We Are All One: Seeing Racism Beyond the Obvious

We Are All One: Seeing Racism Beyond the Obvious 🚌🌏

I want to talk to you—the Canadian, the newcomer, the visitor. I want you to pay attention, because this isn’t just a story about one bus ride, or one classroom, or one city. It’s about the real, everyday prejudice that plays out quietly in the spaces we share, and too often, we are told it’s “just discrimination,” not racism. ⚠️

Last week, on a packed bus in Surrey, I saw it again. An older Indian woman needed a seat, but the young East Asian woman refused to move. People looked away. I motioned for the older woman to sit beside me. That small act mattered—but why did it have to happen at all?

This is not the first time. Over the past year, on buses from Surrey to Vancouver, packed to the brim, I’ve seen tension flare between different communities—Indian, Chinese, Black, and others. Small incidents, subtle refusals, sideways glances, impatience—but they add up. These are microcosms of inter-minority racism, a reality many people don’t talk about. 😔

We are often told racism is only “white against Black” or “white against Indigenous,” and that experiences like mine—being harassed by a teacher in my web design class in 2000, the only White woman in the room—aren’t “real racism.” Instead, they called it “discrimination.” But whether it’s called racism or discrimination, the impact is real, and it’s harmful.

Racism doesn’t only follow simple lines

Prejudice can exist between any racial or ethnic groups. It’s not always about historical power; sometimes it’s about cultural misunderstanding, stereotypes, or unspoken competition for resources, space, or attention. 💡

• On public buses, the stakes are visible: crowded spaces make tensions flare.
• In workplaces, subtle exclusion or favoritism can quietly marginalize certain groups.
• Even among youth or students, disrespect or cultural insensitivity shows up, unnoticed or ignored by institutions.

Why public spaces reveal it so clearly

Buses, transit hubs, and crowded streets are like mirrors of society. When you pack people together:

• Cultural assumptions are exposed.
• Bias shows in who gets space, whose comfort is prioritized, who is ignored.
• Microaggressions become amplified because people are in close quarters. 🚨

And yes, this happens between minority groups as much as it happens between majority and minority groups. It’s uncomfortable to admit, but denying it does nothing to fix it.

What I’ve learned

• Small actions matter. Inviting someone to sit beside you, offering help, or speaking up gently can change the dynamics of the moment.
• Awareness is key. Seeing the subtle ways racism appears—microaggressions, exclusion, refusal of basic respect—is the first step to changing behavior in our communities.
• Everyone has a role. Whether you’re a newcomer or a long-time resident, we all share public spaces, and how we behave reflects our shared values. 🤝

A call to all of us

We are one community. Public spaces are shared spaces. Respect, empathy, and awareness are not optional. Every small act of kindness, every refusal to look the other way, every attempt to bridge understanding counts.

Canada prides itself on multiculturalism, but real inclusion goes beyond surface-level diversity. It starts with seeing each other fully, challenging biases within ourselves and our communities, and taking action when we witness injustice—even the subtle kind. ✨

So, the next time you see someone denied a seat, ignored, or treated unfairly because of their race, culture, or language—stand up, reach out, be the person who makes the space safer and more human. 🌏

We are all one. And if we want Canada to truly reflect that, we have to act on it, every day, everywhere. 💛