Equal? Nope.

  Like most of you I was raised to believe that I was no better, or worse for that matter, than anyone else. Rich, poor, white, black...the only thing that did matter was what kind of person you were. The phrase "All men were created equal" was lived in our home. But I've come to learn, as an adult, that this simply isn't true.

   If you are black and poor in the southern United States you are not equal. Hurricane Katrina showed the world that. As does the ever increasing amount of shootings of unarmed black men by police.

  In Europe being of middle eastern descent is a mark against you. Children living in refugee camps, without proper conditions, for years are forgotten about. And if you are a single male well forget it. No one wants you. You are labelled as a possible terrorist and staying right where you are.

  Canada is no better. We treat our indigenous people like a burden. "They" are lazy. "They" don't want to work. "They" need to become just like us. Once you are labelled good luck trying to get that out of most people's minds. 

  Hell "we" don't even try to hide it. There are native communities that don't have clean, drinkable water in their homes. Yes there is running water....but it's brown. Drinkable....yes....but it's brown. Can you imagine pouring yourself a nice cold glass of brown water, adding your brown ice cubes to it and then sitting down to dinner? Of course not! But as a white person in Canada that's never going to happen to you.

  Now the federal government said just over a month ago that they will begin shortly a new treatment facility to remove the iron and manganese from the water on a reserve in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. No details have followed. The residents are still unable to bath, drink, cook or clean. Water is being shipped in. And portable laundry facilities are on site. But you have to get up, get dressed and drive somewhere to take a shower. That's convenient.

  Canada has more than enough clean, drinking water yet our own people don't have any. Would this happen in a white community? Maybe but trust me it would be short term. Very short. 

  Remember how equal you are today...especially when you turn on your faucet.

  Ang