Call for Justice: Anti-Racist Resources
June 5, 2020
This week we’re pausing our Alone Together series to amplify voices calling for justice for Black and Indigenous communities, and share resources combatting racism, white supremacy, colonialism/settler-colonialism, and state-sanctioned violence.
We would like to thank our team member Tamara Jones for compiling these resources and sharing her thoughts with us. We recognize the time, energy, and emotional labour it took and we are incredibly grateful.
We offer this challenge regarding the resources below: read them and really engage with them. Please share with your networks, but more importantly, follow these issues.
Inspired by the work of our friends at Why Not Theatre, as a staff, we will choose a reading and meet next week to discuss, unpack, and challenge each other. We want to continue this work as a practice going forward.
The author and poet Scott Woods wrote: “If your conversation about injustice does not immediately yield work, it’s the wrong conversation.” Have the conversation. Do the work.
Direct Action
Black Lives Matter has put together a resource with links for direct action. They list many ways you can help with links to petitions, individuals and organizations you can donate to, resources for protesters, and more. If you have the means, donate to Black Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter TO.
Support Canadian Black and anti-racist groups and add Black Canadian authors to your reading list—this article via Huffington Post provides a number of links.
ACT NOW
• Sign the petition demanding racial data on police involved deaths in Canada
• Sign the petition calling for Justice For Regis Korchinski-Paquet
• Demand your city councillor divest from the Toronto Police Service
Anti-Black Racism is a Public Health Crisis
For people of colour, living within the system of white supremacy and colonialism/settler-colonialism inflicts continuous harm and violence. Intergenerational trauma plays a role in the mental and physical wellbeing of Black and Indigenous people.
LEARN MORE
• Read the Canadian Public Health Association’s statement on Racism and Public Health.
• On Monday, The Alliance for Healthier Communities issued a statement calling for the declaration of anti-Black racism as a public health crisis. Read it.
Support Black and Indigenous-led Services
Donate to Anishnawbe Health Toronto
Anishnawbe Health Toronto’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of Aboriginal People in spirit, mind, emotion and body by providing Traditional Healing within a multi-disciplinary health care model.
Donate to Black Health Alliance
The Black Health Alliance is a community-led registered charity working to improve the health and well-being of Black communities in Canada. Their mission is to reduce the racial disparities in health outcomes and promote health and well-being for people from the diverse Black communities in Canada with emphasis on the broad determinants of health, including racism.
Donate or become a member of the Black Legal Action Centre
The Black Legal Action Centre delivers legal aid services to low and no income Black Ontarians. They work to combat individual and systemic anti-Black racism by providing legal representation, giving public legal information sessions, and engaging in test case litigation, law reform and community development to improve the laws that affect low-income people.
Donate to Black Youth Helpline
The Black Youth Helpline serves all youth and specifically responds to the need for a Black youth specific service, resourced to promote access to culturally appropriate supports for youth, families, schools and other youth serving institutions.
Donate to Council Fire
Council Fire provides counselling, material assistance and other direct services to First Nations people as well as to encourage and enhance spiritual and personal growth.
Donate to Native Women’s Resource Centre Toronto
The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) is a community-based organization dedicated to providing resources and support to urban Indigenous women and their families. NWRCT delivers culturally relevant programs and services that empower and build the collective capacity and self-sufficiency of Indigenous women.
Donate to Thunder Women Healing Lodge Society
Thunder Women Healing Lodge Society is a Community-driven project raised out of concern and recognition of the need to break the cycle and support the healing, rehabilitation and meaningful re-integration of Aboriginal women offenders.
Listen • Read • Watch • Learn
This Google Drive folder is full of open-source anti-racist books, articles, and videos. The work of dismantling systems of oppression (and yes, it is work) doesn’t stop here. This process of learning and unlearning needs to take place on an individual, collective and institutional level, and we hope you’ll join us in committing to this daily practice.
Note: if you have the means, please support a Black-owned shop like
A Different Booklist, but if not these open-source materials are here for you.