When I moved to this country it was against my will. My Mother married a nasty Canadian man who wanted to earn more money as a physician in the United States. There are, in fact, nasty and racist Canadians too. Just FYI.

After returning to Canada I again was forced to return to the United States due to family circumstances. I stayed here, completed my education and fell in love with my very own American. My husband and I often joke about returning to Canada or me being deported for some unpaid parking ticket. Although I am here legally, with a green card, I am aware of slight tenuousness of my immigration status when I cross the border between the US and Canada.

With the recent election I have been inundated with people asking me when I plan to return to Canada or if I can somehow get them into Canada. Although I do have deep concerns about the rhetoric of the past election and real fear about what might be, I ultimately choose to stay here. The fight is here.

The border between the U.S. and Canada is a theoretical line that only separates politicians. If we need to fight racism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia, we need to fight it where we live. If we need to fight for climate action, it needs to happen wherever we are. Climate change doesn’t respect our colonial borders. So no, I am not going anywhere (unless I am forced to). I will stand with my American brothers and sisters and I will stand against hatred.

-Kim Kolstad