Anti-Racism Awareness Week Kicks Off May 23-29

May 23, 2023

Build Awareness About Exclusion and Discrimination During Anti-Racism Awareness Week May 23-29

Through a Proclamation signed on April 29, 2021 the B.C. Government declared May 23-29 as Anti-Racism Awareness Week. The week is an opportunity to reflect on our collective history and to come together in support of inclusion for all people in our province and beyond.

Anti-racism is the deliberate act of opposing racism and promoting a society that is thoughtful, inclusive, and just, and recognizing that people of all ethnicities, cultures, and faiths contribute to our province’s strength and well-being.

Each year, the province’s Public Libraries Branch, which provides policy, planning, and administrative expertise related to public library services, has shared this information with public libraries to further invite anti-racism awareness in our communities.

Working together, we can connect communities with information, supports and training they need to respond to, and prevent future incidents of racism and hate, and help build a safer, more inclusive province.

Vancouver Island Regional Library has some reading and watching recommendations available on our website. Below are also some training modules and further resources to help build awareness of diversity and explore some of the issues that lead to exclusion and discrimination.

VIRL Resources:

Government resources and Links:

Further Resources:

Hua Foundation
Hua Foundation is a youth empowerment non-profit working on racial equity and civic engagement issues on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territory known as Vancouver, Canada.

Challenging Racist “British Columbia”: 150 Years and Counting
This multi-media resource documents how the recent cycle of anti-racist activism is part of a broader history of Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities challenging white supremacy for over 150 years.

Be Anti-Racist
BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner examines what stands between us and an anti-racist province.

CBC Unmasking Racism
Unmasking Racism is a virtual town-hall segment on systemic racism that explores solutions to build safer, more inclusive communities.

Stratagem, Equity and Inclusion
By Cicely Blain Consulting, this 60-page printed workbook is an immersive, deep-dive resource about equity, inclusion and social justice.

Decolonize First
By Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee, this is a liberating guide and workbook for peeling back the layers of neocolonialism. It features 16 pages of process, prompts and links to resources to support your decolonizing journey.

I Dream Library
This website offers educational tools promoting 2SLGBTQQIA+ IBPOC representation in classrooms and libraries. It features readings lists for kids in pre-kindergarten and Grades 8+, including social justice and sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) booklists.

The Skin We’re In
Puncturing the bubble of Canadian smugness and naive assumptions of a post-racial nation, Desmond Cole chronicles one year — 2017 — in the struggle against racism in this country. It is a vital text for anti-racist and social justice movements in Canada.

Hogan’s Alley Society
This organization provides a collection of anti-racism resources specific to the Canadian context. The site also provides a way to get involved in their Metro Vancouver Regional District Black Experience Project, which maps out the experiences, contributions, and challenges of people of African descent in the city.

Call It Out
This 30-minute interactive e-course by the Ontario Human Rights Commission allows you to learn about the history and impact of racism in Canada. It helps you unpack terms like “race,” “racial discrimination,” and “white privilege,” and guides you as to how you can prevent and address racism and hate.

 

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