My publishing the e-book of Star’s Reflection is my own small form of resistance against institutional racism – in fact, publishing it at all was a form of resistance.
Years after an editor – a white woman – had the gall to insist that racism ‘did not happen’ in Canadian schools, I’m still outraged.
Why does he hate them? asked another editor (or was it the same one?) This in reference to a teacher’s racist actions toward two girls in his classroom. I wish I knew the answer to why children and adults are the targets of hatred. I wish I knew why I have had to much hatred directed at me throughout my life, starting from a young age.
It is not necessarily the job of the writer to provide answers. It is the job of the writer to raise questions. Why does he hate them? That editor felt that the question required an answer I am not able to give. Canadian publishers had a big problem with any depiction of racism in Canada. They suggested that I remove the present-day portion of the story. I was not about to do that. When I write, I like to shine a light on something – perhaps something forgotten, or deliberately hidden, perhaps it is lying unnoticed in plain view. Often, I do this through the lens of history. We are more able to look back unflinchingly to gain insight into present circumstances.
In Star’s Reflection, the historical story gives my young present-day protagonists, some insights into themselves and their present situation. The present-day part of the book is, actually, the smaller part than the ancient Egyptian portion of the story, and the depiction of racism within the book is quite small. Yet, the strong denial of racism in Canada showed an unwillingness of white editors to listen to what a person of colour has to say about lived experiences of the society we all live in. The editors felt justified in their denials. I haven’t seen this. What a white person sees and experiences is what counts.
Star’s Reflection is really a novel of friendship and love and loss, magic and belief in oneself in spite of forces that may be ranged against you. A new day has dawned regarding attitudes toward racism. The time has come for another look at the story told in Star’s Reflection. The e-book version has a new cover and some minor changes in the text. Find it here: https://books2read.com/u/mBG8kv
