Dr. Tamzyn Levendall moved from South Africa to Melfort in 2011 to become a family physician. During a roundtable discussion hosted by WeCollaborate and the City of Melfort, she described her experiences of systemic racism in the community. (Zoom)

By Aaron Schulze

Systemic Racism in Melfort

‘Uncomfortable… but it absolutely needs to be talked about’: systemic racism experiences in Melfort

Jul 17, 2020 | 10:05 AM

Following nearly two months of protests around the world sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., the discussion of systemic racism made its way to Melfort.

A panel discussion and forum was held by WeCollaborate – an organization in Melfort that looks to enhance and nurture its community by placing equal value on individuals and families – and the City of Melfort at the Kerry Vickar Centre on July 16.

One of the speakers was Dr. Yemi Laosebikan – a surgeon who’s been in Melfort since 2004. He told the audience listening in person and online via Zoom that there’s never been an opportunity during his time in Melfort to address the systems in place that create and maintain racial inequality for people of colour, or the situations he and others have experienced in their lifetimes.

“[Systemic racism] may seem as something not important to talk about, but when you put it together, you start seeing how it begins to manifest in outcomes like successes in life, in areas of wealth, education, and even politics,” Laosebikan said. “We have to approach it with baby steps. I don’t profess to know the full answer… but one of the ways we can address the matter is having conversations like this and becoming more aware of issues like this; getting involved in organizations that are trying to address the issue.”

Julien Nyirenda is a registered nurse at Melfort Hospital. Like Laosebikan, she has been in Melfort since 2004. The experiences of racism in the city and area she told to the audience include being pulled over by an RCMP officer and asked how she acquired her car, having her medical education being questioned by patients, having a grocery worker refuse to pack her bags, and being told her kids were going to be a hindrance to other children at a daycare.

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“At the time, some kids believed people of my colours come from monkeys, that was something my kids experienced as soon as they came in,” Nyirenda said. “I didn’t know what to do about it but tell my kids we’re just as human as the others around them. There are a lot of things that have happened, and we’ve had to deal with, but the good thing is it’s not everybody that is that way. There are a few individuals who do such things, and those are the ones who really make life hard for people of different colour.”

In comparison to the previous two speakers, Dr. Tamzyn Levendall – a family physician – moved to Melfort more recently in 2011. Moving from South Africa, Levendall said the Black Lives Matter movement touches her deeply, as she was nearly a teenager in 1994 when South Africa had its first election where citizens of all races could participate.

Levendall told a story of when she was mentoring a medical student in Melfort. She asked an elderly patient which doctor he saw prior to her. The answer she received was difficult to repeat.

“He said it was one of those N-word doctors, that is what this old gentleman had told me,” Levendall said. “I sat there for a minute, blown away in my mind, because this was after 2011. In that very moment, I took the opportunity to correct this gentleman. I told him ‘did you know that we no longer use such derogatory terms? That is the worst name you can call another person.’ And he said no, he didn’t know. That might have been true for him, but it’s important we’re here today to bring awareness to this kind of thing that happens in our community.”

Despite the systemic racial issues and perceptions Levendall and her family have grown up with, she’s glad everyone in Melfort has the opportunity to bring their children home to educate them and enlighten the community on systemic racism.

“It’s an uncomfortable conversation, but it absolutely needs to be talked about,” she said. “We are all different. We need to acknowledge in our differences, we are strong, and I know we can do this as a community. I’m so proud we’re having this conversation, because I know there aren’t very many communities out there doing this. We can work together… to allow everybody to come together to address systemic racism here in Melfort.”

Following the speeches, questions, and answers, an emotional Mayor Rick Lang concluded the evening with a message on behalf of the city’s residents.

“Unfortunately, there’s ignorance in every community,” Lang told the panel. “After listening to some of the situations you’ve faced… on behalf of the citizens of Melfort, I’d like to apologize to all of you. Because of your role in the community, I put you all on a pedestal. I view you as truly special citizens in the City of Melfort that quite realistically, we couldn’t do without.”

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow