Anti-Black Racism Resources
Content Warning: This blog post has references to racism and the deaths of Black and Indigenous people.
Black people are losing their lives because of racism and white supremacy.
It might not look exactly like America’s, but Canada has a racism problem. It might be an uncomfortable truth for many of us, but anti-Black racism is deeply rooted in this country’s history, institutions and culture. It’s evident in the policing of predominantly Black neighbourhoods, the overrepresentation of Black people carded by police and in the way the media portrays Black-led movements.[1]
In Toronto, Black people are 20 times more likely to be shot dead by the police.[2] In Montreal, Black and Indigenous people are 4 to 5 times more likely than white people to be stopped by police.[3]
In Toronto, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, an Afro-Indigenous woman having a mental health crisis died under highly questionable circumstances in police presence.[4]
D’Andre Campbell, a Black man living in Brampton, called police for help during a crisis — instead he was shot and killed in front of his family.[5]
It made global news when a Canadian woman living in New York called the cops on a Black man birdwatching in the park, knowing exactly what kind of response her phony screams could elicit.[6]
Anti-black racism shows up in the racist jokes we might tell or refuse to challenge. It’s the unconscious bias we have that might make us trust Black doctors or university professors less than their non-Black counterparts. It’s taking to social media to criticize a building burning instead of speaking out against killer cops. It’s denying that white privilege exists.
Unless non-Black people, especially white people, start learning about how anti-Black racism and white supremacy has shaped us and the societies we live in — and start challenging these systems — racism isn’t going away, and Black people will continue to be killed.
The journey to unlearning racism and white supremacy is actual work. It can be uncomfortable, but this discomfort pales in comparison to the violence Black people endure every single day.
Below is a collection of resources — articles, books, organizations to donate to, etc. — that you can use to learn, share and most importantly, act.
Anti-Black Racism Resources
Books
- Opportunities for White People in the Fight for Racial Justice
- Policing Black Lives by Robyn Maynard
- White fragility, by Robin DiAngelo
- The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole
- Black Life: Post Black Lives Matter and the Struggle for Freedom by Rinaldo Walcott and Idil Abdillahi
- Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada edited by Rodney Diverlus, Sandy Hudson, and Syrus Marcus Ware
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
Other Articles and Readings
- Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
- 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
- Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person
- How White Parents Can Use Media to Raise Anti-Racist Kids
- In Conversation: Desmond Cole and Téa Mutonji
- 17 Years of Police Violence in Canada
Places to Donate
- Black Health Alliance
- In Memory of D’Andre Campbell
- George Floyd Memorial Fund
- Justice for Regis – Donation
- Black Lives Matter – Toronto
- Black Lives Matter – Vancouver
Organizations to check out