Let’s admit we have a racism problem

As a mixed-race, 16-year-old girl with a white mother and brown father, I have experienced both sides of the racial divide that exists in society today. Being one of very few minorities in my neighbourhood and schools, I know what it is like to feel out of place. However, growing up in a white community and being half-white myself, I understand and am a part of white privilege.

Seeing racism and growing up around people who exhibit ignorance, I have learned that as Canadians we have a long way to go for everyone of every race to feel equally welcomed and loved in our society. When I talk about white privilege and how black lives matter, I am not berating or villainizing white people; I am simply trying to explain the issues in our society. If people do not acknowledge the problem, things will never change. Alyssa Seneviratne, Calgary