[Moraig]

Regarding the “it’s not just white people” who are complicit in climate change- this is a crisis that cannot be reduced to individual consumers. We are facing an existential crisis because those who control the levers of power are driven by greed. And those systems that are driving climate change are entrenched in white supremacy. The climate crisis won’t be solved by individuals choosing paper straws and starting a compost. There has to be a system wide change so that we are not reliant on fossil fuels because we still need to heat our homes, get to work, and get products to market. And individuals can’t change the way we do that. It has to be a system wide change that does not put costs on the consumer but rather insists that the obscenely wealthy stop profiting off the destruction of the planet.

[Lux]

Hi Tim,

I think you have a really interesting question. I would challenge the watering down or simplification of words and terms to make them “accessible”. I’ve entered spaces where I’ve had to learn words like “carburator”, “touchdown”, and “emulsification” to understand the conversations and engage in those spaces. If someone is claiming the language is too “woke” to engage with, I do not think using other language is going to get them to engage. It is not the language but the context that these folks have an issue with.

[Tim]

I loved this course. It took me a while to get back into listening to lectures but I found them consistently excellent and challenging. I learned a lot about the history of Black people in Canada and the shameful way in many ways they have been treated. I know it continues and needs to be challenged. I realize this is part of our heritage along with the way we mistreated our First Nations people. I have never deeply identified with my own skin colour and I guess I realize I have just taken a lot of the things for granted. I also feel that while a lot of the tools I have learnt and have been given for seeing and examining – they are not perfect or without limitations or risks. I can understand how a poor life and circumstance challenged white man who has been take advantaged all of his life by “the system” would struggle or resist being called “privileged”. I think like every other idea or lens that is brought to reality the tools that are part of ABR have their limitations and I feel they should not be used exclusively. I feel much more attuned to ABR now and equipped to name and resist it. But I also feel that I want to be aware of injustice and inequality and cruelty in all shapes and sizes and forms. For example it is not just White People who have led us the Climate Crisis we are in (although, yes it is primarily White Men of Privilege) but instead it is something intrinsic to all Human Beings – a focus on Self Interest and Resistance to Change and a Grip on Power. So I want to say a Huge Thanks to all the amazing scholars and spoken word artists and activists who create the content for YouthRex and this certificate in particular. The course has challenged me deeply, already stimulated in me ways I will do my work differently and already stimulated some good conversations and discussions with family and friends. We have four children aged 17 to 21 and they are all thoughtful caring people aspiring to make a difference in this world. I will certainly share what I learned with them. I will also aspire to share it with my colleagues. I thank the Folks at YouthRex for this great learning and I commit to doing some more courses.

[Brianna]

I think that advocating for Black youth should be done because there are a lot of youths’ who don’t have access to mental health services and using your voice to support those who can’t for themselves can not only show Black youth that they are not alone with their battles but also help create a positive change in their lives.

[Danielle]

For the foreseeable future, there will always be a need to attend to barriers and seek to reduce them. Similarly to addressing accessibility: there will always be a need for accommodation, however universal design can help us create inclusive approaches. So I hope that as individuals work to educate themselves, unlearn bad habits, and critically self-reflect we will start seeing more programming designed with ALL users in mind. In this way, we will begin to hold our systems accountable. Further, it is clear to me that this knowledge is imperative for anyone designing program WITH (not for) Black communities. This was a great learning experience!!!

[Danielle]

One of the issues, I have seen working in orgs and doing research is it is often eurocentric and they put no budget, effort or respect into mental health research in Black communities. Like expecting me to interview Black youth for mental health support without any compensation for youth or referrals to mental health care. I find leadership often make decisions that are out of touch with the needs of communities. I would say no and be told I am not listening to leadership but I really didn’t want to perpetuate same old paradigms of research.

[Danielle]

I agree with a lot of the comments listed in this thread. Systemic racism, microaggressions, institutionalized policies, lack of cultural awareness, White supremacy are all major problems that perpetuate Anti-Black Racism. The only thing I would add is that another reason Anti-Black Racism is still a problem is because of the lack of connection to ancestors for both Black, (BIPOC) and White people. I don’t think racial divides can ever be healed without addressing the wounds of our ancestors, in a spiritual practice that mirrors the practices of your ancestors. See Resmaa Menakem’s work on Youtube Breakfast Club. I have worked with Black youth who found much healing by connecting to their ancestors through ritual with African elders. Also, I think in general, White peoples’ disconnection and lack of healing for their ancestors perpetuates unconscious karmic cycles of racism, especially against Black people. Whatever is unresolved karmically for our ancestors, we inherit. Most White people I know are not willing to engage in deep personal karmic healing work for their own racism, let alone healing work that addresses the racism of their ancestors.

[Briar Rose]

Anti-Black racism is still a problem in Ontario because our social structure was specifically created to uphold colonization, capitalism, and white supremacy (in the sense that white people are considered the “norm” and white culture is considered superior to others). While some efforts have been made to shift legislation and policy, the truth is that the overall system was created to privilege white folks at the expense of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Colour, and this has not shifted in a general sense. Because we have been taught in mainstream spaces that anti-Black racism only consists of using anti-Black language, we often do not see the way that “hidden” social structures on an instituational and cultural level continue to keep Black folks in socioeconomic precarity while also exploiting them for physical, emotional, intellectual, and cultural labour. Racist policing and criminal justice systems serve the purpose of entrapping and endangering Black communities.

While non-Black People of Colour like myself (I am Chinese) experience some similar (and some different) forms of systemic racism, we also often contribute to anti-Black racism because of the way that racism in Ontario leverages non-Black People of Colour as “model minorities.” In my own lived experience, Asian communities often promulgate and benefit from anti-Black stereotyping and prejudice.

We have a lot of work to do to end anti-Black racism in this province, and I believe that the change must take place on multiple levels: Economic (there must be shifts in the flow of capital towards Black communities), Institutional (there must be changes in policy and legislation that exploit Black communities), and Interpersonal (we must investigate our internalized biases and challenge them from the root)

[Briar Rose]

In my role, I run groups and workshops for LGBTQIA youth and children and their parents. One thing I can do is to make sure that our program outreach materials, as well as our content, incorporates the specific needs and contexts of Black families, rather than assuming that family needs are “universal.” This will require engaging with queer and trans Black consultants and knowledge keepers in meaningful partnership so that the work has integrity and nuance. It may also be important to have some groups that are specifically for Black families only.

One thing my organization can do is to maintain strong disaggregated data collection and analysis practices so that we know clearly where Black folks are accessing our services and where there are barriers. I would want to insist that my organization make this data transparent to stakeholders, to keep us accountable.

[Tim]

How can we write and communicate about issues in ways that are more accessible to the larger public? I am not an academic. I am consistently impressed by the quality of thought, research and presentations in this course. What I do find is there is language and terms that are important but they are specific to this discourse – words and concepts like “intersectionality” and “location”. I believe there is a place for writing that is more accessible and less off-putting to the general public. It is probably already out there. I would love to be steered to these resources. There is the expression “preaching to the converted” – in order to have broader reach and impact feel discussions in some cases need to take place with simpler more accessible language. Not to say these discussions in these forums should not use these terms – but need to think about how to communicate in simple English to a larger audience. These ideas and information are powerful and important but sometimes people not being able to penetrate or be familiar with the language might dismiss this discussion as “Being Woke.”

[Tim]

One simple thing I could do. I think I will continue to learn as part of the YouthRex community and will find ways to write about and share what I am learning with my colleagues at work. I will promote the YouthRex learning platform to others. I will continue to learn and to deal with my own Cognitive Dissonance as I learn more about my own White Privilege.

[Tim]

This is my first entry. I am a late middle aged white youth employment counselor who began his career in this field working in the Jane Finch community for four years and loving the work and the community I found there. I have been working for about a decade now in the northern part of York Region which is predominantly white yet as I write this I am working with a handful of young black people that I know are impacted in various ways by Anti-Black racism. I have four teenage children who are all very thoughtful but I don’t believe they have learned what I have already learned in the first module of this course. My commitment is to finish this course and make a commitment to ongoing learning. I have already shared some of the learning with some of my own family and they were surprised and had their eyes opened by some of the historical injustices I shared. I intend to connect with the local agency supporting the Black Community in York Region – NACCA – and find out from them the best ways to support the youth I am working with and I intend to continue to educate myself and share my learning with family, friends and colleagues. This is what I can do to start.

[Elizabeth]

when we beginning to recognize the effect of collaboration and promoting community engagement, that gives the communities agency to voice their thought and their needs are fundamentals in dismantling anti-Black racism. For example, when we look at the criminal justice system or the educational system, how Black youth are represented within the system. Especially, the many forms of oppressions and barriers that Black communities experience and the ongoing racial inequalities when accessing resources. Thus, Black youth needs people that represent who they are to make a transformative change that will benefit these populations. Without addressing and acknowledging racial disparities, we cannot dismantle anti-Black racism. It shows we need to stand in solidarity and challenges practices that reinforces stereotypes, microaggressions, racial profiling, discriminations and social injustices that Black youth faces in their everyday lives.

[Danielle]

Things I can do:
Continue to share my lived experience and advocate for change. Continue to identify small actions and policy/process changes that support inclusion, diversity, evidence and justice in decision-making. Incorporate the literature and evidence briefs shared by YouthRex into my work.

Things my organization can do:

Amplify the voices of researchers who shared their work in Module 3 and apply findings to programming, practices, and processes. Share this course and encourage participation. Continue with state strategic directions and be guided by community-created frameworks and action plan.

[Melissa]

I agree with all of this Danielle.

A big part of my anti-racist journey is unlearning. That not only entails accepting where I have faulted, or allowed my ignorance to guide my choices, but also creating a space in my life to learn from Blacks folks – even if it is hard for me to hear. It is not always easy to hear about my own white privlege and how it can be a detriment to others. My simple way to thing to do to centre Black youth well-being is to learn, unlearn, and act on those experiences. Call out what I see (or what I don’t see).

[Catherine]

I think that in my practice I can draw on research findings to highlight and challenge the impact of anti-black racism on youth and their families through policy and program development at my organization. In the past few years there have been more black youth to attend our centre than before. Before taking this module I recognized that there are needs that black youth and their families have that white youth do not have, but was unsure where to go from this observation. I feel like with the material here I have a place to start looking through policy and procedures to focus them on being anti-racist. Also something that came up for me in the beginning modules in how Canada is good at covering up racism and injustices to upkeep an image as accepting, and progressive because that is the way we want to be seen, but it is not the truth for so many.

[Holly]

One simple thing that I will focus on implementing to improve outcomes for Black youth is continued advocacy. Black youth need continued advocacy and access to resources that are aligned with their needs. Black youth who have experienced marginalization and disenfranchisement require this support and I will be intentional about this focus.

[mandaxrosa]

This!

[Elizabeth]

Hi Michelle.

I could not agree more with your words regarding staying knowledgeable about Black youth. Without access to important information, we are prone to making mistakes. We are not experts in anything, rather we are lifelong learners. Staying informed is how we play a part in centering the wellbeing of Black youth and is how we assure them that their voices matter. Doing so enables us to incorporate specific needs such as culture relevance, advocacy and leads to having respectful and honest conversations. It is vital to recognize that Black youth have a different perspective on how they experience the multiple layers of systemic barriers. Knowledge allows us to support Black youths. Without it, we would struggle to relate to them, and therefore, could not understand their unique perspectives.

[Danielle]

Agreed. I think leadership on all levels is needed. Not just free leadership like volunteers but paid leadership.

[Melissa]

These are my thoughts exactly, Lux NLN.

I think we need spaces to celebrate Black knowledge and culture. Where all can see the beauty and benefit of having different perspectives.

[Jordan]

I completely agree. It’s important that knowledge creation is done with Black youth rather than just about them. I very much appreciate the idea of valuing Black youth’s time, efforts, and knowledge and offering concrete compensation for their work. Co-creation needs to benefit Black youth rather than asking for unpaid and unacknowledged work.

[Emily]

Agreed! One way I have seen this done in research/program development settings is through doing interviews with youth either in focus group, photovoice research, arts-based activities, or in individual interviews. Marginalized youth help co-create or modify programming by voicing their opinions anonymously through these interviews. I especially have appreciated collaborative opportunities such as these so that youth have a variety of ways to voice their opinions that are not strictly surveys (especially arts based activities). It makes research and co-creation more accessible for the various needs and time they may have available.

[mandaxrosa]

Policies play a big part in this. These pathways should have been in the works for years prior.

[Melissa]

Yes to this entire post! I took a social work course a couple years ago and the prof said something that has forever changed me. We were having a discussion around IPV and said that many social workers might believe their job is to get the woman out of the abusive situation. She told us that it wasn’t. That the woman was the expert of her life and she gets to decide what is best for her.

We need to let people be the experts of their lives. For me, a big part of my anti-racism journey is about unlearning a lot of things. Knowing the research for me is a key to that unlearning process. The research allows me to challenge myself, the policies and procedures around me, and the institution I work for.

[Melissa]

Hi Elizabeth,

Your comment is very powerful. I feel like you have acknowledged so many issues facing Black folks in Ontario (and in Canada). One of the things that stood out the most to me about your post is the awareness component. I think that there is a general lack of an awareness around racism in general. There are far too many people who view racism as simply an attitude or acts towards Black people. If that is the perspective of many people, how can we expect them to question our policies, systems, and institutions. We want people to ask the questions the don’t know how to ask. I feel that on my anti-racism journey I am constantly learning new things, and learning how to put an anti-racism/anti-oppressive lens on my work and my life. I think racism still exists in Ontario is because there is embedded bias and oppression all of our institutions – school, health care, politics, etc. We need more awareness and more education. We need more people to challenge what we know, and not to accept everything at face value.

[Danielle]

Really exciting to see comments on diversity audits of books shared with students! So important across K to 12 and post-secondary.

Thanks!

[Danielle]

Yes the concept of ‘Broaching’ I found as a very succinct way to refer to cultural competence. Good self-assessment questions included in Module 3.4.

[Danielle]

This is really good work! Thanks for doing this. 💪🏾

[Elizabeth]

I agree with this Jasmine. Incorporating our learning into small meaningful changes is a good way to get things moving in organizations that seem unable to move forward on ABR policies and practices. I find the more the small changes are implemented the less daunting the larger changes seem to be. One simple way that I will center Black youth wellbeing is to continuously view our practices and policies through an intersectional lens and encouraging our organization to do the same. Additionally, seeking feedback from Black youth and their families to see how they want to engage in our services and ways that we can reduce barriers to service.