In recent months, Barinder Singh Tiwana was killed and his family's home and hotel destroyed, and Noah Rabbani's skull was cracked in alleged hate crimes. In November, I was listening to an episode of The Current where Anna Maria Tremont interviewed Barbara Perry, Bernie Farber, and Desmond Cole about the impact of Trump on racism. Farber made a good point saying that racism has been a part of the Canadian society for a long time, but now racists are dusting themselves off and says "it's not new, just a shot of adrenaline," for those with hateful prejudices.
Right now the Southern Poverty Law Centre is capturing instances of hate crimes and the number is over 1000 since the election of Trump. We must organize those around us, and it is not okay to smile politely as people around us say something that sounds racist. Here is a great guide from Janaya Khan of Black Lives Matter Toronto to help avoid traps in difficult talks about race.
