Nova Scotia Legislature – MLA Profile

Blacks Should Demonstrate …

Comments attributed to a Nova Scotia Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is cause for concern,  if not downright condemnation.  Her comments have been viewed as racist.

Apology

We note that she has apologized, but for someone in leadership who represents a community to be so accused is unacceptable. When you serve in a position of trust you banish such thoughts and expressions. Being ingrained in racism and seeing black people as less than yourselves or less than white people it is not surprising that these people have lost control of their thinking because it has been so influenced by their racist attitudes. This area of Canada has many black residents. Is it no excuse that  poor racist attitudes allow her to be speaking of black people in a negative way especially when it is unfounded and has absolutely no basis in fact. Of course there may be one or two people who are lazy and smoke weed. Some white people are also lazy and smoke weed … so  to label black people only as thus is bordering on being racist if not racially biased and unfortunate.

Elizabeth Smith is reported as saying inter alia: “Jamaicans smoke a lot of weed and are lazy”  As a proud educated Jamaican, let me inform Ms. Smith that I do not smoke weed and am not lazy.  Ms. Smith certainly was not speaking about me. In fact I have met white Canadians who love to smoke weed … they may even be addicted to the stuff.  She used a white paint to tarnish a proud Jamaican people, majority of whom are black. The Opioid crisis is even a bigger problem than smoking weed.

Poetic Commentary

Clean up your acts …
Get to know the true facts
Do not denigrate black folk
Such is not a joke …

Racism is an affront to decency
This should never be your policy
It is in an atrocity ….
You should not court adversity.

Amen!

By Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie who is poet, satirist and Senior International Correspondent & Photojournalist for Vision Newspaper.