This week, we celebrate Anti-Racism Awareness Week in BC. Every year, this is an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of racism and our actions to fight it. Social justice is essential to ASPECT's mission and work, acknowledging that we can always learn and improve.

To help you prepare for activities within your community or reflect on how you can contribute to change, we've curated the following selection of anti-racism e-learning opportunities, research, and tools. The Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network website offers more resources, including educational material.   
 

Whose Land is it Anyway? A Manual for Decolonization
This handbook, supported by the British Columbia Federation of Post-Secondary Educators, looks into the impacts of colonization on Indigenous peoples and paths for decolonization and reconciliation.  
 

Challenging Racist BC
Co-publishers University of Victoria (UVic) and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) published an 80-page illustrated book entitled Challenging Racist "British Columbia".  
 

Faces of Racism
This interactive resource for Asian communities offers ways to respond to subtle racism, whether experienced in public, at school or work.
  

Training for Gender-Diverse Youth
This Toronto-based group delivers workshops to create learning and unlearning spaces for young Black, Indigenous, and racialized women and gender-diverse youth.
 

Call It Out
This 30-minute interactive e-course by the Ontario Human Rights Commission allows you to learn about the history and impact of racism in Canada.
 

Race Relations in Canada 2021 Survey
Survey report by the Environics Institute for Survey Research and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation
 

In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in BC Health Care
This report by former Judge Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is based on consultations with nearly 9,000 people, including Indigenous patients, family members, third-party witnesses and healthcare workers, as well as unprecedented analysis of health data.
 

Indigenous Ally Toolkit
The Montreal Indigenous Community NETWORK offers an easy-to-read, three-step toolkit to be a better ally to Indigenous peoples. This document guides you through a journey of learning, self-reflection, and action.

Did you know that BC introduced in 2022 the Anti-Racism Data Act? The Act became law on June 2, 2022. It allows the government to safely collect and use information to address systemic racism and help identify gaps in programs and public services. This week, research findings were released for the first time under the Act and indicate systemic barriers for Indigenous and racialized individuals in the BC Public Service, including under representation as employees, particularly in management and executive roles. In April 2024, the BC government tabled the Anti-Racism Act, which promises to hold public bodies accountable for addressing systemic racism in policy and programs.

We hope you find these resources helpful and join us in celebrating Anti-Racism Awareness Week!
 

Janet Morris-Reade, CEO
ASPECT BC