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The reality is, it was racism
Letter to the editor,
I am writing in response to recent media reports regarding the incident involving the young women who produced a video that raised the issue of racism.
While I was in Fort Frances over the weekend, it was apparent that this occurrence had polarized the community. While some have tried to dismiss this as “a teenage mistake” and others have stated, “this is an isolated incident” in reality, it was racism. The fact remains that the actions of these young women were based on either intolerance or a lack of awareness combined with disrespect for members of their own community.
What is important at this point is to ensure that hurt and anger will not continue to divide our communities. This incident must be viewed as an opportunity to learn and grow. We all have a responsibility to work together to promote and achieve respect for one another.
Respect for diversity can only by accomplished by a commitment from all community leaders to deal with this issue openly, honestly and on an ongoing basis. Thus, in the future rather than being reactive our communities could prevent further occurrences of this nature.
–Betty Kennedy,
Thunder Bay