Portraits of Courage — Dale's Story of Resistance
“I Just Wanted to Go Home”
When Dale Hajas of Huntsville, Ontario, wrote to share her response to the Trump threats on our nation, she wasn't sure her story belonged in a series about courage.
"I'm just not sure that my/our actions reflect courage as much as they reflect disaffection, disillusion, and disgust for Trump's America," she said. "But I'll leave that decision to you and Charlie."
We think it does.
The power of the Canadian boycott is that it didn’t originate at the top. It wasn’t a planned political strategy. The boycott is an unprecedented mass action made possible through the individual decisions of ordinary people to stand up, speak the truth and draw the line.
Dale and her husband did all three.
Here is their story.
“I Just Wanted to Go Home” — Dale’s Story of Resistance
We were at our winter home near Tampa in 2016 when Trump won his first term. I was shocked, disgusted and disheartened and I went to bed in distress and disbelief for three days.
It felt like someone or something had died.
On day 4 my husband yanked the covers off, reminded me that I wasn't an American and persuaded me to get up and go out into the sunshine.
I felt anger and disgust with every American I saw. We limped along, not enjoying ourselves and unsure of how to 'be' in that land of dysfunction.
I just wanted to go home.
Then, a few months later, I read about an upcoming protest: the Women's March was a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, the day after Trumps' first inauguration. It was prompted by Trump's policy positions and rhetoric, which were misogynistic and representative as a threat to the rights of women.
We went to the march in St. Petersberg, FL and joined the peaceful, joyful protest that went from the projected few hundred souls to 20,000 people.
Young men carried their girlfriends on their shoulders in a sign of 'lifting them up.'
Fathers carried their daughters likewise, with signs saying, "I'm doing this for her."
An old woman in a wheelchair pushed by her husband carried a banner that read:
"It's 2017. I didn't think I'd still be dealing with this shit.”
There were women of colour, women wearing the hijab, women proudly identifying as part of the LBGTQ community. I felt my hatred – it was hatred – melting away when I could see in concrete form that millions of Americans felt exactly as I did except they had to live with it whereas I had Canada to go home to.
Shortly after, we made the decision to sell our place and leave Florida until the lunacy was over. We went back once during the Biden years but everything felt broken and besmirched.
Well. Quelle surprise! Mango Mussolini was elected again. So the country is dead to us now and it will likely remain so.
Like many Canadians, we're doing what we can. Buying Canadian, eschewing cross-border visits, posting truth on social media to counteract the lies Trump tells every day and embarking on a letter writing campaign to tourism bodies in the U.S. explaining why we aren't visiting.
Friends that have chosen to spend the winter in the U.S. say that there is little to no understanding of what's happening right under their noses.
I don't see how we can ever go back.
Keep those Elbows Up, Charlie!!
Dale Hajas
Elbows up, indeed.
What could be more courageous than refusing to normalize what you know is wrong?
Like Dale, so many Canadians I hear from find themselves reevaluating a relationship with the U.S. that they thought was solid. A decision to boycott American goods, cancel travel plans to the States or start a letter writing campaign isn’t just about protest, it’s about drawing a line and refusing to forget who we are as Canadians.
We don’t back down. We never bend.
Portraits of Courage is an ongoing series highlighting everyday people who are standing up to fascism, tyranny, disinformation and fear. If you or someone you know is resisting in your community, workplace, or family, we want to hear from you.
These stories matter. They remind us that we are not alone and that the smallest spark of resistance can ignite real change. Email your story to info@charlieangus.ca
Keep kicking at the darkness.
Yes, Dale, there is a better way of life in Canada. My husband and I are retired and we look forward every year to September when we go to our happy place on Cape Cod. We rent a beautiful tiny home from a lovely woman who is so glad to host us for a couple of weeks. We breathe deeply and walk by the sea. We buy ice cream and fresh seafood at the harbour. We visit museums and ancient graveyards.
This year we won’t be going. That’s our line in the sand. We’ll do day trips from Ottawa, and spend a day in Montreal, and maybe we’ll go to Quebec City, or the Granby Zoo.
@Charlie Angus / The Resistance, keep posting these stories! We Canadians are among the most fortunate people in the world. Let us never forget that.
Thanks, Charlie. Dale's story truly does belong here. Courage isn't always storming the enemy emplacement with only a fixed bayonet. Sometimes it's just walking the walk. Dale gave up a comfortable winter retreat. That was a hard thing to do, and doing hard things takes courage.
The boycott of American goods and services lives on. For me, it seems like second nature now. I've altered my standard grocery shopping list, so I don't have to think about it much anymore. But I still take my readers to the grocery store for examining those products that I haven't vetted before. Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, Kent Building Supplies (a Maritimes chain) see my business. Home Depot not so much.