When Hillary LeBlanc was growing up in New Brunswick, she was one of the few biracial kids in her school. As she got older, she turned to bars to find friends and community and became an alcoholic. Getting sober helped her learn to love all of herself, including her race.

People often question why things like education and politics become about race. But when you are fighting from the moment you are born for your existence to be validated, everything is about race.