Last week I watched The Upside. It's a movie from 2017 that stars Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman. It’s based on the true story of a man who is quadriplegic and who hires a Life Auxiliary. I loved it. And it was filled with racial stereotypes that annoyed me. Philip (Bryan …
[Continue reading] The Upside – what movies can show us about reality and possibility
I’m a little late to the party, but wanted to wrap up my representation series before moving on. By now, Don Cherry’s remarks and his subsequent firing are old news. But what intrigues me most about this story is how we defend ourselves, and what those defenses tell us about awareness and …
[Continue reading] Don Cherry – and how we can miss the bigger picture of inclusion
Yes, I admit it! I watched parts of the Royal Wedding on the weekend. I wasn’t planning to, but then the thought of showing my 5-year-old a non-white princess got the better of me at 8pm. And I heard the commotion about the sermon by “the Black preacher”, so I had to watch. I was inspired by …
[Continue reading] The Royal Wedding, Diversity, and Inclusion
Something a little different this week... I’ve been taking an improv class at Bad Dog Theatre company in Toronto. While I signed up for an 8-week course on the art of Improvisation, every week I am also learning a little more about myself, relationships, and emotion. And...inclusion! Warm-up …
[Continue reading] What Improv is Teaching me about Inclusion
Ah… the chance to write about something positive! As you may have heard, the 2018 Gerber baby is Lucas Warren. And he has Downs Syndrome. Hooray for broader representation. Hooray for another chance to confront and challenge bias. And hooray for something to celebrate. And take a moment to …
Welcome to week 3! If you missed the last two weeks, you can find them here: - A general overview, but with a focus on Ramadan - The first R in ROAR – Recognize Privilege O = Openness to Learning The whole point of the O is that as allies, there will be many things that you don’t know, don’t …
[Continue reading] Being Open to Learning – Part 3 of ‘How to be an Ally’
This Wednesday April 12th is Day of Pink – the international day against bullying, discrimination, homophobia, transphobia and transmysogyny. An act of support It didn’t start out meaning to be a day recognized around the world; it started as an act meant to support one person. Jadrien Cota – …
Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas! All of these major festivals (and maybe others) are being celebrated this week in some places around the world. If you aren’t aware of these holidays (and I’m guessing, that by default if you are in North America, you’ll at least be aware of the …
This morning I woke up early and was fortunate to catch the sunrise as I walked along the lakeshore. It’s one of my favourite places. As I walked, I came across this sign. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it, but it caught my attention today again, especially since I’ve been thinking a lot about …
Last week I attended the Canadian Race Relations Foundation Conference – Inclusive Canada, 2017 and Beyond. It was a thought-provoking and intense two days with a strong theme of Indigenous inclusion. The opening keynote was by Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada. He …