“Love us when we aren’t athletes,
when we don’t bake cakes
when we don’t offer our homes, or free taxi rides after the event,
When we’re wretched, suicidal, naked and contributing nothing
Love us then
Because if you need me to prove my humanity
I’m not the one that’s not human.”
This poem entitled, This is not a Humanizing Poem, written by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, was one of several displayed around McGuire Lake on June 25.
The poems were part of a vigil held by Shuswap Immigrant Services Society to stand up against racism and hate, while paying respect to those who were killed and to those impacted by the June 6 attack on a Muslim family in London, Ont.
Along with carrying ornamental candles as they walked around the lake in the lengthening shadows, participants stopped to read the writings along the way. They also had the opportunity to write a message on small flags that were hung along one side of the lake.
Shuswap Immigrant Services Society is a member of Resilience BC’s Anti-Racism Network.
The society states on its anti-racism material that it is committed to “building an inclusive community where everyone is accepted, respected, free from violence and fear, and able to thrive, regardless of race, colour, cultural background, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual/affectional orientation, or level of ability.”
Read more: Trudeau calls London, Ont., vehicle assault that killed Muslim family a ‘terrorist attack’
Read more: Mosque to host vigil for family killed in London, Ont., vehicle attack
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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