We cannot stop hate by being hateful; we cannot make progress by staying silent

To the Editor:

Introduction: This letter is the product of an assignment that allowed high school students to express their own voices to incidents that happened in the Kincardine community last fall. In no way was there any indoctrination evident. Students applied the philosophical writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Simone de Beauvoir in their analysis of the transpired events. The choice of publishing at this point, toward the end of Black History Month, is to build on the great work students throughout our school community have done on the issue of equality and acceptance and to support continued progress moving forward.

Dear fellow residents of Kincardine:

A couple of events transpired in the fall that made us livid. Many signs had been posted downtown stating: “It’s ok to be white.” Now, the signs are correct, it is completely okay to be any colour. But it is the meaning behind these signs that is the issue: these signs are an attempt to dismantle awareness that has been raised by non-violent protest associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Racialized bullying was also experienced by members of our school community and we recognize the importance of education to overcome intolerance and hate.

2020 was a difficult year, that we cannot deny, and many people experienced hardship in our community. This year has continued to be challenging but the Kincardine community is showing that we can pull together in order to overcome the hardships of this COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. We are taking this time to express our indignation of expressions of hatred and to shed some light on a perspective that many of us share, but too often is silenced by expressions of intolerance.

Some have felt that the poster, “It’s ok to be white,” was an attempt to give a voice to those who feel that they are overlooked, due to a history of today’s working poor, regardless of their skin colour, feeling that their voice is not legitimately heard; however, they could have expressed themselves better, without implying a racially-charged message that is rooted in intolerance.

By showing indignation for these events, we are building on a message from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophical letter from the Birmingham Jail. He challenged us to consider that “substantive and positive peace, in which all people will respect the dignity and worth” of one another, is achieved only when “we bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out into the open, where it can be dealt with” (Letter from the Birmingham Jail, 1963, page 10).

In April of 1963, King Jr. and others used non-violent direct action to raise awareness of the need to stop intolerance. Today, we are writing that there is still room for us to grow in our awareness of accepting one another and not tolerating hatred.

It is not enough to say “we are against racism,” when we do not commit to condemning racist slurs and behaviour. The term anti-racist has arisen from a continuation of systemic racism and implicit messaging of intolerance in our every-day comings and goings. Racism must be overcome by identifying racially-motivated values and messaging; it is not something to be tip-toed about. It thrives in a society/community that is unwilling to experience the discomfort of both calling it out and trying to educate people as to how to realize acceptance of their fellow citizens.

That’s why this letter is addressed not only to people who have shown intolerance, but it is a mandate shared by all of us in our community who value Kincardine’s history of accepting and supporting one another, and we have faith that we can cultivate these roots of compassion and acceptance.

As King Jr. taught us, problems, like hatred, do not magically disappear. In his letter, he addresses his fellow clergymen and touches on the role white people can play: “I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent, and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and commuted themselves to it” (ibid, p. 13).

He mentions how important it is for white people to speak up and stand in solidarity alongside black people in order to create lasting change.

After reading King Jr.’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” we gained a clear understanding of the difficulties with which individuals struggled simply because of their skin colour. King Jr. explains that problems do not solve themselves and there is need for the efforts of people who want change. We need to act on problems now because time does not heal everything. “Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more, I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will” (ibid, p. 11-A).

King Jr. is saying that in order for progress to happen, we need to use our time wisely for good and not just sit around and wait for injustice to fix itself. He advocated for equality among all people. He wasn’t looking for special treatment; he simply advocated for compassion and equality, something that hate groups and racist attitudes wish to deny.

Kincardine is a beautiful town and the people within it need to follow the same standards. Racial slurs and inequality are all ugly subjects. We need to act in solidarity to celebrate what we share in common and we need to be willing to stand up to intolerance and be aware that it is happening, not just put our heads in the sand, hoping that “time will take it away.” Awareness is the first step to bringing intolerance to an end.

We understand that taking action and making change is uncomfortable at first, but sometimes, it needs to be done in order to eliminate oppressive attitudes and bring about change for the better. The easiest place to start is educating and teaching others why racially-motivated statements are hateful and invalidate the progress being made by people of colour.

But it’s important to do this with kindness and compassion, as compassion is the root of all good change, and as the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir wrote: “One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion” (Successful Aging: A Conference Report, 1974, page 142).

In summary, it is important to remember these two key points: We cannot stop hate by being hateful, and we cannot make progress by staying silent.

Sincerely,
École Kincardine District Secondary School students of HZT 4U
Grade 12 Philosophy: Questions and Theories