RE: My Nomination for Ward 3 HWDSB School Board Trustee

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“During the civil rights movement, facilitators of activism taught young people to educate [their] emotions. If you simply lash out, you are not going to make your point in a way that motivates the other to hear you. These moments spent so much time building resilience and antifragility. We have lost that today.” 

~ Irshad Manji, author of Don’t Label Me

When I decided to not run for re-election in 2018, our family endorsed and supported the campaign of our friend Chris Parkinson to be your next ward 3 trustee. Chris’ passion for Hamilton and the outcomes of not just students but all who call Hamilton home, was evident in everything he touched and those who knew him and were aware of all of his many efforts across this great city. 

When Chris passed suddenly in 2019 mere months into his term, I wanted to jump back in to help fulfill his dreams for students in our ward but I respect the current board’s decision to appoint the runner-up in the 2018 municipal election – someone Chris had only beaten by 29 votes so it was obvious that there were many who also supported her as their voice to represent them.

When my friend and former colleague Christine Bingham stepped away from her role as Wards 1 & 2 trustee late last year, I applied to fill that vacancy as someone who understood many of the issues facing school communities in those wards, and having worked very closely with many ward 3 families whose children attended schools beyond our borders for various reasons from catchment, SAGE and SAGE QUEST, French Immersion, and special programming. Although that application was not successful, someone whose hard work and dedication as a former student trustee were well known to current trustees (including me who had the pleasure of working with this individual), was appointed to that role.

I continued to follow the work of this board very closely this past term both as a father of three students within HWDSB, and as someone who didn’t realize how much he would miss the work and advocacy on behalf of the ward I have called home for over 20 years.

As a candidate in the 2014 election, I ran on a platform of:

1. True community consultation
2. Equal partners in decision-making
3. Retain and expand neighbourhood schools
4. Accountability and transparency
5. Work closely with Hamilton city council
6. Advocacy on behalf of our community to the province
7. Create community partnerships

One of my main goals early on in my term as trustee was to attempt to reverse (unsuccessfully), the previous board’s decision to close Mountain and Parkview schools which provided students who had struggled through our system, a place where they finally felt included. From my time volunteering with and listening to the voices of students, parents, and staff at the former Parkview Secondary School – which had become a hub of special education services – I had come to realize the dangers of pushing full inclusion and that inclusion was personal. For anybody that challenges this, I recommend a book by special educators James M. Kauffman and Daniel P. Hallahan titled The Illusion of Full Inclusion.

As a trustee I sat on committees like SAL (Supervised Alternative Learning), where files were reviewed of students who were entering grades 11 and 12 with only a handful of credits. Within this committee, staff and community partners worked tirelessly to find these students’ support to help them re-engage with education. The stories were heartbreaking and many reaffirmed my belief in alternatives like Parkview and Mountain.

If SAL wasn’t enough of a case study in the merit of alternative schools, there were student files that crossed our desks during expulsion hearings that highlighted the need for the intense and specialized support’s that was available at Parkview. 

Although I quickly realized during my term that bullet point 3 above was not truly attainable from the bottom rung of political decision-making, my Consider Barton campaign in early 2022 was created to fill a gap I saw missing as an elected official when communities delegated to our board in an effort to save neighbourhood education – fair and equal advocacy based on facts and educational and community benefits. From the process to name schools to the decision to close them, it should not be about the loudest voices, surveys, or petition tallies; it should be about a balance of unbiased pros and cons.

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My grandfather worked with an Indigenous fellow at Stelco Steel and they would make many trips together to the reserve over the years. When my grandfather was no longer able to drive, he would often ask me to take him to Six Nations to see the friends he had met when his colleague was alive. He would bring homemade butter tarts and hand them around like business cards. He dreamed of a new community center in Six Nations and loved so many of their traditions including the pow wows that we would also attended together. 

My grandfather passed mid-way through my almost year-long 2014 campaign bid, but his influence on so many aspects of my life was not forgotten when I took office. 

My own personal connection to Indigenous history and traditions happened in the Red Hill Valley during the summer of 2004 in the final months of the effort to save the valley from being paved over. 

Fast forward 10 years and the first committee I joined as HWDSB trustee was FNMI (First Nations Metis Inuit) and when the IEC (Indigenous Education Circle) was formed, I also joined those discussions. I am still a community member of the IEC to this day. My favorite part of those sessions is the elder opening and closing these meetings in a good way in their own language – his voice powerful and wise, yet sincere and peaceful. 

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I started volunteering in my early twenties. I was driving down Main Street East in Hamilton when I spotted the Big Brothers Big Sisters building and the next thing that I knew, I was a Big Brother. My first match was a funny, caring, creative Indigenous boy. They were a wonderful family. I would have one more creative little match as a Big Brother before joining their SOAR program which engages youth on a waiting list for a Big match.

I have been coaching for over 10 years from baseball, and soccer, to hockey, and being a coach is one of my favorite roles within the community. I have also been the Managing Editor of The Point Community News for the past year or so. I have loved promoting my local community which played a pivotal role in my family’s history here in Hamilton, including my maternal grandparents growing up as neighbours and attending Lloyd George School together on Beach Rd. 

My family and I have run a local event called Pumpkin Prowl since 2014 as well and the last time we were able to run a live event, we had some great media coverage. It’s something we created to provide an alternative Halloween-like event for separated families and as it turned out, it was also beneficial for parents who work shifts and who might otherwise miss out on the main event itself, or even for families with some sort of conflict that previously meant they would not be able to share in these special moments with their family members.

I have lived in Hamilton for all but 5 of 49 years of existence making connections across all of Hamilton’s border’s whether in a hockey arena or cleaning up alleys in my community. My friends have been as diverse in ethnicity as they have been in their political leanings and overall it’s been a wonderful and fulfilling place to grow up surrounded by a large family and countless friendships fostered through all of these many experiences. 

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So why would I chance to throw all those years of community building away by asking a single question? 

Can we discuss as a community, the lens through which we have viewed the actions of four local trustees and labeled them as racist, and the continued destruction of character of these mothers, wives, grandparents, and community volunteers?

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As a trustee, I read books such as The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King or Words of Peace in Native Land by Guylaine Cliche to better understand the culture, traditions, and history of Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (North America).

When the Huggins report was released that investigated the actions of four local trustees, I read that document and continued that learning by reading books such as How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole, White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, before stumbling across other perspectives within the topic of race such as Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel, and a book that has changed my life, Don’t Label Me by Irshad Manji. They: What Muslims and Non-Muslims Get Wrong About Each Other by Sarfraz Manzoor, is also an enlightening companion to this collection of materials on this subject, not to mention Greetings from Bury Park (Blinded by the Light), also by Safraz Manzoor and One Game at a Time by Harnarayan Singh – both of which touch on how racism crossed their otherwise inspiring journey’s.

From Kendi stating you are either a racist or an anti-racist (which is a complex framework that does not simply mean ‘not racist’), to Irshad Manji and her promotion of Diversity Without Division through her Moral Courage College, would you rather exist in a world of left OR right, or one where in between exists so many wonderful shades of gray that bring balance to the two extremes? 

If you thought I was progressive before, if you respected the work I did with families of special needs students, if you appreciated my involvement in the IEC or SAL, as a coach to your son or daughter, or our work together as colleagues and volunteers, if you had a lot of respect for what I have done in the past and you thought I was one of the ‘good guys’, maybe the question I am asking deserves at least the benefit of your own curiosity.

What is wrong with questioning? What is the matter with seeing a different way forward? Can we not validate how our actions and words affect others, yet care about the context and intent of those actions? Do you want elected officials or community leaders afraid to speak or who rely on the opinions of others to formulate their decision-making, or do you want someone who studies an issue relentlessly and openly and sincerely asks questions based on that research?

My main point in this question is that the lens through which proponents of anti-racism view actions, policies, and laws, is different from the definition of racism that many of us grew up with. It’s a fact. To be racist meant you hated people of different ethnicity, or you thought you were better than them, or wouldn’t hire or associate with people based on their race.

Ibram Kendi states that the word ‘racist’ was stolen by white supremacists and the likes of Donald Trump and that it was never meant to be an unspeakable word. He states that it’s not a label meant to disparage others so why are we all critically afraid to be called a racist when the word is not meant to be a pejorative?  Can we redefine a word that the vast majority of the world grew up understanding in a different context; or why would we?

So no, I am not a fan of anti-racism practices in the way they are being implemented in North America and to understand this standpoint, I challenge you to read both How to be an Antiracist and Don’t Label Me. I’d also encourage you to follow the work of John McWhorter, Glenn Loury, Chloe S. Valdary and her Theory of Enchantment, Africa Brooke, Coleman Hughs, John Wood Jr., Kmele Foster, Thomas Chatterton Williams, Zuby, Magatte Wade, Thomas Sowell, and so many others, to see that this isn’t left versus right or black or white in either a literal or figurative way. 

I am sure I will be called some terrible things during this election and it’s why it has taken me so long to throw my hat in the ring when truthfully, I have thought about a return to office for 3 years. Who wants to be called these things? Who wants to have their image in the social media profiles of advocacy groups? Who wants to fear being fired for their political views, or that I might be asked not to coach or be involved with other community projects? These are all things I have thought long and hard about. Thoughts that have woken me up in the middle of the night in a heart-racing sweat at the thought of the community I have built over many years attacking my character. 

I had to get to a place of not caring about what others thought of me because I care more about the future I leave for my children most of all. I want them to love people and to care about how their words or actions affect others. To believe in forgiveness, atonement, and the right to question. I want to foster curiosity and instill a passion for digging deeper into issues and not taking what others – including the media – have to say about something or someone as the full and unbiased truth.

Atonement. It’s another problem with anti-racism because you can attend the training, and yet it’s never enough to be forgiven or worthy of respect again. 

‘Life is full of vivid shades of gray’, as Irshad Manji states. 

I believe in a different way forward. I cannot speak for how words or situations make others feel but in a democratic society, we all get a say on how we lay down judgment over one another’s actions. I don’t want teachers encouraging their students to write letters to the board denouncing the actions of their elected officials. I want educators to teach their students to debate the report, watch the board meetings, and even reach out to all parties – to get to know their story – and to learn about their human side. Then, let them formulate their own opinion. 

Although I have my opinions on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and anti-racism, I am also not running on a platform to jump on the cancel culture bandwagon. Irshad Manji believes that a healthy democracy has room for all theories, and CRT/anti-racism is just one of many. 

I am a student of Moral Courage and believe wholeheartedly in its teachings. The tools that I have gained from this learning have been transformative.

As a candidate in the 2022 election, I’m simply swapping out what I have no control over with what will guide all other priorities:

1. Moral Courage
2. Community consultation
3. Equal partners in decision-making
4. Accountability and transparency
5. Work closely with my trustee colleagues and municipal, provincial, and federal counterparts
6. Advocacy on behalf of our community to the province
   
   and I’ll tweak the last item:
   
7. Foster connections between our schools and their surrounding neighbourhoods

(see www.larrypattison.ca/priorities  to learn more)

As an elected official, I will not dismiss your opinions, or judge your personal health choices or your family values – as long as they are not expressions of hate towards any group. Our views may differ but hopefully, our interactions will teach us both about the other’s perspective and leave us with mutual respect for our openness to hear opinions that may be very different than our own.

I used to think there were many topics that should no longer be discussed, but now I feel that the real danger is in not engaging in open dialogue about sensitive issues. What this silence does is falsely place the discussion of topics such as CRT beyond the Overton Window. The Overton Window represents – in short – policies acceptable to the mainstream population. By being afraid to question CRT and anti-racism, we have placed these policies and practices into this window. I say falsely, because I believe their placement within this box of acceptance is not because it ranks high in social acceptance, but rather because questioning these theories has been made to feel unthinkable because people are losing jobs and having their lives turned upside down if they dare even question these theories. 

Truth is in the question.

Maybe I am a horrible person for questioning but I ask you this: Do you want your children growing up in such a judgmental ‘either or’ (my way or the highway)’ society, or a truly inclusive ‘both and’ environment (your point of view, mine, and everything in between).

The thought of standing up and losing your community is scary (and Irshad talks about how the ego brain responds to this in her book), but finding your true self is reifying. I know that in the end, the support that is left when the dust settles on this election will be all that I need to find meaning and happiness in this life. I know I have felt hope, understanding, and peace within the Moral Courage community. Respectfully agreeing to disagree – what a concept.

“What I’m truly afraid of is existing in a world that forces me to submit to an ideology without question, otherwise I’m to be shamed (or pressured to shame myself) and cast out of the community.”

Africa Brooke, London-based writer and speaker, from her open letter Why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness.

Only when we all feel free to share our opinions, can the true Overton Window be understood for the topics that divide us. 

One of my favourite quotes from a recent Moral Courage discussion, was the mention of ‘calling in’, rather than ‘calling out’ because that is what I truly want this campaign to stand for. Not calling out people or policies, but calling in discussion and viewpoint diversity in an effort to find a more unified path forward.

Let’s find our commonality because when we focus on our similarities and not our labels, I believe we will remember what it was like to see the world through the eyes of a child. Curious, creative, and full of love and acceptance and a genuine desire to help one another achieve their full potential. 

What is the power of positive politics? Let us find out together.

Thank you for your time. Best of luck to all trustee candidates and thank you for stepping up with hopes to serve the best interest of 50,000 students across Hamilton. We may disagree with the ‘how’, but there is hope in the common starting point of ‘why’ we are here – to be part of a team with a diversity of views and life experiences, intent on improving the outcomes of our city’s youth.

Sincerely,

Larry

Larry Pattison (Plural)
Candidate for HWDSB Trustee for Ward 3
Integrity, Transparency, and Reason in Changing Times
www.larrypattison.ca