Meet the woman who stood up to the racist Mississauga clinic ranter
Sharon Samalia encourages people in similar circumstances to “be that someone instead of waiting for someone else.”
The person who interrupted a racist rant by a woman demanding to see a “white doctor” at a Mississauga clinic says she hopes her actions serve as an example to others.
“Your child clearly has more issues with you being his mother than him needing to see a doctor,” Sharon Samalia says to the woman in the confrontation captured on video. “You are extremely rude and racist.”
Samalia said bystanders who find themselves in these situations need to “be that someone instead of waiting for someone else” to speak up.
Samalia was working at the Rapid Access to Medical Specialists clinic Sunday when she heard the woman yelling that she wanted to see a doctor who “speaks English.”
“She used the word ‘paki,’” Samalia said. “My mouth dropped, I was literally so shocked.”
The confrontation was caught on video by Hitesh Bhardwaj, who was also in the waiting room. It shows a white woman insisting that she needs a “white doctor” who was “born here” to see her child.
Sharon Samalia told a woman in a Mississauga clinic that she was "rude and racist" after hearing her demanding a "white doctor." (Hitesh Bhardwaj / Youtube)
Others in the waiting room appear unsettled by the woman’s rant, Samalia said she “did not hear anyone say anything directly to her that could actually have gotten her to stop.”
Samalia said she understands the discomfort people have with speaking up. “I think a lot of it comes from being afraid, mostly for people of ethnic backgrounds.”
She was not.
“I was filled with way too many other emotions — I was disgusted and filled with so much anger.”
In the video, an employee can be heard telling the woman that a white doctor is “only available after four.”
Samalia said “playing along to (the woman’s) specifications just promotes her own thought process and encourages others (to have) the same mentality as her.”
“It is very different (than) an individual who is an immigrant … asking for someone who can speak their language. She asked for someone of a specific colour. It’s important to recognize those differences. I’ve seen so many of those kinds of comments on the video and it’s ridiculous to me. For her to say that she needs someone who is Canadian, as if (a person of colour) can’t be Canadian? As if Canadian equals white.”
Police confirmed that they responded to a “disturbance” at the clinic just after 12:30 p.m., and that the situation was resolved by finding a doctor for the woman’s child.
No charges were laid.
