COVID-19, Black Lives Matter provoke change in 2020.
Change. Although it’s the only constant in the world, it’s also the one thing we never seem able to accept. COVID-19 has swept across the world, changing (perhaps forever) the way we live and interact with one another and society in general. Yet protests have been staged in many countries and right here at home by those who don’t want to accept the new reality, insisting that they don’t have to follow the rules regarding social distancing, face masks, and self-isolation.
Changes have been immediate and backed by government action and enforcement. Most of us have seen the wisdom of taking action to prevent deaths and adapting to the changes required of us. We’ve seen the results of our actions in decreased instances of harm.
Why then is it so much harder for us to react the same way to the other large-scale agent of change in 2020: the Black Lives Matter movement? Why isn’t change immediate and backed by government action and enforcement? Why don’t we see the wisdom of preventing avoidable deaths of Black men and women by adapting to the changes required of us? Why do we refuse to see the results decreased harm could bring? The resistance is hard to understand when you realize the changes required ask much less of us than COVID-19 has. It simply requires us to open our hearts and embrace a little compassion and empathy for our neighbours, regardless of skin colour or ethnicity. They say love makes the world go round and there has never been a better time to prove it.
Here at My East Coast Experience, we are excited to do our part in sharing that message of love and understanding. After a brief stop in production due to COVID-19, we are back telling stories of immigrants who are making a positive impact in our communities. An excellent example is this issue’s cover story on Primrose Watson, a Sri Lanka native who came to Nova Scotia with a simple dream of becoming a lawyer. Along the way she overcame a civil war, near-death experiences, and setbacks that nearly derailed her dreams. However, she also learned how to live her best life and she uses her career as a tax law specialist to help others learn the same lesson. We’re also busy collecting nominations for the 2021 Most Inspiring Immigrants program. We encourage everyone to send us your nomination so we can recognize those who are making a positive impact on our communities. Submit your nominee(s) here.
And finally, before you dive into the rest of this issue, we want to thank all of our readers for your continued support during these challenging times. We want to assure you that we will continue telling positive stories and highlighting the contributions our newest citizens are making to our combined East Coast experience.
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