Hello, my name is Mady McDonald!
I grew up in Kitchener, Ontario, and have lived in Waterloo region for most of my life. My mother grew up in London, Ontario and my father lived in various communities across Canada. Recently, I’ve become more interested in learning about my family roots. I now know that my great grandparents on both my parents side came to Canada from various parts of Europe – Ireland, Scotland and England to be specific.
I joined the Alliance because, as a white person, I know I constantly want to be learning about race and social issues. I am taking purposeful actions to better myself and to become a stronger ally. I want to help make a positive impact within the community regarding how marginalized populations are spoken to and about, the way they are treated, and the opportunities that are made available to me but not to them because of systematic racism. I wish to be part of a group that can identify these inequalities and dismantle them.
I know that approaching these issues takes a lot of work, especially to step beyond my comfort level and to take intentional action. I have begun and will continue to educate myself independently and with a group of likeminded who share my vision. Working with the Alliance will bring positive change to our University and the greater community. I am applying my newfound knowledge at every opportunity. I now use this new perspective when having conversations with friends, family, and coworkers. I remain mindful and inquisitive when listening to the news and reading social media for biases that I otherwise would not have noticed.
Throughout this ongoing journey in educating myself and becoming an ally with the BIPOC community, I know that I need to listen and learn from those more knowledgeable than me. As well as accept the inherent privilege I experience and acknowledging that it doesn’t mean I don’t face difficulties myself, but there are some challenges that I avoid because of how I look. And most importantly to use my voice to act upon the systematic racism that is still occurring in todays in our society.
There are so many great resources to approach and learn about these issues. Two books that I have found helpful in my learning and would recommend to anyone who is looking to start their journey in becoming an ally are “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “The Skin We’re In” by Desmond Cole. Social media can also be a great tool for keeping conversations going, and there are many accounts, from local activists to barrier-breaking authors, sharing insightful and thought-provoking words.
