Destiny Pitters

There is a lot to be said about the racist pitfalls of Canada’s medical system: how it predisposes racialized folks to harm and disability, how it fails to treat them, and how scarce the solutions seem to be.

Most conversations that confront discrimination are steeped in a power dynamic - usually an imbalance - between a person in a privileged position and someone who’s not. So while being called out for racism is typically followed by feelings of fear and fragility (usually, though not exclusively, by white folks), it involves another kind of fear that’s shadowed by historical punishment and exhaustion for Black, Indigenous and people of colour. But the willingness to have this conversation is an act of love, and deserves to be received 

February, as recognized by a handful of Western nations, marks the celebration of Black History Month. Usually indicated by a collection of palatable MLK Jr. quotes on social media timelines, Black History Month has slowly sagged into a performative gesture, an annual routine to show that you were, in fact, awake for a moment during high school history.

Alongside those indigenous to Turtle Island (North America), Black folks are the most likely to experience disability and pain.