Anti-racism & Diversity Resources
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. The killing drew an international spotlight on the issue of anti-black racism. It is incumbent on everyone to reflect on systemic discrimination and how we all can contribute to a better, more inclusive tomorrow.
Supporting diversity and inclusion, promoting pluralism, and responding to systemic discrimination have been long-standing priorities for me. One of the reasons I decided to become an academic was to channel my student activism into a positive and creative response to the mental and emotional challenges of constantly reacting to demoralizing, and generally sad news related to the treatment of visible minorities and First Nations peoples in Canada.
The issue of Islamophobia remains an anomalous occurrence in the patchwork of the Canadian cultural and religious mosaic. Nevertheless, it present and pressing concern which I focus on in my social outreach work, as well as in my work in the classroom. Social change rarely starts from the top down, and it is therefore incumbent on all of us to speak out against injustice in all of its modalities and dream of a better tomorrow, that which only can be founded on the products of our labour today. Below is a selection of resources on diversity and anti-racism issues in Canada.
ARTICLES
I’ve often been the only racialized woman in the boardroom. But are you really surprised? – Globe and Mail: by Shirley Phillips, the first Deputy Minister of Economic Development in the Government of Ontario
The Real Work of Anti-Black Racism – by Executive Director Darrell Bowden, Equity and Community Inclusion, Ryerson
Black on Bay Street – Hadiya Roderique had it all, but still could not fit in, Globe and Mail
Letters to America from Black Canadians – Eight writers pen open letters to America addressing the task of confronting racism that persists in their own country – MacLean’s
PODCASTS
Colour Code: A podcast about race in Canada - Episode: “The most visible minority” – the experience of being a visible minority in a high-profile position
The Code Switch Guide to Handling Casual Racism – NPR - thoughtful discussions of race, racism, unconscious prejudice, and innate privilege
Why Ta-Nehisi Coates is Hopeful (Ezra Klein Show)
Aspen Ideas: How to Quash Bias – interview with Jennifer Eberhardt, author of “Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do,” with Adam Grant, organizational psychologist
BOOKS
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2015)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (2018)
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (2019)
The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole (2020) – Documentary on CBC
The Skin We’re In – streaming on CBC Gem
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (2017)
Annex A: adult reading list recommended by Parents for Diversity, an Ottawa-based group
HOW TO START A CONVERSATION
How to have conversations about race at work – Forbes - an insightful interview with a recognized expert on racism
How should you talk to your employees about racism? - Entrepreneur
How managers can promote healthy conversations about race – Harvard Business Review
Training options: Canada School of Public Service
Canada Day at the City of Edmonton, City Hall. Photo Credit: Dustin Lafleur