Every Little Bit Olive Tran
Every Little Bit Olive Tran
“If you feel unsafe and would like someone to walk you to class, contact the Asian Students Association,” I read off the poster that Ben has created using thick black letters. “Why would anyone need someone to walk them to school? Oh, and in case you forgot, I can start walking to school by myself tomorrow. I can’t wait!”
“Oh, is it your birthday tomorrow? I wouldn’t have known, except you’ve mentioned it at least twice a day, every day, for the last month.” Brothers, am I right?” Some of the kids at my school have run into problems lately.” He avoids looking at me and seems to concentrate pretty fiercely on forming some basic letters on his poster.
Hmmm, what is he hiding? “What kind of problems?
He sighs. I don’t think Mom wanted me to mention this to you, but I think you should know. A couple of kids were targeted by a guy carrying buckets of nasty stuff. He just tossed it at them for no reason. Some kids have started carrying umbrellas all the time, ready to block any stream thrown their way.”
“Ewww, gross.” I wrinkle my nose.
“Some other kids have reported people yelling at them, telling them to ‘Go home! Go back to where you came from!’”
What? I don’t get it. Why would people tell kids on their way to school to go home? The confusion must have been clear on my face because Ben puts down his marker.
“Olive, all of the kids that were targeted have been Asian,” he explains. “That’s why I think you should know. If you’re going to be walking by yourself, you should be vigilant. Make sure you’re paying attention to your surroundings.”
Olive Tran lives with her mother, grandmother, and her brother Ben in a loving Asian family. She basks in the special attention she gets through her mother’s care and grandmother’s cooking. Olive is looking forward to her birthday and the independence she will enjoy when she turns 10. She wants to walk to school by herself. Up until now, her family has shielded her from some racist behaviours that have been happening in the neighbourhood. She was told that Mrs. Ly, an elderly Asian lady had fallen, when, in fact, she was pushed. When Olive asks her grandma if she is afraid to go to the market alone, Grandma scoffs and tells Olive her story about leaving her homeland during a war, being in a refugee camp and facing violence before she came to Canada.
Olive is caught up in birthday preparations but has noticed that her best friend, Josh, seems quiet and is avoiding her. When Olive finally gets a chance to talk to him, it is worse than she thought. Josh is not coming to her party. After some questioning, it turns out that Josh has overheard his dad makes some disparaging remarks about Asians. Josh’s grandmother got very sick with Covid, and Josh’s dad recently lost his job. He blamed both of these things on Asians. Because Josh felt it might upset his dad if he went to Olive’s party, he wasn’t going to attend. This news made Olive very angry. When she explained what happened to her mother, her mother told her about the racism she experienced as a child and how she was sorry Olive needed to be aware of it, too.
On the day of the party, Olive was surprised to see both Josh and his dad show up. Josh’s dad took Olive aside and apologized for the things he had said about Asians and was sorry that Josh had overheard him. It turns out that Olive’s mom spoke to Josh’s mom, and, in turn, she spoke to Josh’s dad. The adults resolved the problem and made things right for the children.
Every Little Bit Olive Tran explores racism through the eyes of a child. The many reasons behind it are not explored, but the physical and verbal behaviours are described. The solution to addressing it was a conversation, an admittance of the behaviour, and an apology.
Elizabeth Brown, a retired teacher-librarian, formerly worked for the Winnipeg School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba.