The death of George Floyd has ignited the fury of communities experiencing violence and discrimination at the hands of police officers across North America. Protests erupted in most major cities in the U.S., and have forced the increased media coverage of current and historical police violence and racism that racialized people face day to day.
With energy high and the mass protests firmly in the global spotlight, the changes they have brought — such as the disbanding of the Minneapolis police force, the removal of racist statues, and the resignation of corrupt officials — appear to be major victories, and they are.
But while change is happening now, it is happening on too small of a scale and in too few places. Unfortunately, peaceful protesting and signing petitions are small acts that are easily and all too often ignored, as was seen with the recent Wet’suwet’en protests and ongoing protest in Hong Kong. They can be the catalyst for change, but only when there is leadership in place that listens and acts.
We need to demand that black, Indigenous, and people of colour are proportionally represented in places of leadership within our communities and our governing bodies.
In the dreamland that too many people believe they live in, some may say racialized people just need to apply within these organizations and work their way up to positions of authority. Wage disparities indicate otherwise. Canada’s 2016 census found that for those who were born in Canada and university-educated, visible minorities earned 87.4 cents for every dollar white peers made. A 2020 analysis of the data concluded that racialized people were more likely to be employed in “lower paying sectors and occupations.”
Furthermore, a 2016 report found that visible minorities were just less likely to be represented in leadership positions. In Ottawa, visible minorities made up 12 per cent of leadership positions despite being nearly 20 per cent of the population.
Carving out required diversity in institutions should never be seen or treated as “having diversity for the sake of diversity.” Diverse voices are needed for concrete change toward anti-racist institutions; those who have never been touched by racism really have a limited place to speak on what exactly needs to be changed.
Attempts to create diversity are too often met with criticism. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to have a cabinet made up equally of men and women was heavily criticized as being a political statement instead of an actual movement toward gender equality. Universities that have created spaces for Indigenous students, such as elder-in-residence initiatives, have been criticized by some for similar: lip-service, serving to reflect positively on an institution without bringing deep-seated change.
Whatever the original intent, though, the result is powerful: these voices are now increasing in institutions. They are sitting at the table for policy discussions and conversations around how to develop inclusive and anit-racist workspaces.
Looking locally, we can, of course, vote. Many marginalized communities have historically felt discouraged from participating in elections, especially when the politics don’t reflect their actual needs. White people, the majority in most electoral regions, can vote for leaders in municipal, provincial, and federal elections that see anti-racist institutions as a priority instead of a side project. It isn’t necessarily about initially electing people, but it shows that there is substantial support for these leaders and their initiatives.
We can also write personalized letters to specific local organizations that lack diverse representation or are not keeping promises of anti-racism. Is there diverse instruction at your university? Is anyone in charge of consulting with Indigenous groups for the provincial government actually Indigenous? Do committees working on police reform actually contain racialized people?
Although online petitions and emails are now replacing the traditional mass letter-writing campaigns, handwritten letters delivered directly to the mailbox of politicians and leaders are impactful and show a level of engagement digital communication does not. A physical letter is also harder to delete than an email and much harder to unfollow than a social media activism campaign.
Racism is deeply ingrained in our society and major reform is clearly in our institutions and social programs. The Black Lives Matter movement cannot end when protests die down and another trend begins on social media; there is too much at stake. Diverse voices are needed at the table — or better yet in charge — of reforms, because the voices of the majority have not been enough.
