Still, there are moments that “happen every so often” when he realizes there are some who still have much to learn. Holness knows them by their body language or the microaggressions he experiences in their presence. Microaggressions are words or actions, sometimes done unintentionally or without awareness, that express prejudice toward socially marginalized groups.
It’s the person who crosses the street to avoid Holness or who won’t make eye contact when he tries to say hi in passing. It’s the woman on the elevator, who pulled down her sleeves to cover her jewelry when the doors opened and Holness stepped on.
It hurts, he says, especially because he’s the person who will go out of his way to be the bright spot in someone’s day by saying hello.
“Who knows? Maybe that person needed a smile that day? That’s why I brought that culture to our team, seeing how people are doing. Are they having a good day, a bad day. It’s reading their body language and letting each other know we’re here,” Holness says.
Those like the woman on the elevator “judge on their own basis, rather than engaging and talking and learning,” he adds.
That’s why he says he’s grateful Niagara Health celebrates Black History Month in February, and marks other important occasions for equity-deserving groups, including Pride Month in June and Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Month in September — although there’s no need to wait for these occasions to learn, he says.
Nationally, this year’s theme for Black History Month is Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build. In an ongoing commitment to inclusion, equity and understanding at Niagara Health, the DEI committee has selected the theme of Celebrating Black History, Every Day for the organization, with a focus on removing the perception that Black history is somehow separate from collective Canadian history.
“Every month is Black History Month. There’s no time of not learning anything to do with Black history. If you come across it, listen and absorb. Read about it some more. There’s stuff I don’t know about Black history and I’m trying to take in as much as I can,” Holness says.