The Return of

Separate But Equal

Ethnic Minorities Deserve Safe Spaces Without White People

Last week The Ryersonian reported on an incident that involved two first-year journalism students who were turned away from an event organized by Racialized Students’ Collective because they are white. Since then there has been a lot of commentary on the piece and a lot of debate — a lot of the criticism is valid.

There are two sides to the story: 1) the media has a right to attend public events and report on matters that are in the public interest. The student media needs to cover initiatives that are happening on campus so that we draw attention to them and in turn create awareness (The Ryersonian reported that one student said he was covering the meeting for an assignment). 2) Marginalized groups have a right to claim spaces in the public realm where they can share stories about the discrimination they have faced without judgment and intrusion from anyone else.

I am a person of colour and a journalist and so there are two conflicting voices inside my head. But in this case one voice, that of a person of colour, is louder and my conscience does not allow me to be impartial. I have to take a side.

And if you were not a person of colour, you would immediately be labeled a racist and never be allowed to post at HuffPo, or anywhere else for that matter, again.

But Aeman Ansari is allowed to be a proponent of “separate but equal” accommodations, despite the disgusting nature of the idea.

And by “safe spaces”, she means places where no one will call her preferred shade of racists out on their behavior.