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Jagmeet Singh Is All Of Us Who've Been Told To Apologize For Calling Out Racism

When I first heard Jagmeet Singh was removed from the House of Commons, I tried to ignore it. He had called Bloc Quebecois MP Alain Therrien a “racist” for not supporting a motion addressing systemic racism in the RCMP, and refused to apologize for using unparliamentary language. Singh hadn’t invoked a banned word, mind you. It came down to “tone.”

But when I watched Singh’s tearful statement in response to the demands of a handful of white MPs, I cried with him. Like Singh, I am Sikh Punjabi. I too have been raised by racism, and have been asked to apologize for naming it. I have spent my life digesting insults to keep friends, and ignoring jokes to keep jobs.

Watching Singh not back down was invigorating. He faces racism while fighting racism, yet he continues. His confidence is inspiring me to unlearn the “keep quiet” mentality I’ve grown up with.

The first time I was asked to apologize for calling someone racist, I was 8. I grew up in Regina, Sask., where my brother and I were the only Indians at our school. I remember how small I felt. I had a Black Barbie and a white Barbie. A friend said I wasn’t allowed to play with the white doll because I had brown skin. I said that was racist. She cried and locked herself in the bathroom. I told my mom, who panicked and made me apologize. My friendships were already precarious; to keep them, I realized, I had to act like others’ feelings were more precious than mine.

This followed me into adulthood. A few years ago, I attended an Indian wedding with my white friends. One girl, a repeat offender, complained about an event we had missed. “I was the only white person there,” she said, upset. I got angry and was then asked to apologize. I refused. She was visibly shaken, the tension in the room now my fault, not hers. I spent the rest of the night feeling guilty and sending her smiles to make up for my outburst.

White fragility keeps people of colour in line and ‘in their place.’Robin...Continue reading on HuffPost