Theo Mogatas, an 11-year-old student at St. Mary’s Elementary School in Vancouver recounts how shocked he was being verbally assaulted with racist comments after an extracurricular soccer practice.
“I was with my friends from my team and one kid came up to me and called me the n-word five times,” said Theo.
“I was shocked that he would say that. I thought he said something else, but he kept on saying it.”
Theo admits he “lost control” and threw his water bottle at the other boy.
“My friends saw what happened and pulled me back and told me to calm down. I was impressed that they stood up for me and told the kid to never say that again and told him to back off.”
The incident left him with mixed feelings: “I felt happy when they stood up for me, but I was still mad because that kid called me the n-word for no reason.”
Theo’s school participated in Black Shirt Day Jan. 15, hoping to raise awareness of the ongoing struggle faced by black and racialized Canadians. St. Mary’s students (as well as others at St. Joseph the Worker, St. Paul’s, and others) came to school in black shirts to shine a light on acceptance and diversity.
“Black Shirt Day is about treating others how you want to be treated, and right now I don’t think people are really doing that,” Theo said.
“Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes you’re just not thinking straight, and I am saying that because everyone has made poor choices. There has been a lot of hate going around and some people think that’s alright to do that.”
He said he hoped Black Shirt Day would make a difference by reminding people that racism is wrong. “Just because you’re one skin colour does not mean you can treat others with disrespect and hate among those people who are black.”
“Everyone should be fair, respectful, and not hurt each other … Everyone is a human, so treat everyone equally.”
B.C. Parliamentary secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives Rachna Singh and Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside released a statement on Black Shirt Day, calling it a grassroots initiative that shows solidarity with racialized communities.
“Jan. 15 is also the birth date of Martin Luther King Jr. On this day, we remember how he inspired millions of people to join together in the push to end racism, and how far we still have to go to create a world where everyone is treated equally, regardless of race or colour of their skin,” they wrote.
“We need everyone in B.C. to stand together in this fight and to show that discrimination in any form will not be tolerated.”
