Racism at the heart

Page 5

Dear Editor:

Re: Sweetgrass burning ban

I am outraged by the comment made by Mike Rennick of the Alberta Union of Public Employees. I am a white Canadian woman with no Aboriginal heritage, but I can plainly see racism when it is manifested so blatantly.

Even though your editorial on page 5 graciously gives Mr. Rennick the benefit of the doubt regarding the racist origin of the decision, the quotations that you cite leave little ambiguity. With regard to his comments about the appropriateness of the Roman Catholic church burning incense, there needs to be a brush up in the study of history.

The rationale that this rite is 'ancient history and can't be interfered with,' well, Aboriginal people have been burning sweetgrass and smudging for millennia, long before anyone had even thought of establishing the Roman Catholic church.

This contention just doesn't fly. In fact, it defies any logic, but racism is not confined by logic. What a pity.

Windspeaker has presented a well-researched article that clearly presents the arguments of both sides. After careful reading, it is evident that the guards' union has initiated this ban because of racist attitudes that determine policy.

-Esther Fyk