ANTI-RACISM
RESOURCES
We recommend these resources to support you and your co-op in learning more about racism in our lives, institutions and communities. Eliminating racism will be an ongoing journey of learning, reflection and action.
National Indigenous Peoples Month | Asian Heritage Month | Black History Month | More resources for anti-racism
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National Indigenous Peoples Month
In BC we all live on the traditional, ancestral and largely unceded lands of Indigenous peoples. Check here for resources to help you and your co-op understand the importance of truth, reconciliation and justice in our lives and in our communities.
June is National Indigenous History Month. June 21, 2021 is the 25th anniversary of National Indigenous Peoples Day – see how you can honour and celebrate with us here.
The following contains content about residential schools that may be triggering. Support for survivors and their families is available. Call the Indian Residential School Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066 or 1-866-925-4419 for the 24-7 crisis line. The KUU-US Crisis Line Society also offers 24-7 support at 250-723-4050 for adults, 250-723-2040 for youth, or toll-free at 1-800-588-8717.
CHF BC mourns and stands in solidarity with all those who are feeling renewed trauma at the news concerning the site of the former Kamloops Residential School. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society has opened its support lines to provide counselling services 24/7. Please share this information within your organization so people know how to access support if they need it: in the Lower Mainland call 604-985-4464; toll free across the province call 1-800-721-0066; or visit https://www.irsss.ca/.
Please see a statement from CHF Canada’s president, Tina Stevens, here.
We also commit to the concrete action needed to address the impact of colonialism and racism in our society. For more information:
“Non-Indigenous people: Here’s what you can do right now,” from IndigiNews outlining what settlers can do to offer concrete support.
Free Online Events
June 15
Don’t miss the opportunity to join us on June 15 to watch the powerful film, nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, by Cree film director, Tasha Hubbard. We will also have a follow-up discussion with Clint Kuzio. Clint is Cree from Manitoba, the son of Cliff Kuzio and Vangie Johnston, and husband of Dr. Ilka Thiessen. He is a teacher, lawyer and former public servant with the BC Ministry of Health. Currently Clint works at the University of Victoria as Community Engagement Manager and also teaches in the Indigenous Studies Department.
It’s free, but please register here so we can send you a link.
June 16
Our partners in Housing Central, BC Non-Profit Housing Association, are hosting this webinar: Providing Homes Rooted in Culture – A National Indigenous Peoples’ Month Celebration – BC Non-Profit Housing Association (bcnpha.ca)
June 17
Writer and scholar Billy Ray Belcourt: A Conversation with Billy-Ray Belcourt – Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies – Simon Fraser University (sfu.ca)
June 21
National Indigenous Peoples Day — See lots of options for your co-op to honour and celebrate together.
June 22
National Indigenous History Month – Honouring Wellness
Relationality through the lens of Indigenous Human Rights Implementation
Calls to Action
- See the 94 calls to action: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
- Sign the petition: Call for Action on Truth and Reconciliation
Online courses
- Indigenous Canada – Ongoing University of Alberta online course through Coursera
Territorial acknowledgement resources
- https://native-land.ca/resources/territory-acknowledgement/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/native-land/id1194356597?ls=1
- https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4973371
- https://decolonizeeverything.org/
Organizations and learning
- Indigenous Co-operatives in Canada
- Yellowhead Institute – First Nations-led research centre based at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario
- Indigenous Canada – Ongoing University of Alberta online course through Coursera
- Reconciliation through Indigenous Education online through the University of British Columbia
Co-op housing and reconciliation
- Vancouver’s Kaslo Gardens Co-op’s reconciliation initiative (The co-op won CHF Canada’s 2019 Award for Co-operative Achievement for their reconciliation initiatives)
- Toronto’s Bain Apartments Co-op’s Honour Canoe Project (The co-op Won CHF Canada’s 2018 Award for Co-operative Achievement for this project)
- CHF BC’s March 2019 Member Forum on Indigenous Reconciliation
Recommended reading or watching
- The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King
- 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
- This lecture by Tamara Starblanket, Dean of Academics at the Native Education College and author of Suffer the Little Children: Genocide, Indigenous Nations and the Canadian State.
- the Assembly of First Nations
- Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
- Métis National Council
- For more information on First Nations, Inuit and Métis-led virtual activities, please visit: your local Friendship Centre
Listen to this:
Join in the conversation
- Twitter: @GCIndigenous and @GovCanNorth use the hashtag #NIHM2021
- Facebook: GCIndigenous, GovCanNorth and @GCIndigenousHealth
- Instagram: @gcindigenous use the hashtag #NIHM2021
- YouTube
See more anti-racism resources
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Asian Heritage Month
May is Asian Heritage Month and we celebrate the rich Asian heritage of our communities.
We acknowledge the Asian-heritage community leaders and builders and want to uplift their voices and stories. We will also begin the work to formally tackle anti-Asian racism while acknowledging that this is an ongoing process and just the beginning of our work to dismantle structural racism.
In May 2021 we offered two anti-Asian racism training webinars with Dr. Grace Wong-Sneddon:
Stronger Together: Stand up to Asian Hate on May 13 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Building Resilience Together: Supporting Asian Communities on May 25 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (with BC Non-Profit Housing Association – no charge)
We also featured a FREE double-bill Movie Night of Cedar and Bamboo and All Our Father’s Relations. The directors of Cedar and Bamboo, Kamala Todd and Diana Leung were invited to join us to discuss the film.
Just a short list of “hidden” Canadians of Asian heritage:
Resources
And see more resources for anti-racism
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Black History Month
Join us as we celebrate British Columbians of Black heritage whose lives, struggles and accomplishments have not been given the profile or respect they deserve.
Black History 2021
- Housing Central Celebrates Black History Month — learn about the stories of four spotlighted hidden figures
- Test your knowledge of Black Canadian History: CHF BC co-ops can download this PDF: Black History Month – Test your knowledge (2021) to share with your members on an online platform (like Zoom) and quiz them about some of the rich Black history of BC.
- See More resources for anti-racism
Free online Events:
- Reconnecting the Black Family: Family, Community, Diaspora
- Yukon African Music Festival – Black History Month
- Black History Month 2021 – The Symposium
- Pablo Cardenas plays Oscar Peterson (by donation)
NOT FREE events:
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More resources for anti-racism
This list of resources is by no means exhaustive. It is, however, a place to start. If you have any suggestions of additional resources, please let us know at education@chf.bc.ca.
Books
- How to Be an Anti-Racist – Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
- Me and White Supremacy – Layla Saaed
- White Fragility – Robin D’Angelo
- Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome – Dr. Joy DeGruy
- Race, Work and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience – Laura Morgan Roberts, Anthony J. Mayo, David A. Thomas
- Policing Black Lives – Robyn Maynard
- The Person You Mean to Be – Dolly Chugh
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
PLUS:
- 25 books about being Black in Canada
- Anti-racist books for kids and teens
- 10 Best Political Books of 2020 by Black Women – curated by Ibram X. Kendi
Articles/ Essays
- “To understand BC’s Black history, connect past and present,” from the University of British Columbia website Beyond.
- “The Pervasive Reality of Anti-Black Racism in Canada,” by Nan DasGupta, Vinay Shandal, Daniel Shadd, , and
- “The Anti-Racist Starter Pack”, by Brea Baker.
Online Resources
- “Talking about Race” – National Museum of African American History & Culture
“Toward a Racially Just Workplace” – Harvard Business Review - IDEAL Engage Anti-Racism Toolkit handout
Videos/films
- Anti-Blackness, Imperfect Allyship & Being Antiracist (2020)
- White privilege explained with John Amaechi (2020)
- Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo (2017)
- The Banker Ladies (2020)
- Jessica Gordon Nembhard: Cooperative Economics and Civil Rights (2014)
- Jason Reynolds: Honesty, Joy and Anti-Racism| Booktube (2020)
- Judas and the Black Messiah Interview (2021) – (preview only; film streaming February 12, 2021)
Podcasts
- Creating a Shift in Bias with Diversity Expert, Delofante Atkins (2019)
- Article with links: “8 podcasts to Deepen your Knowledge of Black History,” (2020) by Justine Goode, Vanity Fair
- About Race
- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast