Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to your articles concerning the human rights complaint against Bowen Island Montessori School (BIMS) and the numerous Facebook conversations on race/racism (Aug 19). Speaking as someone of a visible ethnic minority and a mother of two children (one of whom is pre-school aged), the issues raised are very close to home for my family.
I wish to emphasize that the link between BIMS and racism has not been proven, and this seems to have been overlooked. Whilst many of us are familiar with the term “trial by media”, the recent “trial by social media” takes the meaning of “inflammatory” to a whole new level. In the aftermath, we are left with an uncomfortable situation whereby many members of the community, holding very relevant information, knowledge and personal experience, feel that they cannot publicly speak up in defense of BIMS for fear of being labelled a “racist,” a title that no-one wants. There is a horrible irony in this situation given that much of the debate is concerned with marginalisation, a social process whereby a group is made to feel insignificant. Furthermore, under the Human Rights Code, there is a duty not to retaliate against any person involved in a complaint; so it really is in everyone’s best interests to let the tribunal decide whether discrimination really took place.
What is now widely known is that the dispute in question centres on a letter that BIMS asked the complainants to sign as a condition to their daughter’s enrolment. At this point, there is no verdict on whether the letter was discriminatory based on race or religion. The BIMS community past and present has included families with Jewish, Asian and a number of other racial and ethnic origins. To me, this begs the question: “What was different for this couple and why did they feel discriminated against when many other families did not?” Was it simply that they were the first to voice concerns over the cultural curriculum at BIMS or did something else take place that caused the relationship to break down so irreversibly? The full story may not be told until next June at the earliest. Until then, the community is left to reconcile its differences on the matter in a sea of confusion and misinformation.
At this point, I would like to address your comment “I wonder what we consider an appropriate manner for people to bring up issues of this nature.” My suggestion would be firstly to deal with each story of marginalisation and oppression individually with the sensitivity that it deserves, and to hear each side of the story. Social media clearly lacks the essential qualities to handle such matters appropriately. The sweeping generalisations and the tenuous links made between the human rights complaint, “Black Lives Matter” and “white privilege” have caused harm and division within the community. Whilst discussions on diversity and inclusion are important, some are mistakenly led to believe that they are suddenly important because BIMS has failed in these areas. Let’s be clear on this: most members of the community do not have enough evidence to reach this conclusion.
Yours Faithfully,
Molly Chan-Heyes
