by Marcia Alderson ❧ photography by Jessica Crandlemire
If my parents had not stood up to racism almost 60 years ago, I would not exist.
My mother emigrated from Jamaica in the 1950s. She had come from a life of privilege, well educated and untouched by prejudice. In the early 1960s, when she was ready to buy her first new home, she met my father, George Hubbs, who was the real estate agent for the builder and possibly the whitest man in Canada.
My mother chose a home to purchase and signed a full-price offer. My father presented the offer to the builder, telling him the buyer was a well-qualified Jamaican nurse. The builder told my father that he would not sell to a Person of Colour, Black, Jamaican … you get the picture.
Here’s where the story gets interesting. My father, outraged, went back to my mother and told her exactly what the builder had said. My mother decided to take the builder to the Human Rights Commission, and my father testified for her. She got her house. He got fired from the building site, losing his job. They started dating, got married, and in 1965, I was born.
This wasn’t my mother’s first challenge finding housing as a Black woman in Canada. Before buying her home, many an apartment that was available when she phoned was suddenly gone when she got to the door. However, I grew up oblivious to any of this. My mother didn’t tell me anything about the racism she’d encountered until I was in my 20s and able to handle it. I grew up hearing only that I had “the best of both worlds.”
My point in recounting this family history is that good people can make a difference when they speak up and do the right thing, even when it’s hard. Even when it comes at a cost. My parents stood up to racism almost 60 years ago. I imagine that was not an easy task. At that point, their interracial marriage would have been illegal in many parts of the U.S. Thank God she had chosen Canada.
Over the last few months, I’ve witnessed the people of Southern Georgian Bay stand up for justice and equality in droves. I’ve peacefully marched through the streets of Collingwood with more than 2,000 of our citizens – not once, but twice in a week – in support of #BlackLivesMatter.
We still have much work to do. We are not immune to racism. It exists all around us, but generally in much more subtle ways than our neighbours south of the border display and experience it.
Ours may not be the most diverse region, but I believe it is a place full of good people willing to learn, grow and make change. Lasting change comes from education, both in our schools and in our homes. It happens one uncomfortable conversation at a time. It happens when you admit that you may have biases, whether conscious or unconscious. It happens when you realize that change is necessary, and seek to be better and do better.
I’ve never been more in love with this community. My parents, George and Yvonne Hubbs, are looking down proudly upon all of you. Thank you for making a difference. ❧
Marcia Alderson is a local realtor and lead singer with Motown and Marley, a Collingwood band. She has lived in Collingwood for the past 12 years with her son, Matthew.
