Black Lives Matter – Resources
I have taken the past few weeks to listen, learn & try to support the Black Community and the movement towards equality. It has been heavy.
I reflected a lot on my past, remembering growing up in a suburb outside of Toronto where there was a lot of racism all around me; it was prevalent in my elementary & high school. I know I spoke up when it wasn’t right…I lost friends- I was okay with that. I chose Ryerson (over other schools) so I could go to school in Toronto. I wanted to remove myself from the bubble I was in and be surrounded by a more diverse culture. I chose subjects like human resources- equality in the workforce and electives like Sociology. I wanted to be more aware and educated. During my early adulthood, in my business, I hired individuals from all colour and had a very diverse workforce.
But in my reflection, I realized I haven’t gone out of my way ENOUGH to be INCLUSIVE with POC, the black community and visible minorities. I haven’t gone out of my way ENOUGH to further educate myself on these topics past those days. I haven’t done enough to be ANTI-RACIST.
Even though my platform is small, I am still able to make an impact. I can share other people’s messages & stories. I can share my message, my story and inspire /educate. As I continue to build my practice, I am thinking of ways that I can speak to all communities, be inclusive to POC and help them on their health & wellness journey. Continue to explore the loads of resources and information on political injustice, social inequalities, and racism and how the black community has been impacted & speaking up for those with less privilege.
For me, learning about culture through food & nutrition is a way I have connected to communities. Travelling inspired me to try different cuisines and learn how they came to be. Having traveled to South Africa & Jamaica and many other places in the world with POC, I was able to dive deep into their wholesome, delicious foods.
I have only scratched the surface on the topic of being ANTI-Racist and how to support the black community. I wanted to share some areas I personally have supported & ways to explore/learn more on this subject:
➡️DONATE to your local organizations that support the black community
-Black Lives Matter Toronto www.blacklivesmatter.ca
Black Health Alliance– they take on the key issues that impact Black communities in Canada through Systems Change, Health Promotion, Research, and Public Policy, Convening, Collaboration and Capacity Building, Championing Health Equity
Black Business & Professional Association – To advance Canada’s Black communities by delivering programs that support business and professional excellence, higher education and economic development.
➡️Sign the Petitions
Justice for Regist Korchinski Paquet (Torontonian)
➡️DOCUMENTARIES – shedding light on the subject.
3. Dear White People – NETFLIX series
5. The Innocent Files – NETFLIX
More listed here: www.dosomething.org . 🖤
➡️MAKE A STAND–now and ALWAYS making sure you call out somebody out that displays or engages in racist comments, acts, or initiatives. Even if they are a friend, family member, colleague, boss, etc. Even if you will risk losing something for it, it is always worth it!
➡️EDUCATE yourself on the topic.
RACHEL CARGLE has plenty of resources that you can read to learn more, with actionable items such as her FREE 30 day #dothework
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
White Fragility – Robin DiAngelo
Me & White Supremacy – Layla F. Saad
So You Want to Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
There are SO many other resources and would love to hear which you have explored ⬇️⬇️