I sense that, in the line of the protests following the death of George Floyd and the other publicized deaths, a collective awakening is taking place. I see this awakening in a growing awareness of the real presence of systemic racism in our society. It is encouraging to see that people are demonstrating and demanding justice. I am also hopeful to see the measures taken by various governments, including the Quebec government, to fight against this social evil. All this fills me with hope. But at the same time, I reflect on this question in relation to myself, because I don't want to focus on a culprit, whom I consider only as a leading edge of this evil. I prefer to ask myself what I can do to fight against systemic racism.

According to the dictionary, the adjective systemic means "relating to a system as a whole.» -remove this « and please put in quotation marks. So I tell myself that I am part of this system, by my education, by the relationships I have, by the thoughts I hear, which feed me and which I spread around me in an unconscious way.

When I think about it, I come to a simple conclusion by saying to myself that I am a racist every time I do not apply the Golden Rule that says "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you". This is the Golden Rule present in almost all religions and implicitly also in the Declaration of Human Rights, because already in the first article of this Declaration it is stated: "All human beings must act towards others in a spirit of brotherhood."

I understand what my contribution can be: if I want to fight systemic racism, I can. I am called to love my neighbour as my brother, as my sister and I could say that I am called to love him or her as myself.

Am I doing that? Do I look at the other person I am with as a brother, as a sister?

I am on my way. And I would like every night before going to sleep to be able to say: Today, I have fought racism because I have loved the people around me a little more. I am aware that this fight is a free choice. I am convinced that, apart from the need for laws and guidelines we have to protect us from the excesses of racism, as in the case of George Floyd or Joyce Echaquan, what we need most of all is education in brotherhood/sisterhood, education in love of neighbour for the entire population.

So I want to be more and more educated in this love and I pray to God that more and more of us in our land will transform our hearts of "stone" into hearts of "flesh", for this is the only effective way to fight the scourge of racism in our midst.

L.M., Montreal - October 3, 2020