An Open Letter

To the representatives of Campus Christian Fellowship of WWU,

Today, I saw many of you wearing blue shirts that read "I'm sorry" across the front. I was tabling for an event my office is putting on this Thursday.

First and foremost, I want to say thank you. The time and energy you've taken to spread awareness about the possibility of an inclusive and loving Christian community is truly awe inspiring, and given the history of Western society, a lot of actions have been taken in the name of Christ that do not represent His teachings in a way consistent with the kind of love and acceptance he preached.

As an agnostic queer who struggles with this idea of Faith, I can appreciate the effort to make amends for a history that is tied to your most core beliefs. I want you to know that I don't hold you responsible, and I hope that the many people on this campus like me also don't hold you responsible. You are not responsible for the ills of others in the past, but it means so much that you would take on that responsibility anyway. I welcome the opportunities I've had to interact with members of your community and organization to share ideas about faith and what it means to share this earth with people of all kinds of diverse backgrounds.

In turn, I want to offer an apology for the reactionary and often harsh judgement that often arises in the communities that I come from. Just as you cannot represent all Christians, I cannot represent all queers, but this does not mean I do not see or hear the kinds of harsh judgement that get passed on all of Christianity. It does not mean I have not made those judgements in the past. From a social and cultural context, there are and have been tensions between these communities and I think any kind of reparations or restitution must begin with open dialogue. More important than any kind of history is what we do with it, how we learn from it and where we focus our work in the future.

So thank you for opening the conversation.

Sincerely,

Danny

A Open Letter on the Recent Attacks in Bellingham

Dear Western Students and/or Bellingham Community Members,

Please stop robbing/mugging people at odd hours of the morning (or any other time of day for that matter). It creates an unsafe environment for the community. 

Such actions encourage people to post and issue warnings telling friends and loved ones not to walk alone during certain hours, but telling people not to walk alone does not solve the problem. It does not stop muggers from mugging people. 

While these warnings come from a well-meaning place, and do offer valuable information about increasing safety when walking alone, they also create a culture of fear; a culture of fear that does nothing more than make people uncomfortable in their chosen home: Bellingham. This perpetuates the violence in the streets by taking it into our homes.

Sometimes walking alone is unavoidable. Sometimes walking alone is preferred. If you see someone walking alone, leave them alone. Don't mug them, don't rob them, don't rape them. I am not saying that if someone is walking alone, that they should not take reasonable precautions, but the burden of responsibility should not rest with them. It should rest in those who would attack them.

If you need help, there are all kinds of organizations and community outreach groups that can help you with this problem, from violence prevention programs to financial assistance groups. There is never a good reason  to mug someone.

The first steps to creating change in a community start with individuals. I'm asking those of you reading this as individuals to make a commitment not to hurt people, and to hold others accountable for the same.

In Solidarity,

Daniel Canham

Student, Community Member, Activist, heARTist