Let's Talk About Racism

Racism and racial injustice have been all over the media in recent months. With so many stories and opinions circulating, it can be hard to know how to engage with this important, but sometimes intimidating topic.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and unsure about how to join the discussion about racism and racial injustice, we can help you get started. You can probably guess that our first recommendation is … read!

We’re hearing a lot about Black Lives Matter activism in the United States, but Canada has its own racist truths to confront. Learning more about what’s happening here at home is a great place to start:

• Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada gives an overview of the most urgent issues facing the Black community in Canada
• Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present by Robyn Maynard, and The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole tackle the topic of policing and state-sanctioned violence
• Our blog post Black Lives Matter Education has many more suggestions         

Tanya Talaga’s book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in A Northern City gives a detailed picture of the Indigenous experience tied to a specific place and moment in time, while these recent titles offer a broader understanding from the time of contact to the present:

• Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel
• The Reconciliation Manifesto Recovering the Land, Rebuilding the Economy by Arthur Manuel
• Surviving Canada: Indigenous Peoples Celebrate 150 Years of Betrayal edited by Myra Tait and Kiera Ladner

If it works for your learning style to mix in some fiction, you might want to explore our Indigenous Voices collection. It highlights fiction and non-fiction works by Indigenous authors, including graphic novels, poetry, novels, and memoires.

Biographies and autobiographies are also a good way to connect with experiences and perspectives that are different from your own, through personal stories. A few from my ‘to read’ list are:

• Angry Queer Somali Boy by Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali
• I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter by David Chariandy
• Shame on Me: An Anatomy of Race and Belonging by Tessa McWatt
• They Said This Would Be Fun by Eternity Martis

On the lighter side, Ponziano Aluma has collected humorous stories of newcomers adapting to everyday life in Canada in his book We're Here, Now What?: Hilarious Stories of Newcomer Misadventures, which leads me to our next recommendation … get involved in the discussion.

If you’re not quite ready to start a conversation yourself, look for opportunities to join a dialogue that’s already happening in your community or circle of friends.

For example, we’re launching a new online discussion series called Kitchen Table Talks next week, and we’re starting with this very subject. Author Ponziano Aluma, along with SUNTEP student and activist Nicholas Bage, and Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan Executive Director Rhonda Rosenberg will join us to share their experiences, and some tips and strategies you can use for future conversations.

Learning about racism is a process. We hope you find these resources helpful in your discussions with families, friends and coworkers. 

Catherine - Sherwood Village Branch