Committed to making systemic changes
By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA
“Even a drop of water can erode a mountain,” said Dr. Nnorom, a physician and black team lead for the faculty of medicine at the University of Toronto. She said these words as she spoke to many issues around racism and intercultural competencies.
We must be truly committed to making systemic changes in our different organizations and be empowered to create safe spaces for the well-being of those who work with us, so people who need to disclose difficult and perhaps inappropriate behaviour and situations are able to do so. Those of us in positions of authority must be held to a higher standard.
Harassment can destroy a person, an organization and friendships. It is hard to build trust once harassment has been disclosed and even more challenging when the person who has found the courage to come forward, does not have the support of those they have disclosed to. What will we tell our next generation about how we treated people in our institutions and our province. This is not a partisan issue; it is a systemic issue that continues to be pushed further into the darkness as those who dare to come forward are tossed away by those they trust. These people are not attention seekers; they face humiliation for telling their truth and most likely negative consequences like being fired or worse, isolation.
They, the victims, are blamed. We are all responsible for this behaviour and we are collectively accountable for changing this culture. It requires kindness and asking the right questions to see change through. If we are bystanders to this behaviour, we are part of the problem. We are responsible if money, a job, or credibility is used against a person, or the culture allows for harassment to continue. Do we only value people if they follow our ideology or thought process? Understand this, people who have faced family violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or harassment do not want to be defined by it; they want to be valued, heard, have their concerns understood and see change happen. It’s remarkable, that anyone comes forward given that the chances of finding real solutions within an organization are so tiny. Instead, these courageous few are hit with threats, minimizing their value, loss of opportunity and sometimes retaliation. Today, I cannot speak to the truth around any allegations or accusations, but I can say that I believe you and that I will do everything in my power to see systemic change everywhere!
As always, we love to hear from you.
(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore)