Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson is launching the #MakeItAwkward campaign to push back against recent of racist incidents caught on video.
Advertisement
A video posted to Facebook shows a racist incident in downtown Edmonton.
Actor and former high-jump champion Jesse Lipscombe was filming a public service announcement this week when he was hit with the verbal assault.
Rather than walk away, Lipscombe, a former high jumper who also owns a fitness studio, walked over to the auto and calmly confronted the men inside.
Lipscombe approached the vehicle and opened the passenger side door.
“Right now we have a new campaign about what can the bystanders do, what can you do when you see something like this on the street or at home, make it awkward”.
“I think the leadership can come as it often does for social change, from young Edmonontians, young Canadians, who see this hashtag, who see this idea, who grab up the positivity of this and say that kind of hatred is not the kind of Canada or the kind of city or the kind of community that I want to live in”.
The actor said he wanted to give the man “the opportunity to feel uncomfortable as well”.
They coined the hashtag #makeitawkward as a springboard for an upcoming anti-racism campaign.
“It’s time to start the conversation”, he said.
Lipscombe is hopeful the posting of the video will make his taunter think twice next time. “Let’s actually put fuel in it so that people are aware and sensitive to the fact that life is different when you have a different hue of skin”. Lipscombe stopped what he was doing and approached the auto to challenge the man.
The post has been shared over 1,700 times as of Thursday.
In the video posted to his Facebook, Lipscombe could be seen strolling down the side walk before a man in a grey, four-door sedan starts yelling the slurs.
“Someone is going to know that that’s their uncle, or dad or grandfather”, he said. “And when you hear it, instead of being quiet, make it awkward”, Lipscombe said in the video. “You can’t say that kind of thing'”. Despite what happened, Knecht would not classify Edmonton as a racist city.
Advertisement
Insp. Dan Jones with the Edmonton police said while the incident may not be criminal in nature, it is “extremely disheartening”, as many don’t appreciate the deep hurt such slurs can cause a person.
