Having lived and worked in the UK and Canada, I have first-hand experience when it comes to discrimination. Don’t get me wrong, Canada is the most welcoming civilized nation in my opinion. Unfortunately, I have to quote a phrase that I created when I interviewed the Commissioner for the Equal Opportunities Commission in the UK, which is “silent monster”. To me, discrimination is a silent monster which can be anywhere in a society. There are numerous occasions I have the feeling that I am treated differently because of my skin colour and my foreign accent. To some people, it can be vocal and even violent. For Scott Jones, it was definitely a violent one.
Scott, a gifted musician who studied at the University of Manitoba, was attacked and left paralyzed in an attack which took place in October 2013. He was stabbed in the back and had his throat slashed after leaving a bar in NS. He believes the attack took place because of his homosexuality.
Instead of isolating himself after the horrific attack, Scott has taken a different route which has inspired many. For example, a Facebook-based campaign has been developed call “Don’t be Afraid”.
I was in tears the first time I read about his story. I never thought such thing could still happen in Canada in the 21st century, and I am amazed by Scott’s approach. You can’t change what happened but you can try to change the world into a slightly better place. I have told my daughter about Scott though she is probably too young to comprehend anything. However, I will repeat his story to Alice when she is a bit older as we should all learn from Scott’s experience and approach – no one group is more superior than the others and love is more powerful than anything else. Yes my skin colour is not white and my accent is not Canadian, and I will have to work harder than some people to get credit. The road ahead is not easy but I am not scared.
Scott, you are my 20-month-old daughter’s hero. Thank you.
If you are interested in helping Scott, please visit http://www.supportscottjones.
