Yesterday (September 30th) marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. It was a day for all of us to listen, to learn, and to understand the truth of this country. There is no reconciliation without truths.
I gave a short talk before our stand-up about my experience as an immigrant, a newcomer to this land, how important it is for me, and how humbled I have felt, to learn about the past of colonization and all the wrongs that have been done to the Indigenous people of this land – and the land herself. I wanted to use my voice, and my experience as an immigrant, to connect to my technical engineers who might not always be in front of these conversations. It felt important.
Tuesday was a challenging day. There was a major org change and everyone is kinda freaking out a little (or a lot). So between taking care of the team’s mental health and stabilizing the business unit, it was pretty tough to take a breath. And we ran into a coworker (who happened to be indigenous). She had a beautiful beaded lanyard on. As I complimented her, she pulled out another from her purse and gave it to me. It was such a simple act of kindness, of pride (in her culture), and a connection that happens in an otherwise fucked up week. It feels… hopeful.
I went to the Starbucks across the street from the office, and there is a sister with a gorgeous afro, braided and cornrows, tied behind her face. She calls me “honey” and she always remembers my order. On her hand, there is a band with a trans flag. It’s subtle, but it’s beautiful. It made me smile. I see her. I see her seeing others in our community. Our trans brothers and sisters are at risk. Our community is under attack. We are not safe here. We are not safe in Canada. And I will (physically) fight every cis gays out there saying that the fight for progress in Canada is over. The gay bigots can go fuck themselves.
My brother is doing standup comedy again. And he’s gaining some traction. I don’t want to jinx it quite yet, but I’m genuinely excited for him. He’s doing something he loves. His eyes light up when he talks about it. A random audience member saw him, and tried to reach out to his network of artists, and offered him a very minor role in a show. I mean, a random stranger with a random act. It might not go anywhere. But it is also a testament to hard work, to the hustle, to honing your talents, and to putting yourself out there.
A co-worker reached out. She is from another business division and we only interacted twice, but she looked up my title and she wanted to ask my advice for her career growth. A bright young black woman navigating a traditional corporate environment. Of course, I’d help. It was a lovely conversation and even a lovelier connection. I hope she will find success. I hope she will have her champion and her sponsor and her mentors. So she can grow in a world that is very much still not seeing people like us at a leadership table.
I’ve been teaching 2 courses at a local college (Project Management in Software Development. Oh the irony) and the students have been calling me anything from Prof. Jason to Mr. Ho to Mr. Instructor (So anything between a hip-hop artist to a noodle brand). They asked me for advice (sometimes not even related to the course). They told me they liked my content (I guess they really wanted that A+). But it feels nice, to be helpful to young hopeful people.
So the world continues to be a dark place. Our provincial government is still anti-science and corporate puppet. Our federal government is incompetent and is about to be taken over by Neo-Nazi. The world is … well… a shit show. But there will also be good people, with good acts of kindness.
These little moments might just be enough for us to feel warm and fuzzy and loved, as we watch the comet slowly plummet to the earth.
Pace Fine Arts 