By Michael Hamilton, Local 376, inSolidarity
When you hear the words systemic racism, what comes to your mind? For many, it’s been an afterthought because they have never had to experience it before. Unfortunately for Black and Racialized people, systemic racism is a pandemic that has been affecting us for generations. Notice how I said “us”. I am a Black person. All of my life I’ve been told that through hard work and perseverance, a person can achieve anything they want. That is not entirely true.
Often times, I hear people in OPSEU/SEFPO state that this is a “safe space”. For myself I find this very problematic. I have always been told that if you see something that is wrong, then you need to bring it to the attention of those in charge, so it can be corrected. In some instances, what I’ve found is the complete opposite. As a leader in this union, I have addressed concerns that I and other Black and Racialized members have observed. We are asked our opinions on various topics. If the opinion does not resonate with the group at large, we are then labelled as disruptors. Myself and others have experienced this. As a member of the Coalition of Racialized Workers, Black and Racialized members across this union have asked me to speak up for them because they believe they have no voice.
Let me be clear, to say “just become involved” is one thing but for real change to occur, I’ve found there hasn’t been enough support put behind Black and Racialized members to actually get into positions that can really shape how inclusive OPSEU/SEFPO is. This goes back to my opening point about hard work and perseverance. Even through all of the hard work, when push comes to shove it’s always been the same old status quo. Organizational politics, by no means exclusive to OPSEU/SEFPO, historically prevents substantive change. This has been a societal problem and we see it in our union spaces as well. When I hear words and phrases like “more inclusivity”, “making space”, and “being kind”, I’ve found they only apply when people feel like making it apply.
Black and Racialized people do not want a handout – we want to be treated as equals
Here’s the tricky part; Black and Racialized people do not want a handout. We want to be treated as equals to the rest of our peers. That has always been and will always be the goal. I understand the politics. I don’t want a position to be filled because of the colour of my skin, but I also understand that qualified Black and Racialized members still feel left behind and are not being given real equal opportunities mainly due to the politics of our current time.
As a Local President, the members in my local have put their faith in me to guide them when dealing with our Employer. As a union, we need to be able to listen to opinions that we may not all agree with. As long as there is a respectful discourse, members should not feel that their voices do not matter if they are expressing a unpopular opinion. Especially as a Black man, I have been labelled as “angry” when I see issues in the union that I am critical of. We are seeing it in society that if you don’t align with a specific agenda, people will go out of their way to character assassinate you. I find unfortunately, our union is doing this in some capacities. I believe that we can all be accepting and tolerable towards one another but we first need to put aside the petty differences and really allow more voices to be heard at the table if we are truly aspiring to be more inclusive and open towards one another.