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Taking Action Against Anti-Black Racism

Addressing systemic racism and racial violence

The local and global mobilization around anti-Black racism following the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto, among other incidences, have highlighted the urgency of addressing systemic racism and racial violence. The mobilization, along with many institutional anti-racism statements and teach-in by scholars, have revealed the deep racial inequities in our society and world, and the extent to which racism is a pandemic within the Covid-19 pandemic.

Universities have a major role to play in responding to anti-Black racism, systemic racism, and racial violence. Universities also have a role to play in education, teaching and learning, and inclusive curriculum. The resources on these pages aim to disrupt a single story of the Black experience shaped by stereotypes and a deficit narrative. Instead, it highlights the diversity of the Black population in Alberta and Canada through stories, statistical profiles, books, films, as well as specific actions we can engage in to educate ourselves and to advance racial justice. 

University of Calgary Campus

Getting Involved

There are any number of ways for University of Calgary students, staff, faculty, alumni and members of the broader community to take action against racism, and to advance race equity. One way is through community engagement, including actively supporting the work of Black, Caribbean and African community groups.

ActionDignity

A community-based organization that facilitates the collective voice of Calgary’s ethno-cultural communities towards full civic participation and integration through collaborative action.

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The Unlearning Channel

A podcast that seeks to inspire critical awareness of white supremacy by challenging, re-contextualizing, and broadening perceptions of race, identity, culture and diaspora. 

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Black Lives Matter YYC

Resources, petitions, funds, and information about peaceful protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement here in Calgary.

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Historical and Contemporary Black Experience

Trailblazing Black Albertans, and selections of book and film resources on the historical and contemporary Black experience across Canada curated by Dr. Malinda S. Smith. 

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Black Albertans You Should Know

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Books by and on Black Canadians

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Films about the Black Experience in Canada


Black on the Prairies interactive website still

Black on the Prairies

New interactive CBC website tells powerful, unforgettable, urgent stories about living in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as a Black and Indigenous person.


International Decade for People of African Descent

The International Decade for People of African Descent aims to celebrate the important contributions of people of African descent worldwide, advance social justice and inclusion policies, eradicate racism and intolerance, promote human rights, and assist in creating better, more prosperous communities, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals spearheaded by the United Nations.


Canada's Black population: Growing in number and diversity (Source: Statistics Canada)

Statistical Profiles of the Black Population in Canada