While February ends in a matter of days and with it Black History Month 2021, the journey to equity and inclusion continues to move forward. Black History Month is an important time to focus on the contributions that Black People have made in Canada and around the world, however, this kind of learning shouldn’t be reserved to one month per year. We encourage you to continue your education year-round – there is no time limit and no deadline as to when this learning can and should occur. If we truly want to be part of actively practicing anti-racism tenets, it is incumbent upon us to continue to seek out information that enhances our understanding of the experiences of Black people around the world.
Sometimes that learning will be distressing, confusing, and upsetting. This cognitive dissonance comes from the realization that your internally held views are at odds with what you are learning to be true in the world around you. Being uncomfortable doesn’t mean you are a racist, it means you didn’t understand the truth of a matter and are accepting information into your world view that is challenging something you thought you knew. Your discomfort shows that you are opening your mind and heart to the discrimination and violence faced by far too many in our society.
We encourage you to open your minds and hearts to the lived and living experiences of those around you. If you don’t understand a story or a topic being discussed, educate yourself. Read articles from trusted sources/authors and listen to interviews with leaders from the Black Community. When you stop seeking to add to what you know, you start falling behind. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is a very fast-moving field. Things we thought years, months, and sometimes even days ago are being challenged as voices rise up to give detail and background to things we thought we could understand while staying within our own world view. The true learning occurs when you position yourself as the learner, not the teacher, and listen to the voices around you that have the lived and living experience to understand the impact of things in ways you may never have considered.
The following links can help you begin or continue that journey:
Michael Bowe – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bowe-he-him-his-62250023/?originalSubdomain=ca
Michael is a deeply experienced Senior Manager of Equity/Leadership Coach. He has led multiple BMG Proposals on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and is an extremely knowledgeable EDI professional whose LinkedIn page is full of inspiration and learning based on the articles he shares and his own writing on his life experiences.
Celebrating Black History Month – 3 Stories: https://mailchi.mp/globalonenessproject/three-stories-to-celebrate-black-history-month?e=4c2f81d386
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month.html
Video: Being Black in Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORW_e8P8RcY
Video: What systemic racism looks like in Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GmX5stT9rU
Image Copyright: Andrea Izzotti, www.123rf.com
