With the growing salience and awareness of anti-Black racism in Canada, America, and beyond. It is a good time for Ottawans to educate themselves on this issue, especially on the Canadian context, which is too often obscured by a focus on events unfolding in the United States. Our office has put together a short-list of information for interested residents:
- This series of videos and documentaries from the National Film Board of Canada offers a wide variety of Canadian stories and perspectives that deal with racism.
- This article offers a brief history of slavery in Canada.
- This interview with CBC Ottawa’s Adrian Harewood discusses systemic racism in the Canadian media.
- This article offers an annotated list of articles and books on anti-black racism and police abolition.
- This article explores the connection between systemic racism in Canada and Canadian colonialism.
- This article offers an analysis of some of the intersections between the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Black racism.
- This article offers a history of racism and violence in the Ottawa Police.
- The United Steel Workers of Canada have put together a helpful list of articles, authors, organizations and books that deal with anti-Black racism in Canada.
- This article also offers a list of Black and anti-racist organizations in Canada, and a list of Black Canadian authors to read.
- This comprehensive list offers plenty of resources & tools that deal with anti-Black racism.
Recently our office joined calls to ‘defund’ the police, i.e. to reconsider the use of taxpayers' dollars to militarize local law enforcement and use the money instead for mental health supports and other services that benefit the community. You can listen to an interview Shawn recently did with CBC here where he further explains his views on this issue.