We want to make it abundantly clear that we stand in solidarity with the global outcry against anti-Black racism, police brutality and white supremacy. We hear the voices of Black People, Indigenous People and People of Colour who show us that our work is far from over.
We recognize that we live with an extreme amount of privilege. We are committed to continuing listening, unlearning, re-educating, reflecting, supporting and amplifying the Black Lives Matter Movement. We live in Canada, on Turtle Island and it happens here too – this is not solely a USA issue. Our institutions are not exempt from systemic racism. As we’ve seen in many articles; “our institutions are not broken they were built that way.” We have to do better. We are committed to more than a statement, we want to consciously leave this world better than we found it.
If you are quick to jump to the side of the oppressors and defend them – ask yourself why? If you’re a white person who is struggling with this movement, we urge you to continue to educate yourselves from reputable sources. If you’re already on board keep going! Allyship is a lifelong journey, you don’t arrive as an Ally – it requires that you continuously show up. If you don’t know where to get started: read, watch, listen without interruption, donate, sign petitions, show up at protests and write to your representatives. Remember, it is NOT the job of People of Colour to educate you, there are plenty of resources on the internet, at the library, on your phone. Find them. Take the initiative. This work is not meant to be comfortable, it will be hard and you will experience a wide range of emotions but it is crucial. It is not enough to say “I’m not racist”, we must be ANTI-RACIST. This is the biggest Civil Rights Movement of our lifetime, this is history in the making – are you going to be part of the solution?
We need to keep this conversation centered on the voices of Black People, Indigenous People and People of Colour.
Click here for a list of places to donate in NS and Canada.
Click here for a list of Black owned restaurants to support in Halifax/Kjipuktuk.
Here are several NL-based organizations that support Black and Indigenous peoples: Indigenous Activist Collective, Black Lives Matter NL, Association for New Canadians, and Anti-Racism Coalition NL.
Click here for a list of Black-owned businesses in NL.
Below we’ve created a list of resources to help you begin to unlearn, reflect and re-educate. By no means is this list exhaustive, but it is a starting point.
Watch Now on Netflix Canada:
- 13th
- When They See Us
- There’s Something in the Water
- Seven Seconds
- The Innocence Files
- Time: The Kalief Browder Story
- Becoming
- American Son
- Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce
- Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story
- Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap
- Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea.
Other Important Things to Watch:
- Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man with Emmanuel Acho (on Youtube)
- The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (on Youtube)
- Just Mercy
- The Hate U Give
- Selma
- Whose Streets?
- Black Cop (**NS Director Cory Bowles)
- Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story
- Get Out
Books to Read:
- White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DeAngelo
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Iljemo Oluo
- They Can’t Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
- Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
- I’m Still Here Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
Books for Kids (because it is NEVER too young to start having conversations about Race & Racism):
- Africville by Shauntay Grant (NS Author**)
- AntiRacist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
- A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
- Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
- When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson
- The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
- The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
- Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged by Jody Nyasha Warner
- Don’t Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller
- The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad
- Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
- Welcome to the Party by Gabrielle Union
- We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
- Fatty Legs by Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton
- The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
- Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
- I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis
- Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj
Listen to these Podcasts:
- Unlocking Us with Brene Brown: Brene with Ibram X. Kendi How to Be an Antiracist (Released June 3, 2020)
- Unlocking Us with Brene Brown: Brene with Austin Channing Brown on I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness (Released June 10, 2020)
- Unlocking Us with Brene Brown: Brene with Laverne Cox on Transgender Representation, Advocacy + The Power to Love (Released June 17, 2020)
- How Men Think with Brooks Laich & Gavin DeGraw: Two Men Taking (Release June 8, 2020)
- Sickboy: Black Lives Matter (Released June 8, 2020 **NS Based Podcast)
- The Secret Life of Canada – All Episodes
- Sandy & Nora Talk Politics – All Episodes
- 1619 – All Episodes
- Code Switch – All Episodes
- Black Lives Matter Presents: What Matters – All Episodes
Love & solidarity,
char & linds
Let us know what you think!