In Support of Protests and Efforts to End Anti-Black Racism
Dear CAN Community,
I feel it’s important for me as the CEO of the Centre for Applied Neuroscience Inc. to use my platforms to publicly acknowledge my support for the protests against anti-black racism that are currently happening in the US, Canada, and throughout the world. I have been working on this email all week and admit that I am afraid to send it. I am afraid I will say something wrong. But I don’t want to be silent, because that’s worse than making a mistake. I hope this email encourages other White people to speak up too, despite any fear.
As an educator and leader within this CAN community and at other places of work and life, I strive to be an ally and try hard to provide a safe and respectful space for discussion and learning. I want everyone to be and feel included as an equal member of the community and society. I lead this company with this in mind and want my message to be very explicit: I do not tolerate racism, I support anti-racism efforts, and I practice being an ally through action and education. But I also know that the protests happening now are happening because racism does exist all around us and even within my own company there are places where I need to work harder and to become aware of my bias. The protests are one of many important ongoing efforts in a continued process to end racism and seek justice for those who are seriously disadvantaged in our society due to racism. But they are also an important time to remind us to confront racism within us.
I am also emailing today to acknowledge that racism is NOT a Black issue and to call to action more non-Black people to help end racism. With that in mind, I have compiled a small list of resources to help encourage the movement to end racism, with a focus on anti-Black racism. These resources can help people to:
educate themselves of the lived experiences of those facing anti-black racism and about the true history of anti-Black racism in North America;
learn how to become and practice being an ally, to stand up against racism and discrimination, to use privilege to invoke positive change;
donate financially to support organizations that are also working to make changes against anti-black racism
This list is not exhaustive by any means. But, hopefully, there is something for everyone to keep moving in the right direction to end racism.
Thank you for reading this email and caring for the lives of our fellow humans. If anyone needs to talk with a coach about how they are feeling right now, please consider attending our free coaching sessions with our CAN Coaches on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays or work with one of our coaches (https://www.knowyourbrain.ca/coaches). Or email me personally. Thank you again for reading. If I have offended anyone in any way, I am deeply sorry and please feel comfortable letting me know that I have, if that serves you to do so.
Sincerely,
Mandy Wintink
Being an Ally and Using Privilege To Support:
How to be an Ally: Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dg86g-QlM0
Step Up for Black People Right Now: Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shereeatcheson/2020/06/01/we-must-step-up-for-black-people-right-now/#79df8cc7d84b
Check Your Implicit Bias:
Understanding where social bias exists (including racial bias) is an important self-awareness strategy that can lead to reducing that bias. Awareness is the first step! Harvard University studies this. Register and check yours: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/. Learn more about implicit bias here: https://perception.org/research/implicit-bias/.
Learn some History:
Follow Desmond Cole on twitter (https://twitter.com/DesmondCole), a Toronto-Based Journalist & Activist and watch his Documentary about Racism in Canada: https://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/features/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-carding
1619 Podcast, a NYT podcast on the 400th Year Anniversary of the beginning of American Slavery: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html
Try a Different Booklist:
https://www.adifferentbooklist.com/ A Canadian Multicultural Bookstore specializing in literature from the African and Caribbean Diaspora and the Global South.
Donate, Money and/or Time:
Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/#vision. Funds donated to Campaign Zero support the analysis of policing practices across the country, research to identify effective solutions to end police violence, technical assistance to organizers leading police accountability campaigns and the development of model legislation and advocacy to end police violence nationwide.
Support Memorial Fund for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, the young Black-Indigenous woman who fell to her death from a Toronto balcony in the presence of the Police last week: https://www.blogto.com/city/2020/06/regis-korchinski-paquet-toronto-family/
Black Youth Hotline (Canada) - there are many people suffering right now due to the Pandemic and the current events. Please consider donating to support Black Youth’s Mental Health: https://blackyouth.ca/
Minnesota Freedom Fund - a fund to help those jailed during the protests: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/. The Minnesota Freedom Fund pays criminal bail and immigration bond for those who cannot afford to as we seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.
George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
Black Lives Matters (Toronto): https://blacklivesmatter.ca/.