Every now and then as an editor, you hit "publish" on something knowing full well that it will raise the ire of some readers.
But you hit publish anyway — not because you particularly like raising readers' ire, but because the message was one that needed to be heard.
Such was the case in my office at Peace Arch News earlier this month, when a reader named Khalil Jessa sent in some thoughts he had penned in response to the election of Brent Chapman. Mr. Jessa wanted to share how that election resonated for him, as a Muslim member of the community — in light of past anti-Muslim comments made by Mr. Chapman (among a slew of other offensive posts that came to light in the final days of the election campaign in October).
Mr. Chapman won a resounding victory in Surrey South. On a night when many races across B.C. were close, the outcome in Surrey South was never in doubt. Brent Chapman won nearly 59 per cent of the vote, with 13,056 voters choosing him over the NDP's Haroon Ghaffar.
Let me be clear: I don't doubt the sincerity of those who said they voted for Chapman despite his comments, not because of them.
I'm sure the vast majority of the people who marked their X next to his name don't consider themselves to be racist. Most of them probably aren't, in fact, "racist" in any overt, conscious way. I'd be surprised if more than a tiny minority actually agreed with all (or perhaps even any) of Mr. Chapman's comments.
But the fact remains, they voted for him. Many of you reading this now were among them.
Each and every one of those 13,056 votes said something to Mr. Jessa about where he stands in this community. He expressed his thoughts eloquently, thoughtfully and respectfully, asking his neighbours to consider how they would feel if they were in his shoes.
Some were empathetic. Others were angry at Mr. Jessa's characterization of the vote as a "betrayal" and objected to the idea that their vote could be in any way perceived as racist or Islamophobic. They — like many, I am sure — saw their vote as a purely practical one: they wanted to defeat the NDP, and Mr. Chapman was the only option they had.
Was that a good enough reason to vote for someone who had voiced opinions like Mr. Chapman's?
Not for Mr. Jessa, it wasn't. And his words sent a message that many of us needed to hear. Most of us who move through the world in white skin have never stopped to consider how powerful a force racism can be. We've never needed to. We've never needed to live with the consequence of racism and Islamophobia that starts with subtle "othering" and gains force until it erupts into the kind of hate-filled violence that sees worshippers at a mosque massacred, or a family mown down for the simple fact of being Muslim.
Don't tell Mr. Jessa he is wrong to be afraid. That's not up to you, or me, or anyone else protected by their whiteness. We don't get to tell Mr. Jessa how to feel about anti-Muslim hate.
What we need to do, instead, is listen.
Listen to what Mr. Jessa has told you. Listen to why the vote that you cast sits differently with Mr. Jessa than it does with you. Did his column make you uncomfortable? Then good. Feel that discomfort and let it force you to ask yourself the question: Why should I expect Mr. Jessa to understand that my vote wasn't about him? — when, whatever your intention, it very clearly was.
If you can cavalierly dismiss the effects of racism, then it's a good bet that you're white. And while you may be able to dismiss your vote as purely practical and not personal, remember that it's far easier to do so when you're not part of the group being personally attacked and targeted.
This isn't just about old social media comments made by one white guy, and about the 13,056 people who voted for him anyway. This is about a world that seems to be drifting further and further down the road of racism and hate — and how it feels to be watching that happen when the hate is directed at you.
Mr. Jessa spoke to all of that much more eloquently than I ever could. That's why, as editor, I chose to run his column in the place of prominence it deserved. And it's why I'll willingly take the heat from irate readers for doing so.
Julie MacLellan is the editor of Peace Arch News and Surrey-White Rock bureau chief for Black Press Media.