ink, marker, watercolor, acrylic; 20×16”
I was born completely outside of the country and I faced a lot of racism growing up, I was often told I looked weird or that my “kind” didn’t belong. The worst part is I became numb to it, i stopped talking to people, tired of standing by and letting them say whatever they wanted about me. It’s very clear why I care about this topic, I have a deep rooted connection with the topic both ethnically and emotionally, roots that go to the very culmination of my being and soul. Roots that have been watered by prejudice, racism, anger, and shame, all which I faced when I was a child. Racism isn’t funny or dark humor, It’s unfair that we, as people of color and any other minority, have to live being treated differently every day of our life, simply due to our roots, and what’s even more cruel is that everyone looks at us to fix this issue and speak out about how to fix everything when we weren’t the ones who broke it in the first place, however despite that, it doesn’t mean we can stand by and let it happen. Even if the outcome is in the distant future, its still a fight worth fighting.
ARTIST BIO: Mika Uprety is a grade 12 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.