Resources to help fight racism.

This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. If you haven’t engaged in anti-racism work in the past, start now. Feel free to circulate this document on social media. 

The document was compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020. To see the complete list go here. Thanks to my friend Christie for this information.

To take immediate action to fight for Breonna Taylor, please visit FightForBreonna.org.

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Resources for white parents to raise anti-racist children:

• Check out these books for children and young adults from the list of Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners
• Listen to the Parenting Forward podcast episode ‘Five Pandemic Parenting Lessons with Cindy Wang Brandt’
• Read PBS’s Teaching Your Child About Black History Month
• Follow The Conscious Kid on Instagram

Articles to read:

• “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer | Atlantic (May 8, 2020)
• Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists
• ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)
• The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
• “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)
• Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD
• ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
• “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)

Videos to watch:

• Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers (50:48)
• "How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion" | Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools (18:26)

Podcasts to subscribe to:

• 1619 (New York Times)
• About Race
• Code Switch (NPR)
• Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
• Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
• Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
• Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)
• The Combahee River Collective Statement

Do you use your community center?

A 2015 report on BC’s home support system from the Integrated Care Advocacy Group and the BC Health Coalition highlighted the loss of socialization in community health workers’ roles in BC’s home support system. The report, Living Up to the Promise: Addressing the High Cost of Underfundingand Fragmentation in BC’s Home Support System  (pdf file) was informed by focus group interviews and a wide literature search

A registered nurse interviewed for the report said, “Social isolation is thought to be a big reason that older, community living people…come into emergency. They come in simply because they are lonely. Since there is no other obvious diagnosis, the chart will often say: ‘Failure to Thrive.’”

One way to overcome isolation and become socially active is to join a local community or seniors center. There are benefits of participation in senior’s centres:

·       Social (making new friends, belonging to a group, and maintaining friendships at the center)

·       Psychological support (bereavement, relaxation, support with problems, and improving mental health)

·       Physical health (improving physical health, staying physically active, and eating healthy meals)

·       Activities (learning new ideas/skills, having fun, someplace to go and keeping busy)

·       Spirituality (helping with spiritual beliefs

Many successful community centers offer a wide rang range of programs. Successful centers address the demographic diversity of their participants, provide scheduling that meets the needs of the participants as well as providing the socialization aspect, while being flexible to the changing needs of the population.

These centers offer wellness programs involving fitness, nutritional supports, and health promotion. They offer activities that: enhance creativity, whether it is painting, writing, quilting, gardening, etc.; stimulate intellectual development through lectures, book clubs, concerts, and travel; answer the need for sense of purpose by providing broad opportunities for volunteering; and offer a variety of purely popular recreational programs such as bingo, bridge, mah-jong, etc. With advancing disability, they may also offer services to shut in isolated members.

Senior centres, neighbourhood houses, and community centres have a significant role to play in holistic health promotion. They offer a wide-ranging diversity of programming and services that enable seniors to continue to live independently in the community and “age in place.” Remember to stay healthy community is important. 

Chicken Manure for the homeless

I live in a town outside of Vancouver BC called  Port Coquitlam. Our claim to fame or infamy is two fold, first we are home to a Canadian Hero Terry Fox, secondly we are home to a mass murderer Robert Pickton. The city has taken steps to downplay the latter and raise awareness of the former. I also am on the Board of Directors of SHARE family services, which among other things works with homeless in the tri-cities through our food bank program. I was thinking of social justice and how little is being practised in Steven Harpers vision of Canada, with the corruption and stench that is prevalent in Federal Politics.  

However, I was upset the other day when I read online that our By-law officers had followed the lead of the city of Abbotsford in the mistreatment of its most vulnerable citizens. The actions of these men are not done on a whim, they take the actions because their supervisors, and managers allow and perhaps encourage them. The city of Abbotsford and the By-law officers in Port Coquitlam only apologized when the press published the story.  I hold our elected officials responsible, so I wrote an email to the mayor of Port Coquitlam and as yet have not received a response. My email is below:

Port Coquitalm (Poco) was in the news this morning for the actions of two by-law officers who spread chicken manure where the homeless camp out in our city.

The bylaw manager has apparently apologized. An apology in my mind is not good enough for such a terrible action. My question for you and the manager is what disciplinary action was taken against the officers, and their supervisor and manager for this action?

I do not believe that the officers would take such an action without approval of their supervisor and managers So what steps have you has mayor taken to make sure that city staff is disciplined and that this type of action does not happen again?

Makes me ashamed to live in this community

The Mayors office answered that the Mayor has asked the staff for more information and will get back to me soon, when he responds I will let you know what action--if any-- has been taken.

Occupy Wall Street in Vancouver

While the prostesters march and show their displeasure with the state of the economy, the mainstream media in BC, while covering the movement, will struggle with the why in order to discredit the movement.

The mainstream media will cover the story, but will. in their stories, ask enough questions such as: Why are they doing this, what do they hope to gain.  The so called mainstream reporters and commentators in BC and accross Canada will pretend to struggle with an answer and will conclude there is no reason. This theme of a confused movement, with no real issues, will be floating in the mainstream media over the length of the protest as they hope to discredit the movement.

However, there are legitimate reasons for the protest and they are being stated in a straightforward clear manner that show the level of problem here. The information is from the Business Insider posted October 15, and is worth a look. The author Henry Blodget has some clear answers, which I suspect will not ignored by the mainstream media in BC because to do otherwise would give credence to the protest, which is one thing that the rich in BC cannot afford to do.
Given that these are the same corporations that employ more than 100 million Americans and make the products we all use every day, this broadside did not resonate with most Americans).
So, what are the protesters so upset about, really?
Do they have legitimate gripes?
To answer the latter question first, yes, they have very legitimate gripes.
And if America cannot figure out a way to address these gripes, the country will likely become increasingly "de-stabilized," as sociologists might say. And in that scenario, the current protests will likely be only the beginning.
The problem in a nutshell is this: Inequality in this country has hit a level that has been seen only once in the nation's history, and unemployment has reached a level that has been seen only once since the Great Depression. And, at the same time, corporate profits are at a record high.
In other words, in the never-ending tug-of-war between "labor" and "capital," there has rarely—if ever—been a time when "capital" was so clearly winning.

The link here is to a series of charts which support the issues raised above and may in fact shock the reader as they show how bad things are in the US. With Steven Harper and Christie Clark in power, we may be moving along faster down the path to these types of inequality.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10##ixzz1asSHRo00

Rest in Peace Jack

I woke up this morning to the news that Jack Layton had lost his battle with Cancer. Jack was a great Canadian, and a great humanitarian. He had a strong sense of justice and a will to fight for people who did not or could not fight for themselves. As I watched the CBC special this morning on Jack I was touched by the tributes from all for Jack. Our thoughts go out to Jack's family and our hope is that they can find peace in this terrible time for them.

Cancer is a terrible disease and it takes too many Canadians in the prime of life. My hope is that one day soon those involved in the battle to fight Cancer will win the battle.

Jack Layton Rest in Peace, your legacy will live on in all of those who fight for social justice.

From Creative Revolution a great A blast from the past.blast from the past. Jack Layton sings at the 2005 Gallery Dinner. You could always see his sense of humour coming through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl0Mk1idNXg&feature=player_embedded