For the next several weeks, this column will feature founding members of the new Unity Collective, a town-sanctioned group that aims to provide advice to council and the community on addressing systemic racism and diversity in Collingwood.
While she has spent a large portion of her life teaching, activism has always been a part of Carolynn Wilson’s make up.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we spoke with Wilson, 72, a member of the Unity Collective.
Q: For how long have you lived in Collingwood?
A: I was born and raised in Collingwood. All of my family members have lived on Seventh Street. We’re still here. (My sister and I) still live in the three-storey home our mom, dad and uncles built in the 1940s.
We grew up here with our brother and younger sister when she came along.
We went to Victoria Public School and made friends that way.
My mother, along with other Black moms and dads here, prepared us to experience rejection or our friends not seeing us.
Her words were proven correct – it happened – but she always said to us, ‘You can always come home and tell mummy.’
If anything happened, that’s what we did. Our home and our church was our comfort and protection. Somebody always had our back here.
Q: What did you do after your schooling was done?
A: I had the opportunity to become a teacher. I’m retired now.
I taught elementary school, (focusing) on music and special education. I worked in Wasaga Beach.
I remember sometimes people would be surprised I got a teaching position. They thought I’d never get into Simcoe County. I slipped in the door.
Many of my supervisors there supported me.
Oftentimes I felt left out of conversations or meetings. Sometimes there would be little jokes or comments made about Black people and then would be embarrassed when they realized I was in the room. I found my way around it.
I have worked with kids of all ages. I did take a leave of absence because I wanted to try to link kids who left school with employment services. I started my own centre in 1989 and it lasted for about 15 years. We held it in the back of the little church on Seventh Street. It was about literacy and upgrading. Retired teachers volunteered to help. It was done in a private and confidential way.
We never asked for anything back from them, but what they’ve given us is friendship.
Q: With joining the Unity Collective, what do you hope to accomplish there?
A: A lot of (people) of different cultures in this town don’t show their colour on their face, but in their language or mannerisms. Sometimes, they’re laughed at or brushed off.
I’d like to bring more stories out. I’d like our collective to put those stories into some kind of policy or mandate so when council or other groups meet serious barriers in Collingwood that we are able to address it verbally and then take these policies and put them into legislation.
If the law is protecting white folks, then the law has to protect marginalized and disadvantaged people. It’s all of us. We all have a right to be addressed by our names and culture.
It wasn’t nice to be called names growing up in Collingwood.
Q: Would you be willing to share instances of racism you’ve experienced living here?
A: Yes. It’s very nice of you to ask. Sometimes our white friends are hesitant to ask wondering how we’d feel or what we’re going to say.
Racism has existed. There was discrimination through school.
There were times where I would be graded with Bs and Cs but I really think I deserved better. I didn’t have an advocate then.
I remember one time, I went into a Sears store on the main street in Collingwood to place an order, and the woman would not serve me. A gentleman came in behind me and he even said to her, ‘This lady was here first.’
She still wouldn’t serve me. I just left the store and trying to figure out what to do. They would do that to someone else. So I wrote to the head company and explained the circumstances. I got a phone call back apologizing. They offered to take me out for dinner!
Once I took my mom into the bank. She came back out, sat in the car and looked puzzled.
They wouldn’t serve her.
I got out of the car and went in. My heart was beating because I didn’t want to lose it.
I asked if there was a reason Mrs. Wilson couldn’t be served in the bank. I left and phoned head office. We got an apology. I suggested they upgrade their training.
That’s how we addressed it.
There are times when you really have to raise awareness and I find the best way is to expose it.
(Looking back), I used to think I would get involved in civil rights, and when I finished high school I thought I would go to the States and help Black people there for rights, freedom and voting.
Here I am, fighting for rights in my own little community.
It’s not the same, but it’s the thinking. That’s a big step.
Q: You and your sister Sylvia are curators for the Sheffield Park Black History Museum. Can you tell me about that work?
A: When I see other museums, they’re well-established and they have staff.
We do the maintenance, we’re security and the administrators. We network and support other museums.
We want to keep our work going.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like people in Collingwood to know about you?
A: We’re friendly!
We’re citizens. We’re not going to step back. We stand up for issues.
There’s so much goodness here.
We’re grateful for what people have done for us. We want to be the best neighbour and friend we can be.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we’ll be speaking with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature will run on CollingwoodToday every Saturday. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
