City of Saskatoon standing by anti-racism billboard some consider racist itself

Officials with the City of Saskatoon say an anti-racism billboard is meant to start a conversation, not create divisions in the city.

The ad along Circle Drive, north of 33rd Street, has been up for just over two weeks but gained negative attention on social media over the weekend.

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The ad shows a Caucasian man with the quote “I have to acknowledge my own privilege and racist attitudes.”

Some perceived it to mean white people have inherent privileges based on their ethnicity, while others felt the ad itself was racist.

The billboard is part of a multimedia campaign entitled “I Am the Bridge,” which calls on people to share their experiences with racism via video submissions.

Lynne Lacroix, the city’s director of recreation and community development, said people are afraid to talk about racism and the ad took a direct quote from one man’s submission.

“This isn’t a scripted line intended to target anyone individually. This was an individual in Saskatoon who made this statement of his own free will,” Lacroix said.

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Over the last three years, the city has spent a total of nearly $22,000 on the campaign, including planning and billboard implementation.

“The campaign was intended to invoke discussion and that it’s done in a really big way,” Lacroix said.

“The campaign wasn’t intended to offend,” she added.

The billboard shows the city’s dedication to combating racism, according to Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron.

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He also stated the definition of “privilege” is open to interpretation.

“Here we have an individual that’s saying ‘I was wrong.’ It takes a big person to do that,” Cameron said.

The billboard will come down in mid-July as previously scheduled.