Thread by @javeedsukhera

When you love someone you tell them the truth. You hold them accountable. You face the harsh realities and work towards reconciliation because you believe with your whole heart that they can and will be better. #CanadaDay2021

https://twitter.com/javeedsukhera/status/1387166109527334917

This year my relationship with my Canadian identity is complex. I am leaving the land of my birth this fall and had to reconcile this departure with what it means to be a Canadian. I made the decision for many reasons, but I want to share some of my reflections with you all. /1

I was offered an amazing opportunity by an organization that was accepting of the fullness of who I am both personally and professionally; one that is committed to moving our work beyond the buzzwords towards belonging, liberation, and justice. /2

It took me a long time to accept this offer. I sought tons of advice. I realized it was difficult to ‘let go’ of Canada. I realized how harsh and invalidating the immigrant journey was for my parents, and I came face to face with a difficult truth: /3

I was afraid of being an ‘immigrant.’ I had internalized the belief that immigrants are second class Canadians. I had to reckon with the false promises Canada makes to immigrant settlers and their descendants. /4

Most importantly I had to liberate myself from this colonial and fundamentally racist assumption that immigrants should have eternal gratitude and feel fortunate to be able to belong to a nation state that welcomes them primarily for their labour instead of their humanity. /5

In recent weeks I have continued to reconcile the promise and reality of Canada while grieving the loss of our friends to a hate crime. Friends who immigrated to Canada for the promise of a better future, only to be murdered because they looked different than most Canadians. /6

I have continued to work through my complex relationship with a Canada that continues to commit horrible and atrocious crimes against those who inhabited this land long before European settlers arrived. /7

We continue to be a nation where too many people are afraid of facing their imperfect selves in the mirror. Too many continue to seek comfort in denial and lash out at those who challenge us to be better as though we are somehow less ‘Canadian’ than everyone else. /8

So as I leave my beloved Canada this fall for a new chapter, I have something to say to her:

May your potential be built upon a foundation of harsh truths instead of sweet lies. May you celebrate your complexity and strive to be the best version of yourself while accepting your deep flaws and shortcomings.

May you be fearless and determined to be better for everyone, not just those who praise you. May you become a nation that dignifies and uplifts those whom you’ve tried to erase from your history and deliberately silence or oppress.

May you truly be a light onto other nations. A land that considers itself one that can be ‘canceled’ and ‘celebrated’ at the same time as you smile humbly and work diligently in the shadows to be better. Never perfect. Always improving. Forever and authentically yourself. /END