A TV Commercial Yesterday I saw a commercial on TV that made me smile. Picture this: It starts with a close up of little feet running through mud, and into the house. At which point we see that the little girl (4 years old? 5?) – complete with skirt and crown - is chasing a frog. Around the …
People of Colour
Anti-Black Racism in Canada
Last Friday morning, my world felt different. I had watched Desmond Cole’s documentary The Skin We’re In on CBC the night before (if you missed it, you can watch it here). The Skin We're In - a brief overview The Skin We’re In was insightful, personal and thought-provoking. I appreciated …
Silence = Complicity
Many of you are likely familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote: “There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal.” I would argue that time has nothing to do with it. Silence equals betrayal anytime – whether we realize it or not, whether we are alone or in a group – because it equals …
The Oscars – not so White?
After the public spotlight on race in the last two years, it’s nice to see some melanin in the Oscar winner lineup in 2017. Just to be clear, I didn’t watch, but I see that Moonlight won Best Picture, Viola Davis won for Best Supporting actress and Mahershala Ali won for Best Supporting Actor …
Racism in York Region District School Board
Nancy Elgie’s resignation as a trustee from the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) is a good thing, but let’s be clear that it’s only a step in the right direction. The school board has been in the news frequently over the past few months about allegations of racism. Nancy Elgie's use of …
[Continue reading] Racism in York Region District School Board
Black History Month. So…?
I am not a fan of Black History Month. For one, it becomes a month crammed with everything Black/African/Caribbean and then we don’t see much of it the rest of the year. You can read other musings here. But this year, I have another angle that adds to my disdain. I recently had a conversation …
Canadian Dolls
It’s fitting, on the heels of last week’s blog, that I have been introduced to The Maplelea Girls – a group of Canadian dolls. Conversations about race can be difficult. Yes, we are making progress, but there are still issues to raise and improvements to make – and unless we talk about these, …
Bias in Olympic Coverage
The Olympics are a perfect place to sit back and watch how (unconscious?) bias filters in to reporting. Consider who is shown on the podium and who is not. Consider who is getting airtime and who is not. Consider how we talk about athletes, and who we hear about (and who we don’t). Consider who …
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 …