With Pride Month coming to an end, Mayor of Bancroft Paul Jenkins published a letter on the town’s Facebook page to celebrate inclusivity.
The letter’s focus was on Pride Month, but Jenkins also mentioned the Black Lives Matter movement and how June is also Indigenous History Month. “I think it’s important that we’re all aware of it,” he says of the issues they face. “Many of us have lived in a protective cocoon most of our lives and are not aware.”
With that in mind, Jenkins says it’s important for people to take a step back and look at what’s going on from a different perspective. “It’s up to all of us to do whatever we can moving forward to make this natural,” Jenkins says of being inclusive. “It should not be a big deal to be inclusive and welcoming of everybody.”
“Although some may have the perspective that Pride has been cancelled this year, I believe that it has evolved,” the Mayor says. “The recent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement this year has brought with it a greater understanding and acknowledgement of privilege and the importance of achieving justice. It has allowed more people around the glove to understand intersectionality and the multitude of characteristics that make and each one of us unique.”
Jenkins says we are all different, but that shouldn’t matter. “What does it matter what your background is,” he asks. What should matter is what our similarities are. Jenkins says we should all seek to treat others with respect. “That should be the natural way of life,” he says.