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<font color=”#4d5c6d” style=”background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);”>I would like to share one simple way I have incorporated the value of taking this amazing course. I have really been reflecting on intent vs. impact and how having good intention isn’t enough. Being a black male I can recall many times people have had good intention however I was left feeling uncomfortable after, an example I like to use is when people ask me where I’m from. If I reply with I am from Toronto they proceed to ask me where I’m really from, they want to know where I hail from culturally. The intention is to get to know me but the impacted in now I feel othered and like I don’t belong. This is a really helpful way to engage in conversation, and to teach people including myself to question our on bias and reflect on our intentions. </font>
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Really appreciate the range on this playlist. It is a great reminder of the diversity that exists among Black musicians and artists and an important teaching that a wide range of music can be featured and celebrated in youth meetings and programming spaces.
This range when shared also makes it possible for Black youth in programming spaces to bring their unique interests and talents to a group or space.
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My faves are: If I have a son, Preach, Brown Skin Girl, and Rise Up!
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Love this! I know a teacher who enjoys playing music within her classes and I can send this to her to use. Thanks!
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I 100% agree with everything you have said Cale.
Many organizations that portray themselves as contributing to anti black racism approaches at the end of the day don’t really have anything actually within their programs to reflect that fact. It comes to my mind again about how some of these organizations talk the talk for ministry guidelines, yet either the evidence is not there or not followed afterwards.
Black representation within these organizations is also important in reassuring black youth of what they can amount to.
The history of psychology does contain racist ideologies that first need to be changed in order for these mental health services to be 100% free from any forms of racism.
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Hi Victoria,
Great to hear that, that’s something your program is already practicing. I agree, it is critical to incorporate active listening skills when working with black individuals and allowing them to share their experience.
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Implementing strength based approaches would be a great first step as this type of approach is able to offer control to the person and give them a new mindset.
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Fantastic insight!
I agree. I also believe that the evidence clearly shows there must be a large number of racist individuals who have such power and control within these systems, in order for this mistreatment to even be able to follow through.
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Fantastic question Mitch.
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I think you’ve hit a really good point here, and that is that the denial of its existence is a big part of why it continues to be so pervasive. Within the education system, students have confronted systemic racism and how it manifests in their own lives, and their realities are often dismissed and chalked up to circumstances. The patterns they point out and anti-black racism they experience are dismissed and in turn that lets others in their own age group to deny the reality of ABR. Those same people grow up to be the next generation of teachers/administrators and so the cycle is not stopped.
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The class analysis is soooo vital when we look at anti-Black racism and other kinds of racism – sometimes I find there’s only focus on representation in oppressive systems. Like, more diverse CEOs isn’t going to solve the problem of income inequality! When we seek power in these oppressive systems, it’s at the expense of many others. To address racism properly we have to also address capitalism!
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I think it’s important for us to share our own stories. So you can’t ask youth to be vulnerable, or to feel safe to share their stories if the folx in leadership are tight lipped and ‘perfect’ seeming (so, having had no struggles) – I feel like this is why it’s so important for things to be peer led and for those peers to be mentored by folx from community and with lived experience. This is one way I seen stigma addressed very well in community spaces.
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Thank you for sharing this resource!
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Yes, agreed. And we need to support and advocate for Black youth in leadership places that are supported by funding that values their time and expertise.
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Thank you for sharing this. I agree and I would add – listen more carefully, more intently to really hear what Black youth are saying. I’ve also learned to listen sideways – and what I mean by that is to step back and leave space for youth testing the climate they have just stepped into. I have learned that on first, or second, or third meeting folx are not going to trust me (there is historical reason in mainstream health care for distrust). I have to earn the trust of Black youth in programming by listening and being present to all of who they are without first making assumptions about who they are.
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Thank you for the recommendation. I attended that session and I was quite moved and inspired by the film. I also attended From Trauma Informed to Healing Centered Youthwork and I am so grateful for the work you are doing at YouthRex and the knowledge you are sharing. It is improving the way I work and how I advocate at my centre.
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totally agree Marc! Incrementalism can often turn into a bandaid solution with no follow up and further reinforce the oppressive systems – e.g. an organization has a training on ‘diversity’ in response to anti-Black racism being perpetuated, the organization doesn’t do anything further but gets a pat on the back for holding one workshop, anti-Blackness at the organization continues to harm folks.
This is why it’s so important to individuals and organizations to have a cohesive long-term plan to address anti-Black racism!
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I am curious about what kind of research can be done to help validate the experiences of the youth so that a case might be made to invest in communities differently? I also wonder if working in a college may position you uniquely to listen to the stories of Black youth there and where you might be able to support a research based process/project that is led by Black youth at your college. This piece comes back to me as I work in health promotion and feeling how intentional and heartbreaking the separation is for many youth. And I’m reflection on a mistake belief that it is necessary in order to achieve success. The cost is too high and the loss/disconnection of community and culture is too great.
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👏 Preach!
I believe that’s what makes it so easy for people now a days to completely ignore racism or believe that every human being is actually free from discrimination and prejudice. It’s the simple logical fallacy of appeal to ignorance; lack of so called “evidence” (cause they don’t want to provide any) means that it doesn’t exist. Which in reality their turning their eyes away from it.
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💯 True
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Really like your point on there being “amplifications that have occurred through online platforms, where racist vitriol finds its echo chamber to manifest through anonymized hatred”.
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YES! There needs to be a drastic change in the ways in which black individuals are portrayed in our media. Media platforms are now held to such importance in the lives of young black people. What they witness in various media platforms is how they construct their behaviour and opinions of themselves and the world around them.
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I definitely agree with you on that. I have learnt so much throughout this training and discussion with everyone than I’ve ever learnt.
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I also look at it as being over-optimist about racism as a whole. It can be very harmful and can cloud our minds towards the truth. I feel like people focus so much on the fact that racism isn’t necessarily the same as it was back in the days (slavery, cotton felids and physical mistreatment) that it then leads them to think that it may not even exist anymore because they don’t see it.
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*claps* Well said!
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Very true Patrice! Even though these policies and acts are put into place to shed light on what the population of our country looks like, at the end of the day it still ends up hiding racism with have in our country today. I feel like this act was put into place as a way to say”see this shows we care about the diversity and multiculturalism within ur societies”, without any actions.
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The ideology behind thinking that Canada is all peaches and roses has definitely always been an issue that has increased the levels of ignorance towards the discrimination and racism towards black people.
I agree Julie, Canadians are so busy comparing themselves to the United States to make them look better that they end up neglecting what’s actually happening right here in their own country.
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That’s a great way to put it Simone. Cultural awareness has deteriorated so much throughout the years within the educational system, that it’s almost non-existent. Implementing that back into these social systems could definitely aid in giving these youth a sense of belonging. and knowledge of their real past. At the same time also educating non-black individuals on different cultures.
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Hi Rachelle,
Great insight and reflection. The modules also effectively touch on some of those topics such as white supremacy in a lot of our systems and institutions.
It’s true what you said about people in power not wanting to dismantle the current structure of this world because that would mean them having to make some changes in their own lives and share their privilege and power.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
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This is a great point we focus on in my work! There should not be any shame or blame on those who get any type of support or have gone through certain unfortunate things. It is important to put those things aside and instead realize these people are in need of support in many ways and that if we can help we should try.
