Because I’m a Coloured Girl
I was born and raised in a small island called Antigua. It’s a peaceful place known to be tourism centered. I grew up near the beach side nearby a well-known hotel called Curtain Bluff. It wasn’t unusual for me to stumble upon guests often because I spent most of my time at the beach. Many of the tourists I met were always friendly. In 2014, I relocated to Canada. At first, it was a culture shock for me but eventually, I adopted. I got used to being stopped and asked about my extensions… specifically my box braids. As a newcomer, I was enjoying life in Canada up until my very first encounter with racial profiling.
In the summer of 2015, my stepbrother, his friends and I decided to picnic at Wasaga beach. The day was going well but the heat began to be very unbearable, so another young lady and myself decided to go grab an ice-cream cone and food. On the way back to our spot we were chatting, not really paying much attention to our surroundings until an elderly Caucasian lady caught our attention. She kept eyeing us in fear while trying to shuffle away in a hurry. While trying to avoid us she almost fell off the edge of the boardwalk. After experiencing this my heart sank. For the first time in my life, I was racially profiled.
Ebony