Archie isnt the only child being judged for the colour of their skin

A note from the editor.

Recently we learned in an interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry that they have been at odds with the Royal Family.

In the interest of so-called decorum and privacy, we rarely get a glimpse behind the scenes. Until now — in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, no less.

There has been talk of a post-interview “crisis” behind the walls of a traditionally blockaded, predominantly white family. Blue blood being its defining feature.

The word “crisis” strikes me as an odd term, because while the interview is shocking, the situation can be rectified without de rigeur damage control. But crisis today implies that traditions will remain untouched, softened by a PR campaign the likes of which we’ve seen so many times before.

In 2017, former GTA school board trustee Nancy Elgie called Charline Grant the N-word. Read about that here.

On a notes app, some PR professional, undoubtedly white, will craft a simple message. The phrases “missed the mark,” “we hear you” and “we can and will do better” will be bandied about. If you aren’t familiar with the process, it’s ongoing: a newly appointed Teen Vogue editor, who has a history of anti-Asian and homophobic beliefs, issued a similar letter after she was outed.

But these issues are systemic — a paragraph won’t do. And while this will be fodder for tabloids and celebrity journalists, these issues are not simply a royal issue.

If we learned anything in 2020, it is that a lot of work needs to be done to undo many harmful ideologies that villainize people of colour. People like me, white people, need to think about our behaviours, acknowledge our biases and ask ourselves tough questions. The process is uncomfortable, and difficult, which is why many won’t take the time. Allyship is more than a black square on Instagram, or supporting a restaurant that Uber Eats highlights as a Black-owned business.

But when we put in the work, it’s worth the effort.

You see, parents in Canada are also victims.

"I think it’s easy to tell ourselves we don’t have biases. That we 'don’t see colour.'"

Children of Black parents are often at odds with systems that prop up whiteness, and ‘other’ Blackness. I know this, because I work on a parents site where our contributors lay out their own experiences, which are raw and real.

Archie’s skin colour was allegedly questioned by a senior Royal, whoever that may be. Some education systems are fueled by systemic racism. This mother was on the receiving end of racial slurs by an esteemed senior representative of government. Black people are targeted by police. Black families have to have “the talk.” These are by no means all of the wrongs committed in our most recent history, but serve as examples to highlight that while we can watch an interview with royalty and feel at a distance, because we’ll never be queen (sigh), in reality: Black kids face opportunities to be Archie more often than we understand.

I think it’s easy to tell ourselves we don’t have biases. That we “don’t see colour.” These behaviours and responses are often employed when someone wants to push uncomfortable information to the dark recesses of their brain. It’s suppression. And it also gives people a false sense of confidence, which is why when they are asked to do the work, they get defensive. We’ve all seen the comments that go along the lines of “I’M NOT RACIST, THIS IS VICTIMHOOD, GET OVER IT” — one may even appear below this article.

Children and parents are often exposed to racism, and they have stories to tell. We share them, because we believe it’s important for everyone to read them. If someone is among the majority of people in a school, and no one is actively denouncing anti-Black racism (or the racism is more casual, subtle), then they may not necessarily think: “This is wrong.” It’s especially unlikely that kids will even give it a second thought, if the messaging at home is “we’re not racist, so it’s not our issue to deal with.” Knowing that these beliefs exist makes it seem even more essential to work on understanding why we may choose to not see that people of colour face obstacles that others simply will not. And why they need to experience those hurdles at all.

That’s why change starts at home. Depending on the age of your child, your approach may vary. Perhaps it’s introducing shows, books and movies that are Black-led projects, if your kids are younger. If your children are tweens and teens, perhaps use a prompt at the dinner table, or while going for a walk. It could even be as short of a question as, “do you know what it means to be racist?”

When George Floyd called for his mama, Vanessa Magic felt pain — Because she's someone's mama. Read that here.

As kids get older, many take a more frontline role in activism, and it’s at that moment where parents can sit down and listen (or participate, if your views are instantly shared), but this requires an openness to question our own biases, even if we may believe that we don’t have any.

But we all have biases. I, as a very trivial example, love crew neck shirts and hate tank tops. I’m extremely biased — my brain, for whatever reason, and I am working on this, signals that I’d rather not date someone who wears a tank top. As I said, it’s trivial and I know it, but I do a disservice to myself for viewing someone as just the tank top they are wearing. We simply need to ask ourselves why we have biases, and not be quick to say we don’t have them. We aren’t doing ourselves any favours by sheltering ourselves, like the royal family does with its well-funded PR machine.

And I can appreciate that it’s easy to discredit young activists as impassioned minors who don’t know the real world, but their lens is far less blurred by the many turbulences of life. While kids don’t know everything, when it comes to their passion around injustice, it’s worth hearing them out. You may not agree with everything, but that’s how dialogues are started.

Encouraging the kind of change that makes everyone’s lives better, rather than servicing self-interest, is, at least to me, pretty incredible.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.