Surrey School Board Opposes Tolerance... Again

by Heather McLeod

The Surrey School Board's recent vote to ban materials portraying same-sex parents is reminiscent of its ban of BCTF antiracist teaching materials 20 years ago. Educating students about discrimination prepares them for more responsible citizenship in the real world, and once again, the Surrey School Board is attempting to deny students the opportunity to explore the question of fair and equitable treatment of all.

In January 1977, the Vancouver Sun reported that the Surrey trustees had decided against allowing the use of a slide-tape presentation on the history of racism in B.C. because it was "not in good taste," according to Jock Smith, then board chair. Smith added that the BCTF materials didn't give "both sides" of the racism issue.

The historical events covered in the 1977 presentation included the 1907 race riots in Vancouver, led by the Asiatic Exclusion League, when thousands of whites stormed the Chinese and Japanese areas of the city; the Komagata Maru incident in 1914, when hundreds of immigrants from India were kept quarantined for weeks in a ship in the Vancouver harbour and finally refused entry to Canada; the wholesale evacuation of Japanese-Canadians from the West Coast in World War II; and the eradication of the Aboriginal potlatch ceremony in 1951.

According to Alice McQuade, BCTF president, "Teachers led the way in the 1970s with our Program Against Racism. Our work is now recognized as vital; in fact, the BCTF received a B.C. Eliminates Racism Together award from the provincial government this year." McQuade added, "Our members have told us that we must now take a stand against homophobia. Our schools must be safe and respectful of all our students."

At a press conference on May 5, 1997, Minister of Education Paul Ramsey said, "The banning of several books from school libraries in Surrey showed a lack of tolerance and acceptance.

"Students in Surrey who are gay or lesbian, and students whose parents are gay or lesbian, are directly hurt by this action."