By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Museum had an “amazing turnout” for the opening of the Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think travelling exhibit on July 11. The exhibit, which runs from July 8-Sept. 25 thanks in part to the support of the City of Thunder Bay’s Anti-Racism and Equity Advisory Committee and Matawa First Nations, was designed and fabricated by the Ontario Science Centre in partnership with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation to show how the mental processes that help people think and act quickly can lead to racism and discrimination.

“It’s really important for the Thunder Bay Museum to not be neutral on issues so when we became aware of this exhibit, we thought it was really important to bring to Thunder Bay to continue the conversation,” says Scott Bradley, executive director at the Thunder Bay Museum. “There’s a lot of conversation going on about racism and bias in issues in Thunder Bay so we thought what better than words but to take action, to bring something here that can help that conversation. We felt strongly that we needed to bring this here to continue those conversations, to inspire thought, to inspire change — that’s our role.”

Bradley says people who have attended the exhibit, which is open for viewing seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a pay-what-you-can admission, said it was life-changing.

“It’s inspiring them in new ways, new things they’ve never thought about, how to approach interactions, how to approach their lives, so it really is monumental – it’s really great work,” Bradley says.

Paul Magiskan, policy analyst at Matawa First Nations, says the exhibit is an opportunity for people to learn, think, and possibly, change.

“The difference between your biggest ally and your biggest enemy can simply be an opportunity to learn or to change, and this is definitely one of those opportunities, so we are very happy to be able to offer this to the community,” Magiskan says. “I’m super glad with the turnout — it’s a free opportunity for everyone in the community to come on down, no excuses.”

Fort Willam Elder Sheila DeCorte says the exhibit provides a wealth of information for the community.

“This [exhibit] could help hopefully educate the people that live here and maybe get them to start becoming allies for one another so we could build a more healthier place to live where there isn’t all this racism,” DeCorte says. “We’re getting more of a diverse city now and maybe that will help change some of the mindsets in people.”

Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois says there was an amazing turnout for the exhibition, noting that it was hands-on, which makes it fun.

“You can challenge yourself and it brings people to, I would say, a safe space where you can actually ask those questions and discover some of your own biases, so I think that’s very positive,” Vaugeois says. “An exhibition like this increases the number of people who have awareness and feel confident about what they’ve learned, and at the same time we also need to recognize that there are people who are motivated to exploit difference for their own political gain and that’s also happening at the same time as we as individuals are doing this work to learn.”

Paul Kortenaar, CEO at the Ontario Science Centre, says the Ontario Science Centre is committed to creating and amplifying work that champions inclusion and anti-racism.

“Which is why we’re proud to partner with Canadian Race Relations Foundation on the development of this powerful and thought-provoking exhibition,” Kortenaar says. “We believe Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think will spark important conversations that can result in meaningful change.”