A Story: Picture this (a true story): A Person of Colour and a White person are texting (you pick who you want to be in this scenario). They are discussing plans, and at the end of the exchange the Person of Colour sends their White friend a brown “thumbs up” to indicate that they agree. The White …
Race
Racism in a Menu?
A Toronto restaurant has been called out by the media for calling their non-spicy food option “White” on their menu. Reality Check Firstly, I have to point out that in a world where Black men are routinely targeted by police – in some cases fatally – and there are many many examples of …
Colour Blindness – a New Racism
This past week I have had the opportunity to reflect (again) on the way we have been taught to not see skin colour – specifically, the way we have been taught to not see non-white skin colour. Somewhere along the line someone decided that this would be a good idea, and would show acceptance. It does …
The Dangers of Being Colour Blind
Race can be a difficult topic to discuss. (Ha! Did you think this was going to be about your retinas?) And somewhere along the line some of us were taught that being colour blind was the answer; that not seeing the colour of someone’s skin is a good and respectful thing. To be more precise, being …
Systemic Racism in many forms…even dolls!
Last week in Calgary, a woman was shopping for dolls for her children at Toys R Us and made a startling discovery – the “dark skinned” doll was priced lower than it’s “lighter skinned” counterpart (those are the words from the CTV new report). Image from: …
[Continue reading] Systemic Racism in many forms…even dolls!
Talking about Race & Racism
Last week I was part of many conversations about race and racism – in organizations, with the people in my life, in the community. Race and racism are tricky to talk about. People feel cautious - even afraid – to say the wrong thing, or to be perceived as ignorant (or worse, as racist). The trouble …
Black Lives Matter = Opportunity for Growth
Black Lives Matter Toronto halted to Pride Parade on Sunday to make some demands of Pride Toronto. It’s not the first and won’t be the last of their bold activism. And, as Naila Keleta-Mae writes in her Globe and Mail article, the point is that they make people uncomfortable. Here’s my perspective …
[Continue reading] Black Lives Matter = Opportunity for Growth
The N Word
Last week, as you know, Larry Wilmore’s used the ‘N word’ at the White House Correspondents’ dinner. It's been on my mind. Personally, I think the use of the ‘N word’ should not be used by anyone who isn’t Black. And then, its use needs to be carefully weighed before proceeding: what’s the context, …
Anti-Racism Directorate in Ontario
The Ontario Government has created an Anti-Racism Directorate. Here is what the website http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/en/news/35889 says: “The Directorate will work with key partners such as business, community organizations, educational institutions and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The …
A Black History Month Insight
Ah Black History Month.... I have just returned from a vacation in Barbados with my family. There is an election going on and one of the newspaper articles while we were there was about why there were no White people running this time. In contrast, on our first day back I was listening to G98 on …