Material Type

Artifact

Date

2020

Materials

COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Length

66.5

Width

65.5

Description

BLACK COTTON T-SHIRT THAT HAS BEEN BLEACHED ORANGE IN SOME PARTS. THE FRONT OF THE SHIRT HAS A STENCILED DESIGN THAT SAYS “GUARD” ON THE TOP, A RAISED BLACK FIST ON AN ORANGE SHIELD BACKDROP IN THE CENTRE, AND “LETHBRIDGE” AT THE BOTTOM. THE BACK HAS A SPLATTERED TIE DYE APPEARING PATTERN. THE INSIDE TAG AT THE NECK SAYS “GEORGE XL…93X”. THE FABRIC IS SLIGHTLY FADED BUT THE SHIRT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

ASSOCIATIONS

History

ON THE 12TH OF JUNE 2020, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN MET WITH JORDAN LEDYIT, ORGANIZER OF THE BLACK LIVES MATTER (BLM) EVENT HELD IN LETHBRIDGE ON THURSDAY, JUNE 4TH WITH THE GROUP UNITED AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (GUARD). THE RALLY WAS SPURRED BY THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD, A BLACK MAN KILLED BY POLICE DURING AN ARREST IN MINNEAPOLIS IN MAY OF 2020. ACTIONS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY AND IN SUPPORT OF BLACK LIVES MATTER WERE WIDESPREAD IN RESPONSE. JORDAN DONATED A COLLECTION OF ITEMS FROM THE EVENT TO THE MUSEUM. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMES FROM THEIR INTERVIEW. JORDAN COMMENTED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF ORGANIZING THE BLM EVENT: “…IT’S BEEN A ROLLER COASTER, I’LL SAY THAT. LOTS OF HIGHS, LOWS, IN BETWEEN… VERY BUSY… THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS HAVE...DIED DOWN BUT…FROM THE TWO DAYS LEADING UP TO THE RALLY ALL THE WAY UNTIL…AT LEAST…TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK…[THERE WAS] MESSAGE UPON MESSAGE UPON MESSAGE AND…THINGS GOING ON…FACEBOOK, PEOPLE CONTACTING ME [ASKING] ‘CAN I DONATE?’ ‘CAN I DO THIS?’ ‘DO YOU NEED HELP?’ ‘WHAT DO YOU NEED?’ BEFORE AND AFTER [THE EVENT]… IT WAS A LOT GOING ON.” JORDAN SPOKE ABOUT THE T-SHIRT THAT SHE CREATED, WORE TO THE RALLY, AND THEN DONATED TO THE MUSEUM: “[MAKING THE T-SHIRTS] HAPPENED ON THE WEDNESDAY BEFORE [THE RALLY]… [I HAVE A] LITTLE BIT OF A STORY SO THAT I CAN GIVE YOU A BACKGROUND AS TO WHY I CHOSE TO [MAKE THE T-SHIRT DESIGN] THIS WAY. SO…I’M A DANCE TEACHER, THAT’S WHAT I DO AS MY PROFESSION… I BELIEVE I HAD JUST GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL AND I WAS WORKING WITH [AN] INSTRUCTOR AT CHINOOK HIGH SCHOOL WITH THEIR ADVANCED PROGRAM. I WASN’T MAKING ANY MONEY BUT IT WAS JUST MORE SOMETHING I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT, DANCE AND ALL OF THAT. SO WHAT I HAD DONE [WAS] I HAD CREATED THIS [DANCE] PIECE…AND…WE WERE DOING COSTUMING… THERE WAS NOTHING THAT REALLY FIT THE STORY THAT I WAS TRYING TO CREATE WITH MY DANCE… I [THOUGHT] MAYBE I CAN TAKE SOME T-SHIRTS AND…LAY THEM OUT AND SPRAY BLEACH ON THEM IN LITTLE DROPLETS THAT LOOK LIKE STARS IN THE SKY. SO THAT’S WHAT I DID… I THINK I MADE…FIFTEEN T-SHIRTS LIKE THESE AND SPRAYED BLEACH ON THEM…LET THEM DRY OVERNIGHT, AND BROUGHT THEM FOR THE GIRLS THAT WERE DANCING IN THE DANCE… WHEN IT CAME TO THE RALLY, I WAS [THINKING] I [WANT TO] MAKE A T-SHIRT…MY OWN SHIRT… I WANT SOMETHING WITH MY OWN SYMBOL ON IT… I [HAD THE IDEA THAT]…I CAN DO WHAT I DID FOR MY DANCE…HOWEVER MANY YEARS AGO… I’LL MAKE A STENCIL AND MY HUSBAND…DID…THE SHIELD WITH THE FIST ON IT, HE DREW THAT… I DID ALL OF THE LETTERING AROUND THE OUTSIDE AND I TAPED FOUR PIECES OF…REGULAR COMPUTER PAPER TOGETHER AND THEN I USED ONE OF THOSE PEN KNIVES AND…CUT OUT THE SHAPES... I ACTUALLY DID THE BACK OF THE SHIRT FIRST… I LAID IT IN THE TUB AND TWISTED IT AND SPRAYED THE BLEACH ON IT AND LET THAT DRY A LITTLE BIT THEN FLIPPED IT OVER, PUT ON THE STENCIL, JUST BLEACHED THAT, LAID IT ON MY KITCHEN TO DRY AND THAT’S WHAT WE ENDED UP WITH…” “…I DID SEE SOME [OTHER] CUSTOM MADE T-SHIRTS [AT THE RALLY]. THIS GUY…[WHO] WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE GUYS WHO DID AN IMPROMPTU SPEECH AT THE RALLY… [HE] AND HIS WIFE HAD ON BLACK SHIRTS THAT SAID ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ IN GLITTER ON THEM, THEY WERE…SUPER COOL SHIRTS… THOSE WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT I SAW OTHER THAN MINE PERSONALLY, I DON’T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE DID [CUSTOM SHIRTS].” “…I HAD A FEW PEOPLE COME UP TO ME AND ASK ME HOW I DID [THE T-SHIRT DESIGN]… I HAD A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THAT WAS DONE.” JORDAN WAS HAPPY TO DONATE THE T-SHIRT TO THE MUSEUM: “…I WANT THESE [T-SHIRTS] TO BE PRESERVED… I FEEL LIKE THE MUSEUM WILL DO A LOT MORE JUSTICE TO THESE THEN I WOULD AND ON THAT SAME TRAIN OF THOUGHT OF THAT AS WELL, I CAN JUST MAKE MORE IF I NEED ANOTHER ONE DOWN THE ROAD… I THINK THAT THIS WOULD BE MORE BENEFICIAL FOR PEOPLE DOWN THE ROAD WHO NEED TO HEAR ABOUT THIS HISTORY TO HAVE THESE..." JORDAN SPOKE ABOUT THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZING THE EVENT: “[ORGANIZING THE RALLY] WAS A LITTLE COMPLICATED BECAUSE IT WAS SO FAST. DOING IT IN…TWO DAYS WAS A LOT, BUT ANOTHER GIRL THAT HAD BEEN HELPING ORGANIZE THIS WHOLE THING, SHE WAS ALREADY WORKING ON ANOTHER PROJECT INVOLVING POLICE AND PEOPLE OF COLOUR AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND...HAVING A DIALOGUE WITH THAT. SO…WE WERE THINKING ABOUT THAT AS WELL AND THAT’S…SOMETHING WE WERE GOING TO DO…IN THE NEAR FUTURE HOPEFULLY… WE WERE THINKING ABOUT [THE MONTHS TO COME]…BUT MOSTLY WE WERE VERY FOCUSED ON WHAT WE WERE DOING IN THE MOMENT BECAUSE…WE HAD TO GET THINGS DONE SO QUICKLY BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME…” “[THE ORIGINAL ORGANIZER] REACHED OUT TO ME WHEN THIS WAS ALL HAPPENING AND…BASICALLY WE WERE DOING IT TOGETHER BUT SHE WAS LEADING ON IT AND THEN IT SWITCHED… THEN I WAS LEADING AND I WAS NOT ANTICIPATING THAT WHATSOEVER, BUT IT KIND OF JUST WORKED OUT AND I DON’T REALLY KNOW WHY I WAS SO CALM AND SO COLLECTED AND SO OKAY, BUT IT DIDN’T STRESS ME OUT AT ALL… I WAS FINE, I WASN’T NERVOUS, I WASN’T STRESSED, I WASN’T WORRIED, IT JUST HAPPENED AND IT ALL JUST LAID OUT PERFECTLY.” “[THE ORIGINAL ORGANIZER CREATED THE EVENT] ON THE MONDAY, IT WAS…LATE MONDAY, I BELIEVE.” “HONESTLY IF IT WASN’T FOR [THE ORIGINAL ORGANIZER] THERE PROBABLY WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN [THE RALLY].” JORDAN WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL EVENT ORGANIZER, AND SHE PROVIDED THE STORY BEHIND HOW SHE ENDED UP IN THIS ROLE: “…I HAD NO INTENTIONS…OF DOING ANY OF THIS. THAT WASN’T EVEN ON MY RADAR AT ALL… IT’S NOT THAT I WASN’T INVESTED IN WHAT’S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, IT WAS MORE THAT I WAS SCARED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. BEING A BLACK WOMAN SOMETIMES…YOU GET MORE BACKLASH FOR THE THINGS YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT BECAUSE OF THE COLOUR OF YOUR SKIN…” “…[THE ORIGINAL ORGANIZER SAID] 'I WANT TO DO SOMETHING'… HER…STANCE WITH THAT…WAS…’I WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I CARE AND I LOVE EVERYBODY’ AND SHE ADDED ‘BUT I DON’T NECESSARILY WANT TO BE THE ONE…BEING THE HEAD AND THE FACE OF THIS BECAUSE I’M WHITE AND I DON’T WANT TO BE TAKEN THE WRONG WAY’… I TOTALLY RESPECT THAT AND I UNDERSTAND WHERE SHE’S COMING FROM, BECAUSE IT COULD BE SEEN AS…APPROPRIATION… AT FIRST…WE WERE DOING IT TOGETHER, IT WAS...A COLLABORATION…” “…SO [HOW] IT STARTS OUT, [THE ORIGINAL ORGANIZER] MAKES THE [FACEBOOK] PAGE, SHE MAKES THE EVENT… PRIOR TO HER MAKING ALL OF THIS I DIDN’T KNOW SHE WAS DOING IT, SHE JUST DID IT... THEN SHE REACHES OUT TO ME AND [ASKED] ‘WILL YOU HELP ME WITH THIS?’ AND I [REPLIED] ‘ABSOLUTELY…I WILL HELP YOU, LET’S DO IT’… THEN, TUESDAY SHE TELLS ME [SHE HAS A FAMILY ISSUE TO ATTEND TO]… [AND THE EVENT ORGANIZING] IS A LOT TO BE HANDLING WHEN DEALING WITH [A FAMILY MATTER] AND I [DECIDED] ‘YOU KNOW WHAT? IF I HAVE TO TAKE IT OVER AND I HAVE TO DO IT, I’LL DO IT THAT’S FINE.’ AND FROM THERE, EVERYTHING JUST WENT [FORWARD]… [THE INITIAL ORGANIZER WAS] ACTUALLY THE ONE THAT FOUND THE TWO OTHER LADIES THAT I’VE BEEN WORKING WITH ON THIS PROJECT. THE ONE LADY IS LEGACY…AND THE OTHER IS MYSTIQUE... [THE INITIAL ORGANIZER] REACHED OUT TO THEM TO HELP WITH THE PROJECT AND THEY WERE BOTH ON BOARD… THEN I CREATED A MESSENGER GROUP WITH TWO OF THEM, SO THAT WE COULD…BE ON THE SAME PAGE WITH EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON… WE WERE ABLE TO JUST PULL THIS ALL TOGETHER… MYSTIQUE ACTUALLY KNEW SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE MEMBERS OF THE [LETHBRIDGE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ALLIANCE] (LDIA) GROUP AS WELL SO WE…COLLABORATED WITH THEM TO AN EXTENT…WHICH WAS REALLY…HELPFUL BECAUSE THEY GAVE US SOME REALLY GOOD POINTERS.” JORDAN SPOKE ABOUT THE INPUT FROM THE LDIA: “…WE HAD A VIDEO CALL WITH [THE LDIA]…ON THE TUESDAY AT…3 O’CLOCK… WE TALKED ABOUT…WHERE WE WANTED TO GO WITH THIS…THE MESSAGE WE WANTED TO SEND OUT ABOUT…BEING AGAINST…SYSTEMIC RACISM…AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, AND ANY PERSON OF COLOUR… THEY POINTED OUT TO ME… [THAT WHAT] WE HAD…IN OUR ‘ABOUT’ SECTION [ON FACEBOOK] FOR THE EVENT…WAS [PUT TOGETHER VERY QUICKLY]… THEY TOLD US ‘…THAT SECTION IS A BIT OF A CONCERN BECAUSE IT KIND OF SENDS OUT A CERTAIN MESSAGE…’ BECAUSE, AT THE TIME, THE ABOUT SECTION WAS ONLY ABOUT BLACK LIVES MATTER…” JORDAN REVEALED HOW THE NAME ‘GUARD’ WAS CREATED FOR THE GROUP: “…THE…COVER PHOTO…JUST SAID ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ ON IT AND…ONCE SPEAKING WITH THEM THEY WERE [WONDERING] ‘IS THIS JUST BLACK LIVES MATTER OR INDIGENOUS LIVES MATTER?’ THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. SO THEY…POINTED US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH THAT, WHICH WAS SUPER GOOD… FROM THAT…WE ACTUALLY CHANGED THE NAME OF THE GROUP. IT STARTED OUT AS…'LETHBRIDGE GROUP AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION' AND THEN WE CHANGED IT TO 'LETHBRIDGE GROUP UNITED AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION', SO WE COULD USE THE TERM GUARD, WHICH I THOUGHT…WAS SUPER COOL…AS AN ACRONYM… MY HUSBAND CREATED THE BANNER…THAT WE USE NOW. HE’S A GRAPHIC DESIGNER, SO HE DID THAT…” JORDAN FURTHER DESCRIBED THE SPECIFIC ROLES OF EACH INDIVIDUAL INVOLVED IN PLANNING THE EVENT: “…I ACTUALLY DIDN’T HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH THE SPEAKERS, THAT WAS MORE LEGACY AND MYSTIQUE. THEY WERE ALL OVER THAT. THAT WASN’T ME. I DID MORE OF THE ORGANIZATION, LIKE WHEN IS THIS HAPPENING, WHEN ARE WE DOING THIS. I COLLABORATED WITH MYSTIQUE ON DOING THE SCHEDULE AND…[LOGISTICS] LIKE, ‘OKAY, THIS PERSON IS SPEAKING AT THIS TIME, THIS PERSON IS SPEAKING AT THIS TIME, WE’RE HAVING A BREAK HERE, WE’RE GETTING THIS.’ AS WELL AS GETTING THE SNACKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. MYSELF AND MY HUSBAND…WENT ALL OVER THE CITY, WE WENT TO GREGG’S, WE WENT TO WALMART, WE WENT TO DOLLAR STORE, ALL OVER THE PLACE.” “…[MY ROLE ORGANIZING WAS DIRECTING] ‘YOU GO HERE, YOU TALK TO THIS PERSON, I’LL PUT YOU WITH THIS GUY, OKAY…YOU NEED THIS, I’LL CONNECT YOU TO THIS PERSON, I’LL DO THIS’… I WAS DEFINITELY LIKE…PULL OUT HERE, PUSH IN THERE… IT WAS VERY MUCH THE ORGANIZATION, THE CONNECTING THE DOTS WAS…WHAT I DID. MYSTIQUE WAS VERY MUCH…CONNECTING [AND] GETTING PEOPLE INVOLVED. LEGACY WAS…[ORGANIZING] SPEAKERS, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THAT, WHO’S TALKING. SHE REACHED OUT TO…THE POLICE SERVICE AND SHE REACHED OUT TO…CITY HALL AND ALL THAT SORT OF THING… MY HUSBAND KYLE…WAS…KEEPING EVERYONE ON TASK, LIKE…WHAT’S NEXT, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO. HE…LISTED OUT…EVERY SINGLE THING WE NEEDED TO GET DONE AND CHECKED IT OFF AS WE DID IT.” KYLE WAS VERY INVOLVED IN THE ORGANIZATION AND LOGISTICAL CONCERNS: “…HE IS SO GOOD AT MANAGEMENT, IT’S RIDICULOUS… HE CAME UP WITH…ALL THE THINGS WE NEEDED TO HAVE, LIKE HOW MANY SPEAKERS WE NEEDED TO HAVE.” “…HE WASN’T INVOLVED IN THIS AT ALL ORIGINALLY, BUT…I SAID TO HIM… 'I NEED HELP WITH THIS, HELP ME. YOU’RE SO GOOD AT KEEPING THINGS ORGANIZED, YOU’RE SO GOOD AT MAKING SURE EVERYTHING GETS DONE, I NEED YOU.’” “…MY HUSBAND…CREATED…EMERGENCY PROTOCOL, JUST IN CASE WE HAD AN ISSUE… LIKE, IF SOMEBODY WAS TOO ROWDY AND STARTED RIOTING…AND STARTED VANDALIZING, HE HAD...A WHOLE PLAN READY FOR THE VOLUNTEERS TO FOLLOW. OR IF THERE WAS A HECKLER, WHAT CHANTS THEY WERE GOING TO USE, HE HAD ALL OF THIS READY TO GO…” “SO THIS IS MY HUSBAND: ‘SO WE HAVE A DATE, TIME, AND EXACT PLACE TO SET UP. DO WE HAVE PERMITS IN PLACE? DO WE HAVE BRANDING AND SIGNAGE? WHAT IS OUR MESSAGE IN TWELVE WORDS OR LESS? WHAT ACTIONABLE CHANGE DO WE WANT TO HAVE HAPPEN AND HOW WILL WE ACCOMPLISH THAT? DO WE HAVE AN EVENT ITINERARY? DO WE HAVE THE SUPPLIES NEEDED TO SUPPORT SOCIAL DISTANCING AT THE EVENT? DO WE HAVE AN ACTION PLAN FOR UNFORESEEN…AGGRESSION? WHAT IS OUR CURRENT ONLINE PRESENCE? DO WE HAVE METHODS SET IN PLACE FOR VISIBILITY DURING AND AFTER THE EVENT? DO WE HAVE WAYS SET UP WHERE PEOPLE CAN BEGIN DISCUSSIONS WITH THEIR COMMUNITY? HAVE PROMINENT FIGURES BEEN CONTACTED AND INVITED? DO WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO CAN VOLUNTEER TO SPEAK AT THE EVENT AS OUR EYES AND EARS? WHAT WAYS ARE WE CURRENTLY SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT EVENT? HOW ARE WE MANAGING TASKS AND ENSURING THEIR COMPLETION BEFORE THE EVENT?’ …HE JUST CAME UP WITH THAT.” A LOT OF PEOPLE WANTED TO SPEAK AT THE EVENT, WHICH JORDAN APPRECIATED: “LOTS OF PEOPLE ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO US BECAUSE…WE POSTED ON THE EVENT AS WELL AS ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE…THAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR SPEAKERS… EVEN AT THE EVENT ITSELF, WE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE COME UP AND SAY, ‘HEY, I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY’… THE ENERGY AT THAT RALLY WAS AMAZING… IT WAS JUST BUZZING AND PEOPLE WERE SO PASSIONATE… I THINK WE HAD…AT LEAST FOUR OR FIVE SPEAKERS [WHO] DID IT ON THE SPOT… WE HAD MORE THAN WHAT WE COULD ALLOW, BECAUSE WE ONLY HAD SO MUCH TIME. WE HAD SO MUCH TIME, BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE HAD SO LITTLE TIME BECAUSE EVERYONE WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING… WE ACTUALLY HAD TO TELL PEOPLE, ‘WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR YOU, I’M SORRY’… WE HAD LEGACY, ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED ORGANIZE THE EVENT, SHE ACTUALLY STARTED OUT AS SOMEBODY WHO…WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING. THEN…THE [ORIGINAL ORGANIZER] REACHED OUT TO HER AND [ASKED] ‘WOULD YOU WANT TO HELP ORGANIZE IT?’ AND SHE…[ACCEPTED]. SO, THAT’S…HOW SHE GOT INVOLVED AND THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING WITH MYSTIQUE AS WELL. SHE JUST REACHED OUT WANTING TO HAVE A SAY, AND ENDED UP HELPING ORGANIZE, WHICH WAS SUPER COOL BECAUSE…SHE WAS SO INTEGRAL WITH…GETTING…BLACK PEOPLE INVOLVED BECAUSE SHE’S VERY MUCH WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY IN LETHBRIDGE… WHICH WAS INTEGRAL TO GETTING PEOPLE SPEAKING, BECAUSE SHE BROUGHT…AT LEAST FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE TO SPEAK…WHICH WAS AMAZING.” THE ARRANGEMENTS WERE MOSTLY MADE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA: “…ON ANOTHER [FACEBOOK] POST WE REACHED OUT AND WE POSTED THAT WE…WERE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS AND WITH THAT WE GOT…THIRTY VOLUNTEERS... SO WE MADE A [VOLUNTEER] PAGE AND THEN PEOPLE WOULD DIRECT MESSAGE US AND [ASK], ‘HEY I’M LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER, WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE?’ AND WE’D CORRESPOND WITH THAT… IF THEY WERE INTERESTED WE’D ADD THEM TO A SEPARATE GROUP ON FACEBOOK THAT WAS A SPECIFICALLY JUST FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WERE LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER… ON THAT PAGE, WE POSTED ‘…WE ARE LOOKING FOR DONATIONS, WE HAVE TO GET SUPPLIES,’ AND ALL OF OUR FUNDS WERE COVERED BY VOLUNTEERS, WHICH WAS AMAZING…” THE REQUIRED SUPPLIES WERE OBTAINED BY JORDAN AND OTHERS INVOLVED: “…WHEN WE WENT SHOPPING, WE SPENT APPROXIMATELY THREE [OR] FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY. SO I THINK ALL BUT TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS WAS COVERED BY DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE REACHING OUT WANTING TO DONATE WHICH WAS SO AMAZING…” “…WE HAD THIS ONE LADY… SHE WENT OUT TO COSTCO, WALMART, ALL OVER THE PLACE AND GOT BANANAS, SNACKS, WATER, ALL SORTS OF STUFF. AMAZING PERSON, AND SHE WENT AND FOUND…[COVID PPE]… MYSELF AND MY HUSBAND…WENT EVERYWHERE, WE COULDN’T FIND ANY [MASKS]. WE WENT TO THE DOLLAR STORE WE WENT TO WALMART, WE WENT TO SAVE-ON-[FOODS], WE WENT TO TONS OF DIFFERENT PLACES… THEN RIGHT WHEN WE WERE ABOUT TO GIVE UP ON THE MASKS MY HUSBAND [SAID] ‘WE CAN GO TO GREGG’S’… SO WE WENT THERE…– GREGG’S IS LIKE A WAREHOUSE…WHEN YOU WALK IN THERE, THERE’S THE ITEMS THAT ARE…BEHIND THE COUNTER… THEY SELL THINGS FOR…FARMERS TOOLS AND…THEY SELL ELECTRICIAN STUFF, LIKE VERY…NICHE TRADES ITEMS, INDUSTRIAL. IT’S…CLOSE TO THE WALMART ON THE NORTH SIDE…NEAR THAT INDUSTRIAL AREA… [WE DECIDED TO]…TRY OUR LUCK THERE. WE GO THERE, AND THEY HAD JUST GOT A SHIPMENT OF…TWO THOUSAND [FACE] MASKS, LITERALLY…THAT DAY… I BELIEVE WE BOUGHT TWO HUNDRED OF THEM.” “…WE DECIDED WE’D GET ENOUGH [MASKS] FOR TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE BECAUSE [SOMEONE ELSE] HAD GOTTEN ENOUGH FOR FOUR [OR] FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE. SO…WE’LL DO TWO HUNDRED AND MAYBE THAT WILL COVER MOST OF IT… IT WAS AMAZING HOW MUCH STUFF THERE WAS… IT WARMED MY HEART SEEING ALL OF THE WATER AND ALL OF THE FOOD FOR PEOPLE… MY WHOLE THING IS THAT I’M AWARE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE OF COLOUR…THERE IS SUCH A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HOMELESS, OR WHO ARE LOW INCOME… I DON’T WANT TO HAVE THESE PEOPLE…COME [TO THE RALLY] AND BE HUNGRY ALL DAY, THAT’S NOT FAIR… I DON’T WANT THEM TO COME AND BE THIRSTY STANDING OUT IN THE SUN… IT REALLY MADE ME HAPPY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO FACILITATE PEOPLE HAVING SOME WATER AND A SNACK, THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME… WE HAD LOTS LEFT OVER, AND [SOMEONE] TOOK IT OVER TO THE SAFE CONSUMPTION SITE AND DONATED IT TO THEM AFTERWARDS, WHICH…WAS…SO IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS CITY ARE SO AGAINST THAT… THE SAFE CONSUMPTION SITE IS DOING SUCH AN IMPORTANT SERVICE TO THESE PEOPLE WHO NEED COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING, AND TO BE ABLE TO…JUST GIVE THEM SOME BANANAS REALLY WAS SO IMPORTANT TO ME TO GIVE THEM WATER AND MASKS. WE HAD SO MANY MASKS LEFT OVER [BE]CAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE BROUGHT THEIR OWN… TO BE ABLE TO GIVE MASKS TO PEOPLE—YOU SEE HOMELESS PEOPLE WALKING AROUND ON THE STREETS, LIKE THEY DON’T HAVE MASKS ON, THEY HAVE NO PROTECTION [FROM COVID-19] BECAUSE THEY CAN’T AFFORD IT—SO…TO BE ABLE TO DONATE…TO THAT PLACE WHERE VULNERABLE PEOPLE GO ALL THE TIME…SO THEY CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES, EVEN JUST THAT LITTLE BIT, WAS SO IMPORTANT TO ME… I’M SO GLAD THEY WERE ABLE TO TAKE SO [MANY] OF THE THINGS WE WERE ABLE TO COLLECT FOR THEM… IT WAS JUST SO AMAZING, IT WAS SO GOOD.” THERE WERE MULTIPLE ACTIONS ORGANIZED FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER IN LETHBRIDGE AROUND THE SAME TIME, WHICH JORDAN SPOKE ABOUT: “…THERE WAS ALSO A RALLY ON THE SATURDAY THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAD SET UP AND I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT IT…” “…AND…THE POLICE STATION…[PROTEST] ON THE WEDNESDAY. I ACTUALLY DROVE BY THAT ONE AND I DID SEE IT… THE ONE ON THE WEDNESDAY AND THE ONE ON THE SATURDAY DIDN’T GET AS MUCH EXPOSURE AS WHAT WE GOT AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY…" “…I BELIEVE [THE ONE WE ORGANIZED] WAS THE BIGGEST RALLY IN LETHBRIDGE, IF I’M NOT MISTAKEN. AT LEAST FROM WHAT I HAD SEEN FROM THE INTERVIEWS THAT I HAD DONE WITH DIFFERENT NEWS OUTLETS, THEY WERE SAYING ON THEIR ARTICLES THAT IT WAS THE BIGGEST RALLY IN LETHBRIDGE AND HAD THE BIGGEST TURNOUT… IF YOU’RE STANDING AT CITY HALL LOOKING AT THE STREET, THERE WERE PEOPLE ALL THE WAY FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STREET… THE GRASS ON STAFFORD FROM CITY HALL ALL THE WAY TO THE YATES… IN BETWEEN THE BUILDINGS IT WAS PACKED. THERE WERE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE, I WAS FLOORED, IT WAS WILD…” JORDAN WAS SURPRISED BY THE ATTENDANCE: “PERSONALLY, I WOULDN’T HAVE THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE [THE BIG TURNOUT THAT OCCURRED AT THE EVENT]…ESPECIALLY GIVEN MY EXPERIENCE IN LETHBRIDGE. I DON’T KNOW A LOT OF BLACK PEOPLE MYSELF, EVEN THOUGH…I’M BLACK I DON’T. I CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND HOW MANY BLACK PEOPLE I KNOW PERSONALLY, IN LETHBRIDGE SPECIFICALLY… I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT THIS CITY WOULD HAVE SO MUCH OF A POSITIVE RECEPTION TO A BLACK LIVES MATTER OR AN INDIGENOUS LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT… I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD’VE BEEN SO MANY PEOPLE COMING AND PICKETING AND GETTING ANGRY…BECAUSE I FACE SO MUCH RACISM HERE, IT’S JUST RAMPANT. BUT…TO ME I THINK THAT…SPEAKS TO HOW LETHBRIDGE IS A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF DIVERSITY HERE BUT YOU DON’T SEE IT… I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF QUIET IGNORANCE AND A LOT OF MICROAGGRESSIONS THAT PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THEY’RE BEING RACIST… I THINK A LOT OF THAT COMES FROM LETHBRIDGE’S FOUNDATIONS IN…THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS HERE AND HOW MUCH THE CULTURE OF…INDIGENOUS PEOPLES…WAS ALL JUST ERASED… I FEEL LIKE BECAUSE OF THAT ERASURE, THAT THE WHITE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE DON’T REALIZE WHAT THEY’RE DOING…WHAT THEY’RE SAYING AND HOW THEY’RE ACTING AND THE WAY THAT THEY LOOK AT OTHER PEOPLE… I DON’T THINK IT’S NECESSARILY THAT THEY’RE FULL ON…RACIST, HORRIBLE, JUST ANTI-PEOPLE OF COLOUR, I DON’T THINK IT’S THAT. I THINK WHAT IT IS, IS JUST IGNORANCE. JUST IGNORANCE, A LACK OF EDUCATION, A LACK OF PROPER WAYS TO ADDRESS PEOPLE OF COLOUR AND ADDRESS DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE BECAUSE…LETHBRIDGE IS VERY COOKIE CUTTER, EVERYONE DOES THINGS IN A CERTAIN WAY AND IF YOU DON’T DO IT THAT WAY [THE REACTION IS] ‘OKAY, WELL YOU JUST GO OVER THERE BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU, I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU, YOU GO THAT WAY.’” JORDAN TALKED ABOUT THE HEALING AND POSITIVE IMPACT THE EVENT HAD: “I CAN’T EVEN PUT WORDS TO IT. IT WAS INCREDIBLE… WHEN I WENT TO THE RALLY, I HAD NO INTENTIONS OF SAYING ANYTHING. MY HUSBAND WROTE OUT…END COMMENTS WITH OUR ACTIONABLE SOLUTIONS AND SAYING THANK YOU…BECAUSE…HE’S VERY DIPLOMATIC, HE’S VERY GOOD AT THAT SORT OF THING… THEN THROUGH THE PROCESS OF HAVING ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE COME UP AND SPEAK, AND SEEING ALL THE HUNDREDS UPON HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE STANDING THERE IN SUPPORT OF PEOPLE LIKE ME, I WAS MOVED TO ACTUALLY SHARE MY OWN STORY, AND I HAD NO INTENTIONS OF DOING IT WHATSOEVER… I THINK THAT SPEAKS TO REALLY HOW IT MADE ME FEEL, BECAUSE I FELT THE MOST AT HOME IN LETHBRIDGE THAN I HAVE FELT IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. EVEN TO THIS DAY, EVEN PAST THE RALLY I FELT MORE AT HOME THAT DAY. I SAW PEOPLE IN THAT CROWD WHO WERE LIKE ME, WHO WERE NOT LIKE ME, WHO WERE LIKE MY INDIGENOUS FAMILY MEMBERS… THERE WERE PEOPLE I FELT LIKE I COULD RELATE TO BECAUSE THEY WERE SUPPORTING ALL THE WORK I HAD DONE AND THERE WAS SUCH AN OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE RESPONSE TO IT THAT IT JUST MADE ME FEEL SO IMPASSIONED AND FEEL SO COMFORTABLE… IT WAS TOTALLY NOT WHAT I EXPECTED FROM…A PROTEST. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MORE ANGRY BUT IT WAS SO CATHARTIC, AND IT…WAS VERY THERAPEUTIC TO BE HONEST. IT WAS VERY MUCH…SOOTHING FOR YOUR…SOUL, I SWEAR… I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT… WHEN I WAS THERE WE DID THE KNEEL TWICE. THE FIRST TIME I DID IT I…RAN THAT… THEN THE SECOND TIME WE DID THAT THIS OTHER GENTLEMEN…[WHO] WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE A[N]…IMPROMPTU SPEECH… HE LED SOME CHANTS AND THEN WE TOOK A KNEE AND I…[DECIDED] I’M [GOING TO] TO LAY DOWN, AND I LAID DOWN ON THE PAVEMENT… ATTALIA, SHE CAME AND LAID BESIDE ME… [SHE’S] THE ONE WITH THE OTHER PIECE OF ART THAT [WAS DONATED TO THE MUSEUM]. SHE…LAID BESIDE ME AND SHE JUST BAWLED… I PUT MY HAND ON HER SHOULDER… I HAD NEVER KNOWN THIS GIRL, I DIDN’T KNOW SHE EXISTED BEFORE THAT DAY AND I FELT SUCH A CONNECTION TO HER BECAUSE I COULD FEEL HER PAIN AND THE SUFFERING THAT SHE HAD GONE THROUGH AS A WOMAN OF COLOUR… I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE EXPERIENCED, BUT I COULD FEEL IT… IN THAT MOMENT I WAS LAYING THERE AND I THOUGHT ABOUT ALL OF THE TERRIBLE THINGS PEOPLE OF COLOUR AND THE INJUSTICES THEY HAVE FACED, NOT JUST IN CANADA BUT IN THE WHOLE WORLD AND HOW…AWFUL IT IS… PEOPLE HAVE DIED FOR JUST BEING A DIFFERENT COLOUR AND…[I THOUGHT]…AS THE PERSON WHO BASICALLY ORGANIZED THIS, I CAN’T NOT STAND UP AND SAY SOMETHING… I FELT LIKE I HAD TO, AND THEN I GOT UP AND I WAS A LITTLE BIT TIMID AGAIN… THEN AGAIN THIS LOVELY GIRL…I HAVE KNOWN HER FOR YEARS, [WHO] HAS HAD SOME OF THE WORST RACISM IN THIS CITY THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN, JUST HORRIBLE… SHE CAME UP AND SPOKE, AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SHE SPOKE ABOUT I HAD WITNESSED MYSELF… I WAS STANDING THERE AND I…[DECIDED]…I [HAVE TO] SUPPORT MY FRIENDS TOO, BECAUSE…IF SHE CAN COME UP HERE AND SHE CAN TALK ABOUT PEOPLE CALLING HER [RACIAL SLURS]…IN LETHBRIDGE AT SCHOOL, I [HAVE TO] SAY SOMETHING… I CAN’T JUST DO ALL THIS AND JUST KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT… I’M [GOING TO] SAY SOMETHING…FOR MY GRANDMA WHO’S WHITE AND WHO’S AMAZING, I’M [GOING TO] SAY SOMETHING. FOR MY AUNTIE AND MY COUSINS WHO ARE ALL INDIGENOUS, THEY’RE BLACKFOOT, CREE, INUIT, METIS…AND MY MOM WHO’S SWISS AND ITALIAN… [FOR] THESE PEOPLE HAVE SHAPED WHO I AM AND SHAPED ME BEING ABLE TO STAND UP HERE, AND MY FRIENDS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE INJUSTICES TOO…I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING. SO I GOT UP THERE AND I SAID SOMETHING… I SPOKE ABOUT MY HISTORY AND WHY I’M HERE AND WHY I FEEL THE WAY I DO… IT ALL CAME FROM MY HEART… MY MIND JUST WENT COMPLETELY BLANK… I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT I SAID, IT WAS SO PASSIONATE AND IN THE MOMENT… SPEAKING ABOUT MY EXPERIENCES AND THE PAIN THAT I’VE FELT AND SEEING THE CROWD RESPOND…IT WAS INCREDIBLE. IT WAS SO SOOTHING…TO BE HEARD FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE BECAUSE REALLY, THROUGH MY WHOLE LIFE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO EVER LISTENED TO ME WERE MY MOM, MY DAD AND MY HUSBAND, MAYBE MY BEST FRIEND IF I CHOSE TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT… MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO I KNOW…IF THEY COME AT ME WITH SOMETHING IGNORANT I TRY TO EDUCATE THEM, THEY [THEN] TRY TO SHUT ME [UP SAYING] ‘I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THAT’… TO ACTUALLY BE THERE AND TO BE HEARD…ACCEPTED AND…BELIEVED WAS AMAZING, [BE]CAUSE USUALLY AS A BLACK PERSON, WHEN YOU TRY TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT RACISM PEOPLE…JUST [DISMISS IT AS], ‘OH YOU’RE JUST SENSITIVE’… NO I’M NOT SENSITIVE, YOU’RE BEING INSENSITIVE, YOU’RE SAYING SOMETHING THAT’S RUDE AND I’M TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT YOU’VE HURT MY FEELINGS… IT WAS INCREDIBLE TO BE LISTENED TO BECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T LISTEN ENOUGH… [E]SPECIALLY AS A PERSON OF COLOUR, PEOPLE DON’T LISTEN TO YOU, THEY TRAMPLE ALL OVER YOU…” JORDAN ELABORATED ON THE ISSUES ADDRESSED IN THE RALLY AND THE PREVALENT RACISM THAT EXISTS: “…I THINK [LETHBRIDGE IS]…TOO PREJUDICE[D]… THERE’S THE COOKIE CUTTER, IF YOU DON’T FIT INTO THE COOKIE CUTTER, YOU’RE OUT. OR 'YOU CAN STAY HERE BUT YOU HAVE TO BE QUIET'… THAT’S HOW I’VE FELT MY WHOLE LIFE, PEOPLE KIND OF BEING HUSH HUSH, OH YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU’RE BLACK, LIKE YOU WERE RAISED BY WHITE PEOPLE SO YOU’RE NOT EVEN REALLY BLACK. WELL I AM BLACK… IT’S JUST SO MUCH DISRESPECT FOR MY CULTURE AND FOR MY HISTORY… MY MOM, WHO’S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, SHE’S WHITE BUT SHE’S ALSO ADOPTED AND MY MOM RAISED ME IN A WAY [TO THINK] ‘EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY, YOU LOVE EVERYBODY, YOU’RE FRIENDS WITH EVERYBODY’… THE REASON WHY SHE DID THAT FOR ME IS THAT SHE WANTED EVERYONE TO LOVE ME BACK… MY MOM LEARNED HOW TO BRAID MY HAIR, SHE LEARNED HOW TO TEACH ME DIFFERENT THINGS ABOUT MY CULTURE. EVERY TIME SHE WOULD BUY A DOLL AT THE STORE SHE’D BUY THE BLACK ONE, SO SHE COULD SHOW ME THAT…‘YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL. YOU MATTER. THERE’S PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE YOU OUT THERE. YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ANY BUT THEY EXIST’… MY MOM REALLY FOSTERED THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCEPTING WHO YOU ARE CULTURALLY EVEN IF YOU LOOK DIFFERENT FROM EVERYBODY ELSE… [IT WAS INSTILLED IN ME] THAT WHOLE PERSPECTIVE AND THAT WHOLE WAY OF LIVING AND TEACHING YOUR FAMILY THAT…BLOOD DOESN’T MATTER…AND THAT…WE’RE ALL FAMILY. ANY SHAPE, SIZE, COLOUR… ALL OF THAT I THINK IS…WHAT SHAPED MY MOM AND THEN…SHAPED ME AS WELL… FOR ME IT WAS REALLY A CULTURE SHOCK…WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL AND…HAVING PEOPLE BE SO CLOSED MINDED AND SO PREJUDICED TOWARDS ME AND…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND BLACK PEOPLE… I REALLY THINK IT COMES DOWN TO…A LACK OF EDUCATION, A LACK OF EXPOSURE AND IGNORANCE. THAT’S WHERE I THINK IT COMES FROM IN LETHBRIDGE. I THINK IT’S JUST SO MUCH IGNORANCE; PEOPLE JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT THE COLOUR OF YOUR SKIN DOES NOT DICTATE…YOUR CHARACTER WHATSOEVER. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, AND FOR SOME REASON I FIND PEOPLE IN THIS CITY CAN’T GET PASSED THAT… LIKE I’VE SAID, IT’S NOT NECESSARILY IN YOUR FACE RACIST, COMING TO YOUR DOOR TELLING YOU TO GET OUT OF HERE, IT’S NOT THAT. IT’S VERY MUCH ‘WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE THAT? WHY IS YOUR HAIR THIS COLOUR? WHY IS IT THIS TEXTURE? WHY IS YOUR SKIN LIKE THIS? WHY IS THIS PERSON DARKER THAN YOU AND YOU’RE THIS COLOUR? OH, YOU’RE INDIGENOUS, WELL SHOULDN’T YOU LIVE ON THE [RESERVE]?’ …JUST THESE VERY PREJUDICE, UNEDUCATED QUESTIONS [ARE]…WHAT THIS CITY IS BUILT ON. I THINK THAT DOING THIS RALLY…AND GIVING A VOICE TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING SILENCED BY ALL OF THE PREJUDICE AND BY ALL OF THE IGNORANCE…IS REALLY…GOOD FOR THE CITY, BECAUSE IT NEEDS AN EDUCATION… I DO GENUINELY HOPE THAT WE MOVE ON FROM THIS AND WE CAN EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN BETTER, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS BECAUSE THAT WAS A HUGE PROBLEM… THERE’S…SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS CITY WHO THINK THAT RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS ENDED [A LONG TIME AGO]. THE LAST ONE CLOSED IN 1996, THAT WAS THE YEAR I WAS BORN…THERE ARE PEOPLE STILL IN THEIR TWENTIES WHO WENT TO A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL AND EVERYONE THINKS IT’S ANCIENT HISTORY AND…IT’S NOT… WE NEED TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT THIS, THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT…THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH SYSTEMIC RACISM AGAINST…THESE…PEOPLE WHO DON’T DESERVE THAT... CANADA DECIDED THAT THEY WEREN’T GOOD ENOUGH AND PACKED THEM AWAY, WOULDN’T LET THEM SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE, AND HURT THEM AND WERE TERRIBLE AND THEY STILL DO IT TO THIS DAY… LIKE STARLIGHT TOURS, IN SASKATCHEWAN, [FOR EXAMPLE]… STARLIGHT TOURS [ARE] WHEN THE RCMP WOULD TAKE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND THEY WOULD DRIVE, IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER…OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, KICK THEM OUT OF THE CAR AND MAKE THEM WALK ALL THE WAY BACK AND PEOPLE DIED… THEY DID IT IN EDMONTON, THEY DID IT IN SASKATCHEWAN, I’VE HEARD STORIES OF IT HAPPENING IN LETHBRIDGE, I MEAN YEARS AGO, BUT IT HAPPENED HERE AND PEOPLE DON’T TALK ABOUT THAT. PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHAT STARLIGHT TOURS [ARE]… WE NEED TO EDUCATE THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORIES OF THIS LAND IN…CANADA. BEING IN CANADA PEOPLE THINK ‘OH THERE’S NO RACISM HERE’… CANADA IS BUILT UPON RACISM… WE NEED TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS ABOUT THIS, YOU’RE NOT PROTECTED. IF YOU’RE A PERSON OF COLOUR, YOU’RE NOT PROTECTED... THEY HAVE TO ABIDE BY TREATIES AND YET THEY DON’T EVEN DO THAT HALF THE TIME. WE’RE LITERALLY ON TREATY 7’S LANDS… THEY STOLE THESE LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND THIS CITY’S HERE AND THESE ARE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, BLACKFOOT PEOPLE’S TRADITION. [THIS IS] THEIR LAND AND WE’RE HERE BORROWING FROM THEM AND YET WE KICK THEM OUT TO THE RESERVATIONS AND…CALL THEM THESE DISGUSTING NAMES, BUT YET WE’RE THE ONES WHO STOLE FROM THEM… I MEAN I’M HALF AFRICAN, HALF WHITE. WHAT REALLY BUGS ME ABOUT THIS IS LIKE HALF OF MY ANCESTORS WERE SLAVERS AND HALF OF MY ANCESTORS WERE SLAVES AND…IT’S MESSED UP… PART OF MY ANCESTRY AND MY HISTORY IS…COLONIALISM AND THE HORRIBLE THINGS PEOPLE DID TO MY OWN PEOPLE… EVEN JUST TO THINK ABOUT THAT…JUST BURNS TO MY CORE SOMETIMES…” JORDAN EXPRESSED HOW RACE HAS IMPACTED HER SENSE OF IDENTITY AND BELONGING: “I RECONCILE WITHIN MYSELF…I JUST IDENTIFY MORE WITH MY AFRICAN SIDE BECAUSE I DO PRESENT MORE AFRICAN… I FEEL AS THOUGH FOR MYSELF, WHAT I NEED TO DO IS…PAY MY RESPECTS TO THE PEOPLE WHO LITERALLY BUILT THE FOUNDATIONS THAT I STAND UPON AND RECOGNIZE THAT THESE PEOPLE HAD A HORRIBLE INJUSTICE DONE TO THEM… EVEN THOUGH I’VE NEVER BEEN A SLAVE IN MY LIFE, AND EVEN THOUGH I’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT KIND OF HARDSHIP, I HAVE EXPERIENCED RACISM ON A DAILY BASIS. SO I CAN…UNDERSTAND AND EMPATHIZE WITH THOSE ANCESTORS TO A DEGREE… EVEN DOING THIS RALLY IS SOMETHING I CAN DO TO HONOR THEM AND HONOR ALL OF THE AFRICAN SLAVES THAT WERE…FORCIBLY TAKEN FROM THEIR HOMES AND BROUGHT HERE… THEN FOR THE WHITE SIDE, I THINK WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR ME IS EDUCATION AND TEACHING PEOPLE. TEACHING…MY WHITE RELATIVES OR MY WHITE FRIENDS…AND SHOWING THEM ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO BLACK PEOPLE AND STILL DO TO THIS DAY, SO IT DOESN’T HAPPEN TO MY CHILDREN AND IT DOESN’T HAPPEN TO MY GRANDCHILDREN AND IT DOESN’T HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE… I DON’T THINK THAT KEEPING MY MOUTH SHUT IS A WAY TO MOVE FORWARD… YOU’VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF JUST [THINKING] ‘…IT IS WHAT IT IS’… WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT AND WE NEED TO CHANGE THINGS AND MOVE FORWARD IN SOME KIND OF WAY, BE NICER TO EACH OTHER…” “IT’S EXHAUSTING… I DON’T LIKE TO COME AT PEOPLE WITH ANGER, IT’S JUST NOT WHO I AM… I’M VERY MUCH AN ADVOCATE FOR EDUCATION… REALLY WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE FOUNDATION OF WHAT RACISM IS, IT’S IGNORANCE, IT’S A LACK OF EDUCATION… IT’S AN IGNORANCE AND A NOT UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOUL OF WHO SOMEONE IS VERSUS THE APPEARANCE… PEOPLE JUST LOOK AT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, THEY DON’T SEE YOUR SOUL FROM JUST LOOKING AT YOU, BUT YOU CAN SEE SOMEONE’S SOUL AND SEE SOMEONE’S SPIRIT FROM HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH THEM… THAT’S HOW PEOPLE CONNECT, BUT INSTEAD OF CONNECTING AND LEARNING PEOPLE [ASSUME], ‘…YOU LOOK LIKE THIS…THEN YOU’RE THAT’…” JORDAN OFFERED HER THOUGHTS ON POLICE BRUTALITY: “MY VIEW ON THE POLICE IS A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATED… I THINK THAT THE SYSTEM THEY ARE WORKING WITHIN IS NO GOOD, IT’S AWFUL… FIRST OF ALL THEY’RE NOT TRAINED FOR NEARLY ENOUGH, THEY NEED MORE EXTENSIVE TRAINING PERIOD. MORE DE-ESCALATION MESSAGES, LESS TRIGGER, TRIGGER, TRIGGER. THEY NEED TO BE EDUCATED ON ADDICTIONS, SOCIAL WORK…DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE, DIFFERENT CULTURES… POLICE OFFICERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE’S ACTING THE WAY SOMEONE’S ACTING BEFORE THEY TALK TO THEM… I THINK THAT’S WHERE THE SYSTEM ISN’T DOING ANYONE ANY JUSTICE BECAUSE ALL THEY’RE TAUGHT, FROM WHAT I’M AWARE OF, IS HOW TO SHOOT A GUN, THE LAW, THINGS LIKE THAT. THEY’RE NOT NECESSARILY TAUGHT A LOT ABOUT THE SOCIAL ASPECT OF POLICING, AND POLICING IS A VERY SOCIAL JOB… I DON’T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE THAT. YOU ARE LITERALLY WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC ALL THE TIME... IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE DEALING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE VULNERABLE, YOU NEED TO COME IN WITH A LEVEL OF RESPECT THAT IS SO HIGH… IF YOU COME IN THERE KNOWING YOU’RE GOING TO BE INTERACTING WITH SOMEONE WHO IS…VERY VULNERABLE, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT PERSON IS FEELING BEFORE YOU EVEN WALK INTO THAT SITUATION, BECAUSE IF YOU’RE COMING INTO THAT SITUATION ALREADY IRRITATED BECAUSE YOU’RE SICK OF DEALING WITH PEOPLE LIKE THAT, YOU SHOULD NOT BE A POLICE OFFICER... IF YOU’RE [GOING TO] BE ANGRY BECAUSE THAT’S SOMETHING THEY’RE STRUGGLING WITH, WHY ARE YOU A POLICE OFFICER? YOU’RE BASICALLY A SOCIAL WORKER… YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT, YOU HAVE TO HELP THEM, YOU’RE NOT THERE TO PUT CUFFS ON THEM AND TAKE THEM TO THE JAIL, YOU’RE THERE TO SAY ‘HEY WHAT’S GOING ON, WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU, HOW CAN I HELP YOU?’ AND IF THEY GET AGGRESSIVE, YOU’RE THERE TO [SAY], ‘HEY CALM DOWN, I’M HERE TO HELP YOU.’ YOU’RE NOT THERE TO [JUST SAY] ‘…GET ON THE GROUND.’ THAT’S NOT…WHAT A POLICE OFFICER SHOULD BE. THEY SHOULD BE SOMEONE WHO IS THERE TO PROTECT PEOPLE WHO [ARE] HAVING A CRISIS… IF SOMEBODY IS HAVING A CRISIS, YOU SHOULDN’T BE THERE COMING IN MAD ALREADY, AND I FIND THAT SO MANY POLICE OFFICERS ARE ALREADY ANGRY WHEN THEY PUT THE SUIT ON THEY’RE ALREADY IRRITATED. THEY ARE SICK OF DEALING WITH THIS CRAP… IF YOU’RE NOT WILLING AND PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THOSE VERY DIFFICULT ISSUES, YOU SHOULD NOT BE A POLICE OFFICER, AND THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING INTO SCHOOL TO BE A POLICE OFFICER SHOULD BE TRAINED ON HOW TO…NOT ONLY…DEAL WITH THAT IN THE MOMENT, BUT HOW TO DEAL WITH THE TRAUMA OF HAVING TO HELP WITH THAT SORT OF CRISIS AFTERWARDS… POLICE OFFICERS NEED TO BE AT THERAPY… THEY’RE JUST THROWN INTO THIS WITH NOT ENOUGH EDUCATION AND THEN ARE GETTING ANGRY AND TRAUMATIZED AND UPSET BY ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS THEY HAVE TO EXPERIENCE… IMAGINE SEEING SOMEONE OVERDOSE ALMOST EVERY DAY, THAT WOULD BE TRAUMATIZING TO ALMOST ANYBODY, THAT’S AWFUL… THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT… NO WONDER THEY’RE ALL ANGRY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, DOES THAT EXCUSE IT? ABSOLUTELY NOT. IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE PRESSURE, YOU SHOULDN’T BE DOING IT… I FEEL AS THOUGH LIKE WHEN YOU’RE HIRING POLICE OFFICERS YOU NEED TO BE SERIOUSLY LOOKING AT THEM, THEIR CHARACTER… YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THAT POLICE OFFICER THAT YOU MIGHT BE POTENTIALLY HIRING FOR YOUR POLICE SERVICE AND [EXAMINE] WHO ARE YOU AS A PERSON, THE FOUNDATIONS OF WHO YOU ARE. ARE YOU RACIST, ARE YOU BIASED, ARE YOU AN ANGRY PERSON? DO YOU HAVE THESE ISSUES, BECAUSE IF YOU’RE SOMEBODY WHO CAN’T HANDLE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO DEAL WITH TRAUMATIC SITUATIONS EVERY SINGLE DAY, YOU SHOULD NOT BE A POLICE OFFICER… I FEEL LIKE THE POLICE SERVICE NEEDS TO SCREEN FOR THAT MUCH MORE HEAVILY BECAUSE I THINK [IN] CANADA [AND] THE UNITED STATES…THE PEOPLE THAT THE POLICE SERVICE ATTRACTS TENDS TO BE PEOPLE WITH AN EGO, THAT ENJOY BEING KIND OF THE AUTHORITY... I THINK THAT THAT IS A FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE AN AUTHORITY COMPLEX SHOULD NOT BE IN CHARGE OF THE LAW, PUTTING PEOPLE IN JAIL, FIGURING OUT…WHAT’S THE BEST PLACE FOR YOU WHEN YOU COME INTO A SITUATION WHERE THERE’S AN ISSUE… SHOULD THIS PERSON BE GOING TO JAIL, OR SHOULD THEY BE GOING TO REHAB? OR SHOULD THEY BE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL, WHERE DO THEY NEED TO GO… IF YOU’RE COMING INTO THAT ALREADY HAVING AN AUTHORITY COMPLEX YOU’RE [GOING TO] THROW THEM IN JAIL, NO QUESTION… WE SHOULDN’T BE LETTING PEOPLE WITH [THOSE] KIND OF IDEALS INTO THE POLICE FORCE, WHATSOEVER… I ALSO DEFINITELY ADVOCATE FOR BODY CAMS ON POLICE OFFICERS…BECAUSE THEY GET AWAY WITH SO MUCH HERE… I THINK THAT IS ANOTHER BIG REASON WHY CANADIANS THINK WE DON’T HAVE ANY RACISM IN OUR POLICE BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE EVIDENCE OF ANYTHING AND…IF YOU HAVE TO BASE A CASE AGAINST THE POLICE SERVICE OR POLICE OFFICER…BASED ON WITNESS STATEMENTS OR THE EXPERIENCE OF SOMEBODY WHO WAS LITERALLY IN THE HANDCUFFS, WHO ARE YOU [GOING TO] BELIEVE? THE POLICE OFFICER OR THE PERSON IN THE CUFFS? IT’S NOT LOGICAL TO BELIEVE THE PERSON WHO WAS ARRESTED, THEY WERE ARRESTED, THAT’S JUST NOT LOGICAL. THEIR ACCOUNTABILITY IS SHOT. THE POLICE OFFICER, THE PERSON WHO KNOWS THE LAW, THEY HAVE ALL THE CREDIBILITY IN A COURT OF LAW PERIOD… IF THERE’S NO EVIDENCE OF WHY THIS PERSON WAS ARRESTED AND YOU…CAN’T PHYSICALLY SEE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN THAT INTERACTION, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHOSE CREDIBLE? YOU DON’T… THERE’S SO MANY THINGS THAT COULD BE DONE BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO POLICE AND THOSE ARE JUST A FEW THINGS...” JORDAN TALKED ABOUT THE POSITIVE ROLE MUSEUMS CAN HAVE IN PRESERVING THE MEMORY OF THESE MOVEMENTS: “…WHEN IT COMES TO MUSEUMS NOW… [IT’S] SO IMPORTANT TO TAKE THESE PIECES OF HISTORY AND TO DOCUMENT THEM SO THAT WE CAN EDUCATE PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE…” “CONTACTING ANYBODY WHO DOES ANY SORT OF ACTIVIST MOVEMENT, ANYONE WHO IS…MAKING HISTORY OF WHEREVER YOUR MUSEUM IS, YOU NEED TO BE REACHING OUT TO THESE PEOPLE… TO DOCUMENT THIS SO THIS DOESN’T GET FORGOTTEN AND THIS DOESN’T GET LOST… THESE MOVEMENTS, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW WITHIN… THIS WHOLE MOVEMENT OF COLOUR AND…HOW YOU NEED TO TREAT PEOPLE BETTER… WE NEED TO DOCUMENT EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING ON AND WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT IT… THIS NEEDS TO BE SAVED BECAUSE WE CAN’T LET THIS CONTINUE. WE CAN’T LET THIS DISCRIMINATION AND THIS RACISM CONTINUE ON INTO THE FUTURE… I FEEL LIKE SO MUCH OF THE REASON WHY IT’S STILL HAPPENING NOW IS THAT THERE’S PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT IT. THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND, THEY WEREN’T EDUCATED ON IT, THE INFORMATION WASN’T SAVED, PEOPLE WEREN’T TALKING ABOUT IT ENOUGH… IF WE HAVE THESE MUSEUMS THAT WERE…[PRESENTING] THE INFORMATION [LIKE] THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED, THIS IS THE WAY IT WENT DOWN, THESE PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED, IF YOU [WANT TO] KNOW MORE GO LOOK THIS UP… CHILDREN NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS, CHILDREN COME TO MUSEUMS…ON A FIELD TRIP AND THEY COULD COME HERE IN HOW MANY YEARS AND [SEE]…THERE WAS A PROTEST ON RACIAL DISCRIMINATION… THESE ITEMS ARE ARCHIVED AND REMEMBERED… PEOPLE AND CAN [FIND OUT]…WHAT’S THE GUARD GROUP, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHAT DID THEY DO… THAT’S SO IMPORTANT… THESE SIGNS THAT I HAVE [SHOW] THAT PEOPLE CAME AND MADE THESE IN THEIR OWN HOMES AND CAME TO CITY HALL AND WERE SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE BEING MURDERED FOR THE COLOUR OF THEIR SKIN. PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THIS, THIS CAN’T BE FORGOTTEN, IT CAN’T BE ERASED… I THINK THAT HAVING A PLACE WHERE THESE THINGS CAN BE COLLECTED TO BE REMEMBERED FOR THE FUTURE IS SO IMPORTANT… LEARNING A PIECE OF HISTORY AND HAVING IT SPELLED OUT IN A WAY THAT’S VERY INFORMATIONAL…EVEN THOUGH IT’S VERY BLACK AND WHITE, VERY CLINICAL...INFORMATION, EVEN THOUGH IT MAY BE…PRESENTED IN A SPECIFIC WAY, IT’S STILL THERE AND THAT IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT IT’S THERE… I THINK LIKE A LOT OF THE TIMES WITHIN, EVEN LIKE MARTIN LUTHER KING [JR.’S] TIME, SO MUCH WAS LOST. AS MUCH AS WAS DOCUMENTED, I KNOW THERE WERE MORE PROTESTS AND MORE PEOPLE WHO’D RISEN UP AND SAID SOMETHING, AND THEY’D BEEN DROWNED OUT BY HIM… NOT SAYING THAT HE’S BAD, IT’S AMAZING THAT HIS STORY WAS DOCUMENTED AS WELL AS IT WAS AND PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT AND [I THINK ABOUT] WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES? THERE WERE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE THAT WERE SCREAMING AND YELLING AND BEING MURDERED FOR TAKING A STAND… [I WONDER] WHERE ARE THOSE STORIES, THEY ARE GONE… WE DON’T EVEN KNOW… TO HAVE A SPACE LIKE [THE GALT MUSEUM] REACHING OUT TO ME…I [THOUGHT] THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, I NEED TO GET IN ON THIS BECAUSE…THIS IS IMPORTANT TO…LETHBRIDGE’S FUTURE… IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXISTING RIGHT NOW TO UNDERSTAND WHERE I’M COMING FROM, AND TO UNDERSTAND WHERE EVERYONE WAS PROTESTING WAS COMING [FROM AND] THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR GRANDCHILDREN AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO ENDS UP LIVING IN THIS CITY TO HAVE THIS PIECE OF HISTORY… WE TOOK A STAND, WE DID SOMETHING, WE DIDN’T JUST SIT HERE IDLY WHILE THIS WHOLE BIG MOVEMENT WAS GOING ON, DOING NOTHING AND BEING IN OUR OWN LITTLE RACISM BUBBLE… NO WE ALL STOOD UP AND WE TOOK A STAND AND WE HAVE A VOICE AND WE TOLD PEOPLE, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH…” FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20200022001

Acquisition Date

2020-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail