Posters put up by a B.C. school district as part of a new campaign surrounding racism and white privilege are raising some eyebrows.
“I have unfairly benefitted from the colour of my skin. White privilege is not acceptable,” reads one of the posters put up in schools throughout the Gold Trail District in B.C.’s interior, featuring the district’s superintendent Teresa Downs.
“I have felt racism. Have you?” reads another poster showcasing the district’s principal of Aboriginal Education Tammy Mountain.
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Downs said they decided to launch the campaign as part of the district’s conversations about colonization, racism and prejudice.
“We feel that when any group that is defined as a minority is being impacted by racism, you also need to have the conversation that someone is benefiting from that racism,” said Downs. “And we here acknowledge that as white privilege and feel that that is an equally important conversation that needs to be occurring.”
She said the posters were put up to start a dialogue on the topic and said the administration is happy those discussions are happening.
Downs said in her case, she believes her skin colour helped her in troubling situations when she was younger.
“When I was in my youth and made some unfortunate decisions, no one ever questioned what my parents were doing in my home and whether that was impacting my decision,” Downs said.
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Downs said approximately 60 per cent of Gold Trails’ student population is of Indigenous ancestry, noting many of them are negatively impacted by systemic prejudices.
“I feel as the leader of this school district, it is important to acknowledge the role that white privilege may be playing in that,” she said.
Downs said the relationship between white and Indigenous students is a piece of a larger project about the impacts of racism and prejudice that the district has been working on for almost seven years.
Downs said around 10 people have contacted her to voice their concerns and ask questions about the initiative. And although she is happy to see conversations taking place, she said social media might not be the right medium.
“I prefer to have this dialogue one-on-one because I think that’s where the best conversations take place,” she said.
The campaign has faced some controversy, but Downs said the purpose of the campaign is to have a productive conversation about bias to achieve a more inclusive space, which she said cannot take place without acknowledging white privilege.
“We want everyone to be who they are and we want that to be celebrated within the schools.”