Twin Lakes, AlbertaAugust 10, 2022
This blog post is for assignment 1C in the CALS505 course
I have been reflecting on the relationship between anger and leadership this week. Usually, when I think of anger in leadership contexts, I think of anger used as a tool in political arenas; a candidate riling up their supporters by showcasing real or feigned anger, for example. This week however I was reflecting on my own anger and how it relates to my leadership.
On Tuesday, the news story broke that a young woman in Alberta won third prize in a government-sponsored essay contest called “Her Vision Inspires”. The contest – hosted by the legislative assembly – asked young women to describe their vision for Alberta (Bellefontaine, 2022). An essay contest is not usually noteworthy. However, what made the headlines is the bronze medal essay asserted “that women are not equal to men and that their ability to bear children takes priority over trying to break into male-dominated careers” (Bellefontaine, 2022, para. 3). Furthermore, the essay also stated that Canadian women should receive financial incentives to have children to “prevent the import of foreigners to replace ourselves” (Silver, 2022, as cited in Bellefontaine, 2022, para. 5).
After hearing this 24 hours ago, I am still reeling. And I am so angry.
I am not naïve enough to believe that this type of sexism and xenophobia doesn’t exist in Alberta. The author (who has only been identified as S. Silver) is within her right to hold these abhorrent views. What makes me angry is the associate minister for the status of women (MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk) not only gave these views a platform, but rewardedand legitimized these views by awarding the author a cash prize.
When these types of sexist and racist views are upheld by people in positions of leadership, it does two things. First, I lose hope that we are on the right track to solving our most pressing challenges. Second, strangely, it makes me uncomfortable to strive to be a leader myself. If being a leader means upholding sexist and racist views, then I don’t want to be considered a leader. Of course, not all elected officials – or leaders in any capacity – uphold these views. Many leaders are compassionate people who are building a world that is better for all. But the news story this week reminded me how many poor leaders currently hold power and are making decisions about our collective future. It made me wonder, when there are such poor examples of leadership in my province, do I really want to step forward and become a leader myself?
Yet Jennifer Shepherd’s words from our class discussion remind me that I get to define what leadership is. MLA Armstrong-Homeniuk is an elected official, but in my mind, she is not a leader. Jennifer invited us to reflect on how we show up as leaders, and what types of relationships we build with each other and non-human elements like water (Shepherd, 2022). Today I am showing up as an angry leader, but a leader that is justifiably angry at racism. I want to figure out how I can channel this type of anger into something productive for climate justice.
References
Bellefontaine, M. (2022, August 9). Alberta cabinet minister disavows racist, sexist essay that won prize. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-cabinet-minister-disavows-racist-sexist-essay-that-won-prize-1.6546032
Shepherd, J. (2022, July 28). What is your relationship with water? [Guest lecture for CALS 505 Leading Change in Organizations and Communities]. Unit 6 session, online.