All right. *pretends I'm just waking up even though ....*

Morning/Afternoon all! I hope everyones feeling okay. Crazy times, and not our norm... sending love.

I'm going to take a break today from discussing the history of my area, and just going to tell a story from the

Last few days.

I mentioned it's very small town here. And many people have seen the piece done on sootoday that explains how they will no longer allow comments on Indigenous stories anymore, because it's so rasict here. I believe they mandated that over all villege media sites

But this is a story on how I made a friend. It's good and awful. Probably need to add a CW of rasicm itself on here. However.

Last week a telus cell exchange calls me. I hate answering the phone, esp numbers I dont know.. I say hello, and, it hangs up a few seconds later. 2 days

Later, same number. I'm considering it's my son reaching out so I answer it again, but it turns out to be a scam/fraud call. CRA gonna toss you in jail, blah blah... so I hand up. Flag it as fraud. And dont think about until.. 2 days ago, again, another telus cell number calls.

Different number, and my mental health is good, so I answer it. A man on the other end with an accent asks if I called him. I get nervous, and tell him sorry, no, I havent called that number, and I dont recognize it. He tells me my number did show up on his phone. I say no, sorry

It wasnt me.. and say good bye and hang up. He calls back, and this time his number comes up again with a name attached to it - Aaron Powley. My 2nd cousin married a powley, and, they on our council, so I take a deep breath and answer it. It's the same man, and he tells me that

My number did call him, and was used as the same CRA fraud call I got a few days before. So we start to chat. Hes very kind, and realized it wasnt me asking for info, and we decide, since it's going around, we report it to the cops, so they can possibly put out a new statement

That fraud calls are going around again. I tell him I'll txt him, so he knows it's me and not a spoof call (the only logical conclusion at this point)... and we make plans to talk. My daughter and I watched some Netflix, and I forget to call... wake up the next am to a text.

"Hello sister did you contact the police?" So I called, and the duty officer tells me when it happened to his wife, their cell phone company told them to shut the phone off for 24 hours, and it disrupts the spoofing system. I send him a text back saying i called, and is he free?

A few hrs later he says he is, and so I call him. (I still dont know his name but ) I say "hello not aaron, it's also not aaron. He starts laughing a good belly laugh. I tell him what the officer said, and we just start chatting. Hes very friendly and we start talking about the

Town. He says hes lived all over in canada for 30 years. I ask him why he would move here. I start laughing and say no offense, I always ask people that. He says he likes it here very much. I said well yes, it's a gorgeous city. Theres so much to do here, but, it's so rasict. He

Says, sister I've been here 2 years. I've gone to the mayor and talked to him. You sound like a good, kind person, but your absolutely right, and I've never heard anyone here discuss that. It has so much potential, but I've never in 30 years in canada, faced rasicm like I do here

He proceeds to tell me stories where his tenants and neighbours call him slurs and call the police for him riding his bike, how many times people tell him to go back where he came from, and how many times people ask him for money because they assume hes a refugee, and living on

"Their government tax dollars"...

I'm completely disgusted, blown away, and yet disturbingly I'm not surprised. I tell him a little bit of the history of the city, and how it changes even from just the 80s-90s. (I still have no idea of his ethnicity, and cant place his accent)

Here it's always been white against Indigenous people. We had 2 Black families growing up. 3 Asian families who moved here after 2000.. and now, everyone cant handle International students at the college and university, nor the 250 refugees who moved here. And the rasicm is

Getting worse, not better.

We discuss community, and looking out for each other. I tell him when the pandemic is over he should hit up a powwow. That people there would be accepting of him, and it's fantastic to learn and share each others cultures. Not yelling the slurs at him.

I dont know which country, but he tells me his name, and that he moved here to canada from Africa 30 years ago. (Actually I still dont know his age lol).

We discuss our neighbourhoods, and it turns out he knows my Inuk friend Isaac. Isaac helped him with his car once, and we

Laugh, at what a small town it is.

By the end of the conversation (my daughter needed some help so I had to get off), we decided we are going to go have coffee together one day. If I'm comfortable, he asks me to 9ne day stop by his house, so I can look at the apartment he has

Sitting empty right now, because his last tenant (rasict and the slurs omfg)...

We saved each others numbers, and plan on getting together one weekend for coffee downtown near the boardwalk.

Hes been here 2 years and has no friends, and no community. That's heartbreaking. I

Know the feeling well.

So I picked him a bowl of raspberries yesterday and froze them, and I'm going to bring them to him when we meet.

I hope this story sheds some light on kind acts. Small gestures. And also HOW RASICT SOME PEOPLE ARE. And by people, I mean some cities. We

Arent as diverse as Tkoronto, or the other large urban cities in canada. And yet, were still one of the 50 biggest cities on this side of the border.

Imagine what smaller communities are like. I call us a mini TBay. It's bad here. Real bad.

I have cPTSD. It's hard for me to be

Social some days. (Understatement lol). Part of my fears hosting this acct for a week, was feeling the pressure of being hated/called out/ doxxed, etc. Who knows. Its stuff from past trauma I carry with me (and lots of hard work with an amazing counsellor).

But, getting outside

That bubble, in itself, can be healing.

I'm nervous, yet looking forward to meeting my new friend. He has a damn good sense of humour, and apparently he yells at yt ppl alot - "your not native, if I go home you go home too"..

I think we will have fun
Fingers are crossed

Anyways.

So, I hope reading this story, you found something peaceful in it. And chi miigwetch for listening.

We all walk different paths. I'm grateful for all who have been a part of my journey. Good or bad, it made me the strong woman I am today.

Much love all. xoxo