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What is “Systemic racism”?
What does “Standing in Solidarity” mean?
Systemic racism is a chronic problem in Canadian society. Also known as institutional racism, systemic racism refers to the ways in which systems and institutions (like healthcare, policing, justice, prisons, hiring practices, education, publishing, foster care, journalism, housing markets and laws, artistic institutions, academia, and government policies) advantage white people and their perspectives and disadvantage Black, Indigenous, and people of colour. Given that Canada is a settler colonial state rooted in ongoing histories of Indigenous dispossession and exploited racialized labour as well as legacies of Black and Indigenous slavery, racism is embedded in every system in this country.
To mobilize against racism, Canadians at large must acknowledge that we all participate in racist systems and commit to identifying strategies to make these systems less racist. Engaging in thoughtful and sustained anti-racist actions in our everyday, communal, and institutional commitments will help us to embody more egalitarian modes of social empathy and effectively bring about change that will benefit racialized communities and Canada at large. Thus, Standing in Solidarity has been designed as a resource for anyone looking to learn about, support or get involved in anti-racist initiatives across Canada that are working towards a more just future.
Standing in Solidarity is a tool created and written by a diverse community of students in Canada interested in bridging the gaps that systemic racial inequality creates. It seeks to educate and encourage participation in the advocacy for change, proposing different ways to work together in addressing the roots of systemic racism. Whether you are personally being harmed or benefitting from racist
systems, engaging in practices that promote equity and inclusion is a concrete way to empower yourself and your communities or to stand in solidarity with those being harmed. The only way to bring about change is by acting together.
Below you will find a collection of images with their corresponding texts that discuss diverse non-government or grassroots initiatives working to combat systemic racism in Canada. Each initiative featured here aims to find solutions for societal issues caused by systemic racism. They work to implement restorative measures, facilitating access to resources, and engaging in critical conversations surrounding different issues, specifically affecting Black-Canadian, Indigenous, and Asian-Canadian communities. Topics covered include: combating colour-blind racism in Québec’s theatre scene with industry opportunities for directors and actors of colour; providing culturally appropriate healthcare alternatives to Inuit women and girls who encounter violence in Canada; empowering underserved Black mothers through story-telling and Abolitionist Safety Plans; building solidarities between Asian-Canadian and Black Canadian communities to counter racial hatred; supporting queer asylum seekers with mental health and other services; countering the symbolic annihilation of Black women in Québec media through podcasting; defending against settler colonialism through the legal pursuit of Aboriginal Land Titles, and much more!
Each text featured here provides in-depth information about who is behind the selected initiatives, the problems they are seeking to rectify, and details about how you might support them, including donation links where appropriate.
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