Hello there,

Thank you for joining our September Communities Ending Poverty Anti-Racism call where members engaged in a coffee-style chat about centering anti-racist work, and further exploring questions and challenges that surfaced during two roundtables hosted by Communities Ending Poverty in May and June. 

Colleen Christopherson-Cote and Rissy Hawtke of the Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership shared their perspective, on creating a space to work collectively and see what is possible.

You can now access the recording below. Passcode: mSZ$WSx9 

Discussion Highlights

Move into the uncomfortable territory of discussing anti-racism to see what is possible and ask what kind of work we can do together

Emerging challenges 

• We need to take the time to have conversations, but people experiencing racism need talk to move to action.
• How do we de-colonize our organizations and succession plan to shift power away from privileged people holding the majority of influential positions?
• Access to race-based data is necessary to move anti-racist work forward

Acknowledge the legacy of racism and exclusion of those historically marginalized from public policies

Go into youth spaces and build relationships; young people are attuned to social justice issues and are keen to grow their ideas into action

Build on the work and relationships of the Tamarack Institute; use its voice to influence constructively and advocate for system changes.

Resources

• Centering Anti-Racist and Equity Frameworks in Anti-Poverty Work
• Organizations and Anti-Racism
• Enough For All: Indigenous Strategy -  All Indigenous People are Equal Participants in Calgary's Future
• The Circle
• 2022 Municipal Election Toolkit for Candidates: Social Justice Issues
• Critical Race Theory and its Implication for Indigenous Cultural Safety

Upcoming Opportunities

• 2022 Communities Ending Poverty Virtual Member Gathering | October 19 | 11:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET | Register up to three representatives per member community. 
  
  
• WEBINAR | Bankability / Payday Lending | October 5 | 12:00 p.m. ‒ 1:00 p.m. ET | Explore safe and affordable alternatives to payday loans: what works and what’s next.
  
  
• EVENT | Communities Taking Climate Action: Putting Equity at the Centre | Hybrid | November 15 & 16 | Hear from inspirational speakers about advancing a local climate transition and centering equity and justice in climate work. Ask your Manager of Cities for a discount code.

Sincerely,

Maureen Owens (she/her) 

Learning Lead – Communities Ending Poverty

Vibrant Communities, Tamarack Institute

maureen@tamarackcommunity.ca