Member Lala la
MemberForum Replies Created
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One Simple Thing I will commit to doing in my work is to take a stance of “not knowing” whenever I am working with Black folks and other racialized groups whose experiences I can never truly understand. It is my ethical and professional responsibility to defer to folks in the communities I am serving for decision-making and to continually reflect on my commitment to anti-racism.
I currently work in a newcomer-serving organization which has recently appointed a Black programming coordinator. In recognition that not all newcomers have the same experience (i.e. experiencing anti-Black racism), the organization has made an effort to appoint Black leaders and continue to ensure they are engaged in anti-racist practices.
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I think that an important first step in this process will be to hold consultations with Black youth to determine what types of programs, activities etc will be meaningful to them. It is important as service providers that we do not impose our ideas of what type of programs are best for Black youth, especially if we are not from the Black community ourselves.
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Looking to research findings is highly effective when addressing the impacts of anti-Black racism, including in the development of new policies or programs. Using research, we can identify where disparities exist and use this as a starting point to create change. By reflecting on these identified disparities using our knowledge of anti-Black racism, we can begin to develop strategies to correct such outcomes.
Research findings also serve as a useful tool when advocating for funding, program development, etc. as they provide a concrete source of evidence for your reasoning.
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One simple thing we could do to center Black youth well-being in our work is to actively listen and prioritize their voices and perspectives. Create space for Black youth to express themselves, share their experiences, and contribute to decision-making processes. Actively seek their input and feedback on program design, activities, and policies. This can be achieved through regular check-ins, focus groups, or informal conversations. By centering their voices, we can ensure that their unique needs and experiences are acknowledged and addressed in our work.
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Involve Black youth and their families in the planning and decision-making processes. Conduct focus groups, surveys, and consultations to understand their perspectives, needs, and aspirations. Center their voices and lived experiences in the design of inclusion pathways to ensure they are meaningful and relevant.
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Identify the key research findings and statistics that highlight the impact of anti-Black racism. Look for evidence of disparities in areas such as education, healthcare, employment, criminal justice, and housing. Focus on findings that demonstrate the negative consequences of racism on the well-being, mental health, educational outcomes, and socio-economic opportunities of Black youth and their families.
Develop awareness campaigns that utilize research findings to educate the public about the impact of anti-Black racism. Utilize research findings to advocate for policy changes that address anti-Black racism and its impact on youth and families. Present research-based arguments to policymakers, government officials, and community leaders. Emphasize the need for policies that promote equity, anti-discrimination, and inclusion in areas such as education, healthcare, housing, and criminal justice.
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Anti-Black racism is still a problem in Ontario as racism still exists at both institutional and interpersonal levels. Institutions, such as government agencies, educational institutions, and workplaces, still have policies or practices that disproportionately impact Black individuals. Interpersonal racism involves discriminatory attitudes, behaviors, and actions directed towards Black individuals on an individual level.
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While I do not live in Ontario and can’t speak to the specific experiences of the province, in my own experience anti-Black racism persists primarily through the “democratic racism” explained in the module. Many people seem to be unable or unwilling to look inward at their own internalized biases and interrogate how they may be perpetuating anti-Black racism and other forms of oppression.
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I think like many others, there are a lot of mixed emotions having now finished the learning modules. I’ve been in university for quite a bit of time now and thought that I knew more than I did. While I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to learn through these modules and intend to use what I have learned in future practice, there is still a bit of guilt towards my lack of knowledge in some areas.
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I really like the conversation happening here, focused on listening and also being aware of our own biases and privileges. I think another action that we can take is to speak up if/when we become aware of any systemic issues within our workplace. No matter how well-intentioned the staff may be, there are bound to be things (policies, micro-aggressions, hierarchy, etc) that are not meeting this goal, and it is important that we bring this to light and not be complicit.
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Living in Canada, a lot of people like to assume that we are ever-accepting people and completely non-judgemental, as if racism doesn’t exist. In reality, racism is deeply embedded in numerous systems, institutions, and structures that need to be looked into and addressed at their core. We need to start calling out anti-Black racism, name it for what it is and demand answers. We need to start incorporating this work in schools from a young age so we don’t have to wait until university/college to learn about these things. We need to take accountability and engage in critical reflection of ourselves and the world around us.
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Having finished the modules, I am filled with a mix of emotions. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to engage in this learning. At the same time, while a lot of this learning was a reminder of what I learned in critical social work, some of it was new too. As I was listening and reading through the modules and lectures, I found myself reflecting back on my practice with students/ individuals in the field and how my own interactions with them went. I found myself questioning, did I still hold any biases, did I come off/across as having saviour complex or knowing how hard it might be for Black individuals? did I listen enough? How can I handle the situation next time? Do I pick and choose when I want to be an ally as if it’s a choice? Can I call myself an ally? What’s my privilege? A lot of questions came up and I am going to hold space for them and take time to go through and critically reflect.
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We need to pay attention to the youth as they are our next new generation, with lots to say and share. However, they need a space and a platform to be able to openly share instead of feeling as if their voices are made to be shut down or silenced before they even speak up. I see the way kids talk to other kids at schools… I think something we can do is start a group that focuses on AOP/ABR and start having these discussions with kids from a young age. At a policy level, what if we incorporated an AOP lens in the education curriculum even at the high school level so that individuals do not have to wait until post-high school graduation to be exposed to such concepts. Why is AOP and ABR considered a higher form of learning only for certain folks?
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Hi Everyone,
Thank you to Alexandra for posting this question. Having gone through the modules now, I feel very grateful for having access to this education. In terms of the question you have posed, I think it makes sense how having access to work on one’s mental health journey is a privilege. While some companies in the GTA have started recognizing mental health as an issue and while we have things like Bell Let’s Talk Day, there’s a lot more work that needs to be done. Access to mental health supports is typically offered by certain companies/ agencies who provide insurance to their full-time employees. What about the employees who are part-time or on contract? What about the people whose companies cannot afford to offer insurance and they need to still work on their mental health, where do they go? Not everyone is fortunate to be able to pay out of pocket, as access to mental health care is expensive. While we are recognizing it as a legitimate health issue, why are we not treating it as one? Why have we commodified mental health?
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We can support Black Students in smaller communities by taking the programs to them, that way we can get familiar with them and build trust in their communities. We can also invite them to Urban areas even if it’s for a day for them to explore other possibilities outside what is brought to them. By doing this we are letting them know there are more outside these small communities.
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Hi Oghenekevwe,
Thank you for sharing your ideas on how to support black students in smaller communities outside the GTA! I think this is a very important topic, as someone who lives quite far from the GTA and in a small community. It is so important to acknowledge the lack of resources many vulnerable populations face in smaller areas that are far from larger urban areas. I think continuing to use our voices to highlight the gaps in services and support is also so important!
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Anti-Black racism is most definitely still a problem in Ontario. While there may be a little more “acknowledgment” on the part of individuals, schools, etc., this is something that is deeply embedded in our ideologies and practices. Anti-Black racism continues to manifest systemically. Even when people do “acknowledge” it (I’ve seen this being done after land acknowledgements), it’s almost like a check box that people are ticking off. There’s no time or period to actually reflect on what this means and what it entails, how we might be complicit. This racism is something that is taught, as it passed down by our parents and their parents. I recently had a conversation with a young person who told me that his parents told him to not make friends with Black folks but he didn’t understand why. We took that as a teaching moment to explore the history and how his parents have come to their understanding, but that doesn’t make it right. We talked about unlearning racism and ways we can engage in conversation. There’s still a lot more work to do.
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Hi Danish,
I’m not from, living or working in Ontario, so it was very insightful to read your post. I’m always so surprised when I hear stories such as the one you mentioned with the young person. For a very long time, probably until I began university, I thought that I had never heard or seen any instances of individuals being racist. And while I had never heard or seen anything that was clearly and blatantly racist, I had seen many examples of microaggressions- a concept I was barely aware of at the time. I think that clearly portrays privilege… to be so unaware of something that is extremely harmful and racist.
Thank you for sharing!
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I like to do pre and post-evaluation for my programs. I make sure the youths that participate in this program know the importance of the evaluations and what difference they will have in making the program a success (In the sense that it yields the intended change/ impact it was developed for)
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Thank you so much for sharing this, it’s amazing! ‘Brown Skin Girl’ and its anthem of self-love was a song from the modules that’s really close to my heart, especially growing up with blatant colourism and racism in my home country and now here, too.
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Thank you Alexandra and all for sharing your thoughts! I am in agreement with a lot of the discussion. Mental wellness/distress creates another intersection of privilege/marginalization through (as you folks have kindly mentioned) employment, housing, etc. There are also specific experiences of sanism that folks experience, from microaggressions to institutionalization to physical violence. It also depends on what the person identifies with- some folks might say their mental wellness/distress is not intrinsic to their identity, while others may say it is (read about Mad Studies if you’re interested!). As with all oppressions, sanism intersects to create overlapping oppressions, and the modules have also done a very thorough job of explaining poorer mental health in Black communities due to racism.
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Hi Julie! Thank you for all your amazing work with TFEL, for this partnership with Youth Rex, and for opening up the opportunity for me to take this course. I learned about the certificate as a practicum student with Habitus, and it has contributed many transformational insights to my social work practice.
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I just finished the modules, and I’m working through a lot of emotions- absorbing and reflecting on my learning, planning and executing tangible actions to apply what I’ve learned, and constantly practicing critical reflexivity for myself. I was particularly struck by the lecture in module 1 about brown complicity in anti-Black racism, and it reminded me of when ‘Yellow Peril Supports Black Power’ resurfaced in 2020 and how I resonated with it as an Asian ally. How can I continue to apply Yellow Peril Supports Black Power today, and how can I actually engage in action rather than just speaking about my allyship (as discussed in module 4’s spoken word)?
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My practice adopts the disability rights rally of, “Nothing about us, without us,” which also influences the way I work with youth. Listening and amplifying their voices, while continually checking myself and my own power and privileges. My organization works more so on the policy and programming level rather than the frontlines, so a big thing for my organization is asking who’s at the decision making table? Why/why not are Black youth there, and how is racism and ageism (amongst other intersections) influencing this?
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I’m halfway through the program currently and one of the biggest things for me is the realization that all of learning I have done so far (through different programs in college and university, different trainings, my career, etc) have only really scratched the surface. But I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to learn.
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I believe ensuring that our youth are connected to community is a critical part of affirming their identities, especially cultural organizations where Black youth can learn from elders and have access to volunteer opportunities where they can develop pride in their unique heritage. Representation and social capital is invaluable for Black youth, so we also need to be intentional about introducing them to role models/mentors and even professionals in their desired field that can inspire positive connections in their lives. As an educational professional, I feel that our schools also need to create identity affirming spaces for Black youth and be intentional about using visual markers to celebrate their diverse cultures (ie: images on the walls of prominent Black figures, both historical and present-day, affirmations such as African proverbs), diversifying our library materials with Black authors). We can affirm identities more effectively for Black youth when we celebrate them out loud.
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As a Black woman in the education profession, these lectures left me with many emotions. I felt inspired to continue the work that I do to ensure that future students do not have to carry the burden of anti-Black racism at every corner of their educational journey alone. I felt saddened to read about the richness of our Black history in Canada, only to know that this information has largely been resisted in our curriculum where it deserves to be widely shared and acknowledged. It left me feeling frustrated that we are still fighting to date for anti-Black racism to be named and validated as a lived experience that is happening today, not a “thing of the past” but rather a very real and present reality. This is critical work, but I was also left with hope that the more we continue to spread the awareness that eventually it will spark the action across all institutions that we desperately need to implement.
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To center youth well-being in my work, I strive to use relationship-based approaches in how I interact with youth. I feel that centering youth well-being begins with validating their voices, creating safe spaces for their successes and struggles and bridging the gap between the support they want to access and the stigmas that create barriers to their access. I also do not separate student achievement from student well-being, these are closely intertwined and I am conscious in finding ways to promote holistically support students and meeting them where they’re at so that I can be apart of fostering their wellness rather than hindering it.
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Hi Kelvin,
I think you’re right. At the same time, perhaps that’s why individuals think that they cannot do anything or make a difference on their own when there are so many more larger structures and systems at work that are contributing to anti-Black racism. Perhaps that’s where the advocacy piece can come in?
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That is a great point! Too often programs and services are created for youth without their input or genuine consideration.
There is a TED Talk by Jakhini Bisselink that speaks to that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOpqMWj25AE&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
There is also a Youth Engagement Strategy Report by the Family Navigation Project that looks at ways to empower youth: https://youthrex.com/report/youth-engagement-strategy/
