Letter: In defence of 'woke' and 'socialist' school board chair

The author writes in response to Letter: Chippewa renaming issue is symbolic of a deeper problem.

To the editor:

I promised myself that I would try to be a more private, introspective person this year. I deleted my social media. I don't have many friends. I work. I generally keep to myself. But I just can't leave Monday's opinion piece by Ian Saunders unaddressed.

Firstly, I have to disclose three things.

1) I haven't followed the issue closely. And the naming of the school, I'm sure, isn't what makes me feel compelled to respond publicly. Frankly, when the decision was made in 2017, it seemed like a reasonable thing to do after combining two schools into one. That there is a consultation process with Indigenous representation to help create greater cultural understanding, I thought, was a bonus.

2) I know Erika and her family.

3) While I'm still learning and I don't fully understand the meaning (or usefulness) of such political terms, I would not defend myself against the charge of being a socialist or "woke." In fact, if I do understand them correctly, I would be proud to earn such labels.

That said, I feel the need to respond publicly because I can't shake the feeling that this issue is personal. This issue has struck a chord deep in the weeds of the culture wars and Erika has become a target. I also feel like our local media, and BayToday in particular, in a search for issues that generate "engagement" ($$), has contributed to a hyper-focus on Erika.

I want to remind everyone that the people in these roles are real people who live in our community. I feel so uneasy about the tone of the recent deluge of letters published here. Never mind that she wasn't even on the board in 2017. Or that a committee is in place to provide recommendations to the board. Let's all dial back the personal rhetoric and attacks.

And while I'm at it, remind me why we're so excited as a community to demonize Erika. The writer of Monday's piece told us that she represents a serious threat to our community (even though the author doesn't live here) because of her "wokeness" and her socialism.

Is she accused of trying to improve a system for people facing real and historic social barriers?

I thought that's what we meant by "woke." How dare she…

Socialist? She thinks there's too great a divide between the rich and the poor and would like to use our public institutions to improve that gap. Isn't that what public policy solutions from the left look like?

Have we completely lost our way? Why do I feel like what is really threatening to people like Ian Saunders is a smart, assertive, super hard-working woman who challenges existing power structures from the left side of the political spectrum? If Erika is a "woke" socialist, then I hope to have the courage to be more like her one day.

Scott Robertson
North Bay

Editor's note: Robertson is a former North Bay city councillor and federal NDP candidate in Nipissing—Timiskaming.