‘I’m a person’: Chilliwack MLA shares child’s powerful statement about racism to B.C. Legislature

Powerful, emotional words from an 11-year-old child were shared in the B.C. Legislature this week.

“They said because I am Black, I should go kill myself, that I should be an example for other Black people to do the same,” Eevah MacDonald wrote in a statement read by Chilliwack-Kent MLA Kelli Paddon.

“They said that I am like a dog. It’s kind of like when a tree gets cut down and it’s just left there and forgotten. That’s how I felt. Left there with damage, by myself.”

Paddon’s voice broke as she continued reading Eevah’s words.

“It’s like some people think that because I’m Black, because I’m not white, I am just something. An object. But what’s real is that it doesn’t matter what your skin looks like. You’re beautiful just the way you are.”

Paddon shared the statement after discovering Eevah’s mother’s Facebook posts about her daughter being bullied.

“We invited her here to show her that her voice can be a power vehicle for change,” Paddon said. “She can’t speak here yet, and so I am honoured to share her words with you all.”

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Eevah’s words reaffirmed her worth and the damage caused by racism, while seeking to discourage racism.

In her statement, Eevah said while she hopes incidents like the one she described don’t happen very often anymore, some people may not be aware they do take place.

“It’s not funny. It doesn’t matter where you heard it or who said it, or if you read it on the Internet. It doesn’t matter how they meant it. It’s racism. It hurts.”

She closed it with the most powerful part of her statement: “I’m a person and I matter.”