Day
      of
      Action
      Against
      Racism."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Whereas
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Whereas
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Whereas
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Friday
      November
      23rd
     
    

    
     
      Canadian
      Black
      people
     
    

    
     
      12:30-1:20
      Robertson
      Library
      Room
      104
     
     
      -Voice
      of
      the
      fugitive
     
    

    
     
      -Seven
      shades
      of
      pale
     
    
   
   
    
     
      RACISM:
      The
      assumption
      that
      the
      characteristics
     
     
      and
      abilities
      of
      an
      individual
      are
      determined
      by
      race
     
     
      and
      that
      one
      race
      is
      biologically
      superior
      to
      another.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Racism
      on
      PEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      has
      been
      said
      to
      me
      on
      occasion
      that
      Islanders
      perceive
     
     
      themselves
      as
      being
      free
      from
      Racism.
      As
      a
      member
      of
      a
     
     
      minority
      group
      I
      think
      to
      myself,
      who
      are
      they
      trying
      to
      kid.
      If
     
     
      they
      mean
      racism
      towards
      blacks,
      oriental
      or
      possible
      the
      odd
     
     
      hispanic
      that
      should
      pass
      by,
      there
      may
      be
      some
      truth
      in
      their
     
     
      claim.
      This
      I
      feel
      is
      not
      a
      result
      of
      a
      more
      refined
      attitude,
      but
     
     
      rather
      a
      shortage
      of
      numbers
      of
      these
      groups
      on
      the
      Island.
     
     
      However
      if
      you
      were
      to
      ask
      most
      Islanders
      and
      I
      caution
      Islanders
     
     
      not
      UPEI
      students
      exclusively;
      what
      about
      racism
      towards
      the
     
     
      largest
      minority
      group
      on
      the
      Island,
      namely
      Native
      North
     
     
      Americans.
      The
      response
      would
      probably
      range
      from,
      they
      don’t
     
     
      count
      to,
      they
      deserve
      it
      because
      they
      bring
      it
      upon
      themselves
     
     
      or
      I’m
      tired
      of
      hearing
      about
      them.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      My
      response
      as
      a
      native
      is
      not
      of
      bitterness,
      nor
      denial,
      but
      rather
     
     
      I
      understand.
      I
      too
      on
      occasion
      have
      looked
      at
      the
      world
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      closed
      mind,
      absorbed
      only
      partially
      understood
      information
     
     
      and
      based
      my
      opinion
      as
      if
      it
      represented
      the
      whole.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      think
      I
      can
      speak
      for
      a
      lot
      of
      natives
      when
      the
      attitude
      is
     
     
      expressed
      that
      we
      don’t
      count,
      we
      do
      count,
      we
      are
      humans
      too,
     
     
      and
      in
      this
      similarity
      we
      are
      equals.
      What
      have
      we
      done
      that
      any
     
     
      person
      in
      this
      country
      can
      say
      we
      deserve
      negative
      treatment?
     
     
      After
      the
      suppression
      and
      manipulation
      by
      government,
      extended
     
    
   
   
    
     
      groups
      and
      racist
      attitudes
      has
      done
      towards
      natives
      over
      the
      last
      ,
     
     
      several
      hundred
      years.
      However,
      I
      understand,
      like
      most
      native
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      groups
      today
      in
      this
      country,
      I
      don’t
      want
      compensation
      for
      this
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ill
      treatment,
      but
      rather
      just
      a
      fulfillment
      of
      those
      promises
      of
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      long
      ago.
      We
      too
      are
      tired
      of
      hearing
      about
      these
      issues,
      more
     
     
      tired
      than
      any
      individual
      that
      does
      not
      have
      a
      personal
      stake.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Often
      through
      the
      years
      the
      underlying
      attitude
      of
      a
      lot
      of
      people
     
     
      I’ve
      met
      and
      known
      cam
      through
      in
      most
      subtle
      manners.
      For
     
     
      instance,
      the
      very
      young
      often
      say
      things
      that
      their
      parents
      turn
     
     
      red
      in
      the
      face
      about,
      however,
      y
      »u
      know
      the
      child
      didn’t
      come
     
     
      up
      with
      it
      on
      their
      own.
      Another
      is
      in
      the
      form
      of
      racial
      slurs,
     
     
      such
      as
      a
      "drunken
      Indian",
      or
      "like
      an
      indian
      on
      the
      War
      Path".
     
     
      Another
      more
      recent
      expression
      is
      the
      attitude
      that
      indians
      are
     
     
      getting
      something
      for
      nothing,
      as
      if
      the
      statistics
      that
      suggest
      that
     
     
      90%
      of
      Canada’s
      indigenous
      people
      are
      still
      living
      below
      the
     
     
      poverty
      line
      is
      greatly
      exaggerated.
      On
      top
      of
      all
      that,
      "something
     
     
      for
      nothing,"
      how
      unfeeling,
      uncaring,
      and
      non-comprehending
     
     
      could
      one
      human
      being
      be
      towards
      another?
      We
      paid
      for
      that
     
     
      something
      several
      hundred
      years
      ago
      and
      have
      been
      paying
      for
     
     
      it
      ever
      since.
      I
      don’t
      want
      people’s
      sympathy,
      for
      I
      see
      in
      that
      an
     
     
      expression
      of
      racism.
      What
      I
      want
      and
      if
      I
      may
      speak
      for
     
     
      Natives
      across
      this
      country
      and
      minority
      groups
      at
      large,
      is
      to
      be
     
     
      understood.
      In
      our
      similarities
      we
      are
      equal,
      in
      our
      differences
     
     
      we
      are
      unique.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PS.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      this
      article
      I
      expressed
      briefly
      the
      subtle
      Island
      practice
      of
     
     
      racism
      that
      I
      have
      come
      to
      call
      naive
      racism.
      However,
      I
      didn’t
     
     
      centre
      on
      that
      issue,
      because
      I
      believe
      we
      most
      construct
      a
     
     
      positive
      awareness,
      for
      all
      that
      are
      concerned
      it
      would
      be
      a
      more
     
     
      constructive
      approach
      in
      dealing
      with
      the
      issue.
      Just
      the
      same
     
     
      the
      article
      mentions
      incidents
      that
      some
      may
      identify
      with
      and
      yet
     
     
      with
      which
      others.
      may
      have
      no
      idea.
      What
      I
      want
      people
      to
     
     
      understand
      is
      that
      it
      is
      there,
      it
      may
      not
      be
      foreboding
      to
      the
     
     
      general
      populace,
      but
      to
      the
      individual
      of
      the
      minority
      group
      it
     
     
      hurts
      with
      great
      conviction.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Greg
      Cheverie
     
     
      Native
      Student
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      22,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      6