My name is Laura Sylvah and I am the head Athletic Therapist here at UW. If you had asked me my nationality/background a few months ago, I would have said Canadian, and left it at that. There are some English/Irish/French genes in the family tree, but as far back as my great-great grandfather on my father’s side, at least, my white family has been born in Canada. Until recently, I had not considered what that statement truly means.
I grew up in Burlington, ON, in government subsidised housing. Of the 70+ houses on our street, I can think of maybe 3 families that were BIPOC. Looking back on my elementary school class photos (yes, I still have them!), every class was almost entirely white. Going to high school at Notre Dame was not much different, a predominantly white group of students and staff. 4 years at Laurier and another 3 at Sheridan, and again, there were not many BIPOC students in my classes. Looking back, I can’t recall having a teacher/prof that was not white. Had I not become a student trainer, and worked with the football team at Laurier, I’m not sure my path would have crossed with anyone who didn’t look like me. It wasn’t until I started working with the Ti-Cats that I was exposed to so many different backgrounds, and I realized how truly oblivious I was growing up. It was, I thought at the time, eye-opening. And then I promptly forgot about it. I’ve continued to work in the football world, which in general is a very diverse group of athletes and coaches. However, it was not until joining the Alliance that I really started looking back at my experiences and interactions and began questioning…..well, everything.
As an AT, I was taught to “find the cause, treat the cause” when dealing with injuries. In working with the Alliance, I’ve learned that the ‘cause’ is so much deeper and complicated then I had realized. Partly that is due to my lack of awareness / eagerness to learn about the history of Blacks and Indigenous people in the US, but also here in Canada. The first book I read on the subject was White Fragility (Robin DiAngelo). I think this should be required reading for everyone. It has made me aware of the fact that I’ve lived my entire life from a position of privilege, because I am white. The whole system has been designed to give me an advantage. That, in essence, is the cause.
My hope in working with the Alliance is that I can continue my journey to learn about racism in our society, and the role I play. From a broader perspective, I want the Alliance to be a group that can lead the way on discussions about race and racism not just in our own lives, but on our campus and in society at large.
To connect with Laura please email
alliance@uwaterloo.ca
