Member Karen
MemberForum Replies Created
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One simple thing I plan to do is talk about this course with my colleagues and management. We talk about health equity, and the social determinants of health, but it was only recently that we talked about racism as a determinant of health. I feel like the self-reflection and re-education that occurs through taking this course is essential to moving forward to working with Black youth and families, and I want to encourage others to get more comfortable having these conversations.
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The thing that most stuck out to me was how important it is to be in partnership with Black families and communities from the beginning, when an organization is laying out plans for collecting data for the purposes of change. If an organization has not committed to anti-racism, and the work involved with it, they will continue to perpetuate the same cycles of harm because they are not looking at the context, the gaps, or what would be meaningful change within the Black community. It will be “doing for” instead of “doing with” and will likely be laden with racist biases if the reflection work is not happening. Or, as was mentioned in the 4.3, they will collect data about disparities but will not have put in place accountability measures to follow through on those findings, or, because they haven’t established relationships the Black community, will continue to work with the same agencies they have existing relationships with, and be missing vital insights into what would most helpful to lead to systemic change.
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In my opinion, to pro-actively design pathways to inclusion in the youth sector it requires active allyship. By this, I do not mean just non-Black people, I am including Black non-youths as well because youth have specific issues and are dependent to those who are of young-middle aged adulthood.
First, educating oneself on the needs and gaps is required, but creating plans to address these issues is important. This could be creating “action teams” that include youth in the planning of how to make these pathways inclusive. Having groups can not only serve as data collection, but as the last lecture stated, it can put action to the research. These groups could create a safe forum for them to express their concerns, involves youth in the development of action plans, and also provides them with teamwork/leadership skills building in the process.
Second, us adults need to use our networks or create networks of support for these youth. If you know of or are creating a scholarship, share it with your network to connect to these youth. Often times economic, social or other factors may impact youth’s access to these opportunities or may limit their knowledge of them. Casting a network can close those gaps for youth.
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Two findings we can draw on to highlight and challenge the impact of ABR on youth and their families are: family structures & gender differences. These two connect very well.
Black families are almost always associated with gender dynamics and differences. These assumptions could be “absentee” or abusive fathers, in which it is assumed that the father has abandoned the family or that they are negligent or even violent towards the family. What is never really considered could be the financial needs of fathers to be away because jobs are elsewhere, or the vicious cycle of poverty that is still felt by Black men in this generation even though it could be traced to the 1970’s and even further into slavery. For Black Women, our “leading the household” is not as admired, rather it is frowned upon and pitied. Single-Black mother’s are often blamed for their singleness and also blamed for any misteps done by their children. Many of these misteps could be attributed to what was mentioned above. Many Black youth, including myself, come from woman-headed households and although we are proud of our mothers, the assumptions that it is ALL sadness and struggles without any offers of support is disheartening.
In reality, Black family structures are not binary. As the research shows, Black families can be nuclear, intergenerational, queer-positive, single, or guardian-based etc. Acknowledging and including these different groups in curriculum or even representation can be a form of challenging ABR in itself.
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One thing that has kept in my mind is how the upper management and management of organizations are predominantly white folks. In education, youth services, protection services, legal systems, medical systems, political systems, and all the other systems young black people’s lives often the folks in power do not reflect the people they are serving. Black folks are often passed over these positions due to Anti-back Racism itself and with a more representative management there is more work that can be done to shape systems. That is not to say that white managers should not be researching and implementing ABR practices and policies and that that the sole responsibility of fighting ABR is on black folks but that a restructure of those in power is necessary.
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Not everyone is genuinely committed to anti-racist work. Most people do it performatively, or only if it is in their best interest. Few are willing to sacrifice anything for this work. As we’ve been learning here, there are hegemonic systems, structures and values that reproduce these injustices, and a very difficult road ahead to change that. If we could only be more effective at teaching empathy and social awareness, I think that would be a great step forward towards dismantling anti-Black racism.
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One simple thing we can do to center Black youth wellbeing in our work and everywhere else, is to genuinely care for them, to authentically engage in anti-racist work, and not do it just for show, because it looks good on a resume, or because it’s trending, or because you are afraid to be called out, or afraid to miss out on career advancement opportunities. One should care for real, and one should do this work because it is the right thing to do. It is the responsible thing to do, especially if you are in a position of power and influence. Be real, be empathetic, teach empathy and solidarity, demand and expect more from your organization as well.
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In education, Black students are still disproportionately disciplined and streamed into lower level classes.
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One thing schools could do is listen to the needs of Black students. Creating brave spaces where Black students are listened to and their ideas for change are acted on.
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In the lectures two key points stood out to me. Firstly, the importance of anecdotal evidence as research. As someone who studied science I often forget about the need for interviews and personal accounts in this work. Secondly, the need to involve community members in how you are using the research. It is important to recognize the emotional investment community members are making by participating in research, as such we owe it to them to report the outcomes of this data.
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The need to involve community members stood out to me as well. Community members should always be considered due to their contributions and the subsequent impact the data can have on them.
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This has been a bit of rollercoaster for me. The insights to who I am as well as why I am have been profound. But what has bothered me the most are pieces like adultification. I always knew it was a thing, but I could never put it into words, I didn’t have a language for it. Also, the role models in our society. I grew up comparing myself to Beyonce. I know that seems kinda dumb, but I had a hard time seeing someone in media or in my community that I wanted to emulate. I always felt like a I was failing no matter how hard I tried. In every job that I entered in my field, I was often the odd woman out. Feelings of isolation and uncertainty follow me, and I know i’ve subscribed to the imposter syndrome. Still trying to refund that. There have been no tears yet, but there is something in my heart that is pulling.
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EDUCATE EDUCATE!! I believe that having your organization/community involved and ready to learn! Bring in new practices to your community or workplace.
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Hello everyone!
I’m Ciara-Joy Hutchings, I’m a student in Community Justice Services final year. I graduate next month. -
How might we draw on the research findings to highlight and challenge anti-black racism on youth and their families?
Well in my opinion it is important to research findings and highlight what is the most important challenges, highlight what issues are arising, and figure out what the best programs, services are that can be offered.
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In my opinion I believe that the world needs to become more educated. Black youth shouldn’t face any gaps or service needs. I believe that in order to make it happen instead of dreaming about programs and services here black youth are not experiencing anti-Black racism, is to provide these programs and services. Provide education to community workers, teachers, etc.
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I believe that anti-black racism still exists in Ontario, because it still exists world wide. . This has been an issue forever, I believe that our media/social media etc hide it more. With more programs and educational services in place. I believe that we can not only make ONTARIO better, but the world better. Education is key!
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I am a black educator (MA, Mdiv in progress) in the Catholic board in the region of peel and I have thoroughly enjoyed the lectures and discussions! We recently had Jean Augustine over at my school for BHM and I have just launched a Black Students Association with student led executive positions ( for Blk students and their friends i.e. allies). Capacity building is an important component of dismantling ABR. Would anyone from our group here be interested in sharing email addresses and starting a email group?? Resources sharing, networking etc? Or any other ideas that come to mind? 😊😊😊👍🏾🙏🏽
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Hi Natasha,
I am a white educator in the pdsb. Currently working on a masters in equity. I would love to connect. Here is my email sarah.rossi@peelsb.com
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I am advocating for my child’s right to an education free of hate, racism, and discrimination. This has been one of the most difficult experiences of my life, but if I give up the question “Why is anti-Black racism still a problem in Ontario?” will remain important. As traumatic as it has been for her and myself I will continue to fight for my child, as well as every other child of color that comes after her until there is change.
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Yes, change will come!
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I agree. We do things but we don’t compensate people for their time. Also another way to have pathways to inclusion is to focus programs on their needs. we create alot of programs and are trying to improve our programming but we need to ensure that these are tailored for their needs.
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I agree with this sentiment, Camilla. I will add that I think it’s important to ensure that, when placing Black youth at the center of program design, we are making an effort to ensure the representation of diverse Black youth, recognizing that they may have a range of lives and experiences (and we are not being diverse simply by virtue of including Black youth). Relatedly, I think it is always important to recognize the barriers to engagement that exist for many of the most intersectional folks, i.e. perhaps Black youth from low-income families who are not well-connected to the system & may not have the capacity to participate in unpaid/volunteer labour. Where possible, I feel that it is critical to perform outreach & make accommodations accordingly.
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One simple thing is to be open to conversations about anti-Black racism and openly correct one another or allow oneself to be corrected. I find that sometimes in workplaces we push comments and our concerns under the rug rather than speaking out or taking criticisms as an educational experience. This can also relate to our privileges, and as a biracial Asian-Canadian, we don’t realize how rooted anti-Black racism can be in our own cultures until we take a step back and be open to these conversations. In the workplace, I think more representation and programming surrounding Black youth and their experiences would greatly benefit them. Having a mentor that can connect with you on different intersections can mean the world; as if they are not alone and have someone they can relate to. Also having programming specific to their experiences, history, and feeling of belonging can provide great change and allow them to feel more comfortable in a space that is focusing on their needs. Courses like this are a great resource for youth workers and educators, but I do wonder how similar courses like this can benefit the youth themselves. Such as learning about their history as this is not openly available or provided to them in schools.
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We can proactively design pathways for inclusion in the youth sector by having Black youth at the center. Let their voice and choice be the heart of conversations and decision making. Allow them to ask questions and create a space for critical dialogue. Black youth should be encouraged to create a culture where they work together to define personal & community goals for how they will learn more about the sectors, express ideas and alternatives about the sectors, create strategies and provide feedback which will challenge themselves throughout the process. They should create their own criteria to evaluate and assess their success and hold each other accountable.
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This is a very simply thing, but I have personally always been struck by how impactful it can be to see a pride flag on display in a business or community space – to me, this simple visual hints or suggests that the space in question is welcoming and nonjudgmental, at least to LGBTQ+ folks. I feel similar about pronoun pins – a small marker which is not definitive, but allows gender-diverse folks to feel a little more at ease knowing that they will be acknowledged and respected in that space (generally speaking). I wonder if one similarly easy, simple way to show Black youth that they are safe, welcome and respected in a space might be to offer visual cues to this effect – whether it be BLM materials, posters/information/books by and about Black folks, Black art, or whatever the case may be. I know this is far from a solution, but might help to make Black youth feel a tiny bit more seen and valued in a community center/space. I would like to hear if anyone makes an effort to do this or has thoughts on effective ways to add these kinds of visual markers to a space.
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I agree Baidir! While data and numbers are always critical, we know that correlation does not equal causation and while it shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why these numbers matter, they always do need to be placed into context. This can be done through further research but at the same time I agree that real-world experience is often more impactful for folks for whom the scientific process does not necessarily resonate.
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We really do need to start including our Black youth in developing programs and plans. We need to start listening to our youth, they are the future, they know what their needs are what will help. We as adults needs to start opening up and listening more and being inclusive.
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Hi Claire, Thanks for making this change happen!
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Hi Karen, thank you for this thoughtful answer. I absolutely agree and share your frustration. I would add that a further challenge I sense in recent years is a growing discomfort when discussing issues of race, oppression and Anti-Black racism in particular. Folks at all levels of influence shy away from these conversations out of fear of saying the wrong thing, or shrug off these conversations as examples of extreme leftism or “social justice warrior” issues. This makes it near impossible to make concrete progress at any level in the system – or at least, this is something I’ve witnessed that concerns me. Again, thanks all for sharing & participating!
