NBMC’s ANTIRACISM TRAINING
Facilitated by Ivan Okello – Project Manager, Antiracism
Initiatives.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Training Goals and objectives
- Learn the history of Turtle island.
- Identify incidences of racism (past & present).
- Understand concepts of privilege, intersectionality and positionality.
- Develop creative ways of addressing racism.
What to expect from the training?
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Grounding this training on Indigenous Land/experience.
Key terminology such as systemic racism & racism in the present.
Intersectionality
Antiracism and Allyship
What will we not cover in the training?
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Indigenous history, experiences, and cultures.
Anti-indigenous racism.
Anti-black racism.
Anti-Asian racism.
Community norms/guidelines
- Curiosity
- Active listening
- Open-minded
- Debate ideas, not people
- Use “I” statements
- Empathy
- Ask questions
Any thing else we might have missed?
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
https://native-land.ca/
Introduction and land acknowledgement
DID YOU KNOW?
We are living, going to school, working and
playing on Indigenous land.
Moncton is on the unsurrendered, traditional
territory of the Mi'kmaq people (Mi'kma'ki).
In the 1700s, an official promise was made
that settlers will live peacefully with Indigenous
peoples in the region.
It is our responsibility to keep that promise.
MAP OF FIRST NATIONS ACROSS CANADA
d
Indigenous territories of New Brunswick
 Mi’kmaq
• The Mi’kmaq territory covers Nova Scotia, PEI, and parts of New
Brunswick.


Passamaquoddy
• The Passamaquoddy territory covers Southern New Brunswick and
Maine.
Wolastoqey
• Wolastoqey covers New Brunswick and the South Shore of the St.
Lawrence River.
Indigenous peoples of New Brunswick
 New Brunswick is home to 15 first nations communities.
 As of December 31, 2021, there are approximately 16,985 First Nations people
in New Brunswick, 9,968 on reserve and 7,017 off reserve.
Source: https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/aboriginal_affairs/fnc.html
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/first-nations-in-new-brunswick
We shall examine the following;
• Key terminology
• How racism manifests in the past?
• Types of racism
Keywords/terminology
 Race
 Racism
 Racial discrimination
Race
• Race is a social construct used to classify human beings based on a set of
perceived characteristics such as skin color, and geography of origin among other
factors.
• "Despite the fact that there are no biological 'races,' the social construction of race
is a powerful force with real consequences for individuals" (OHRC, 2009, p. 5).
• Race informs our experiences and life outcomes, as it is shaped by how other
people see, respond to, and treat us.
What is Racism?
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.
Activity: Can you spot racism?
We are going to watch two videos.
Can you identify if racism is at play?
If yes, what kind of racism is it?
Can racism take individually or systemically or both?
How might one begin to respond to each type of racism?
•Take a few minutes to record your responses.
Discussion (20 minutes)
Residential schools
The story of Viola Desmond
Breakout Activity
We are going to break out into groups and discuss one activity.
Please choose a spokesperson or note taker to report to the larger group
after the group discussion.
Activity: Can you spot racism?
We are going to watch two videos.
Can you identify if racism is at play?
If yes, what kind of racism is it?
Can racism take individually or systemically or both?
How might one begin to respond to each type of racism?
•Take a few minutes to record your responses.
What is racism?
• is a set of beliefs or ideologies, that constructs groups as less deserving
of certain fundamental human rights, skills, and abilities necessary for their
participation in the group, community, and social affairs.
• is the application of discriminatory beliefs towards a discriminatory end.
• The default for human rights is fairness, equality and inclusion. This is
indicated in Legal frameworks that protect human rights.
Types of Racism
There are four different forms of racism (the exercise of discriminatory power):
 Interpersonal racism;
 Institutional racism;
 systemic or structural;
 Internalized racism.
 All these forms of racism undermine an individual’s sense of worth, belonging,
and inclusion.
Source: Source: James, 2010,
Interpersonal racism
Also known as Individual racism is expressed through;
 Words (e.g., jokes, name-calling, racial slurs or epithets, comments on
social media based on race, ethnicity, place of origin, ancestry),
 Non-verbal communication (e.g., stares, glances), or actions such as
physical violence or the threat of violence.
 This level of racism most often gets taken up in public discourse and
social media and reflects society's overall understanding of social
differentiation and behavior patterns towards racialized groups. (James,
2010)
Institutional racism
 Institutional racism refers to the use of unfair policies, laws, or biased
practices to attain discriminatory treatment of other races with the goal of
producing inequitable outcomes for marginalized communities.
 For example; the sixty’s scoop.
 It refers to the mass removal of Indigenous children from their families
into the child welfare system, in most cases without the consent of their
families or bands.
Source: https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/sixties_scoop/
Systemic/Structural racism
 Represents the multiple ways in which the deep-rooted inequities of
society produce differentiation, categorization, and stratification of
society's members based on race.
 Today, while Indigenous people represent about 4% of the Canadian
population, they represent about 37% of the prison population. And, that
is just men alone.
 Indigenous women are about 45% while young offenders are higher still.
Source: https://www.firstpeopleslaw.com/public-education/blog/the-over-representation-of-indigenouspeople-in-prison
Internalized racism
 Internalized racism is when a racially oppressed group supports the
dominance of another group by participating in discriminatory behavior
i.e African American who supports building a border wall.
 Internalized racism manifests in the following ways:
- Having a sense of inferiority to other human beings;
- Using that sense of inferiority to discriminate against other groups;
- Code-switching to appease and maintain peace rather than sharing one’s
true thoughts and feelings.
The state of Racism in Canada
• Majorities of Canadians who are Black (54%) or Indigenous (53%) have
personally experienced discrimination due to race or ethnicity from time
to time if not regularly.
• Such experience is also evident but less widely reported by those who are
South Asian (38%), Chinese (36%), from other racialized groups (32%), or
White (12%).
Source: https://www.environicsinstitute.org/projects/project-details/race-relations-in-canada-2019
Cont.
• Most Canadians acknowledge that racialized Canadians experience
discrimination either often or at least occasionally.
• Specifically, Canadians are most likely to believe that Indigenous Peoples
(77%), Black people (73%), and South Asians (75%) experience
discrimination often or occasionally; by comparison, fewer – although still
a majority - (54%) believe this is the case for Chinese people in Canada.
• Very few (5%) say that racialized Canadians never experience
discrimination.
Racism in New Brunswick
• NBMC's 2022 survey revealed that 95% of respondents believe that there is
racism within New Brunswick, of which 83.6% report having witnessed racism
firsthand.
• A further 84% of respondents indicated that unconscious racism is prevalent in
New Brunswick, compared to 75% identifying intentional racism. Another 71% of
respondents believe there is systemic racism in New Brunswick.
• Moreover, the results showcase high levels of racism within the labour and
housing market and the justice, healthcare, and education systems.
Racial discrimination
• Is the application of racist ideology, and beliefs through stereotypes and
prejudicial beliefs about racialized individuals. This can take place in form of
racial profiling, overtly racial slurs, and covert expressions.
• Most of what individuals call “racism” is actually Racial discrimination.
• We shall go through some of the ways racial discrimination manifests in different
sectors.
Source: https://www.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/attachments/Policy_and_guid
elines_on_racism_and_racial_discrimination.pdf
We will take a 5-minute break.
Let’s take a moment to stretch, refill our water and get some away
from our computers.
Breakout activity: 15 minutes
We are going to watch a couple of videos.
After we finish, we shall have a group discussion among all group members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bn9O7qWUkk&t=2s
Discussion questions
What are your initial thoughts or feelings after watching these
films?
What did you learn from watching each film?
How might these learnings inform how you interact with
someone who identifies as a Newcomer/racialized?
What examples of microaggression and racism can you identify
from these films? How did they make you feel? (Think about the
non-verbal examples of racism)
How might you respond when you witness such cases of
discrimination in the workplace?
Intersectionality
• The concept of intersectionality describes the ways in which systems of
inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender
identity, disability, class, and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to
create unique dynamics and effects.
• For example, when a Muslim woman wearing the Hijab is being
discriminated against, it would be impossible to dissociate her female
identity from her Muslim identity and to isolate the dimension(s) causing
her discrimination.
Source: https://www.intersectionaljustice.org/what-is-intersectionality
Forms of oppression
Intersectionality in Antiracism work
A tool for transformative change
How can we address systemic
racism in the workplace?
• ANTIRACISM POSITIONALITY
"The opposite of racist isn't 'not racist.' It is 'anti-racist.' What's the
difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or
racial equality as an anti-racist…”.
“One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or
locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an anti-racist.”
“One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts
racial inequities, as an anti-racist." - Ibram X. Kendi
• ACKNOWLEDGING PAST HARM
Antiracism begins with acknowledging the harm done by colonialism, systemic
racism, and oppression of Indigenous and racialized communities in Canada.
 Read all the 94 Calls to Action put forward by the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission in 2015.
 Commit to implementing at least one in domain of influence.
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20200513112354/https://trc.ca/indexmain.html
• EXAMINE OUR UNCONSCIOUS BIASES
• Unconscious bias is a quick and often inaccurate judgment based on
limited facts and our own life experiences.
• These judgments can give individuals and groups both unearned
advantages and unearned disadvantages in any environment.
• SHOW YOUR COMMITMENT TO ALLYSHIP
Who is an ally?
A person who supports marginalized, silenced, or less privileged groups
without actually being a member of those groups. This person will often
directly confront and challenge systems of oppression.
• Allyship in Action
•Allyship is a process, most notably a learning process.
• Allyship involves a lot of listening and is sometimes referred to as "doing
ally work," "acting in solidarity with," or "being an accomplice" to
reference the fact that "ally" is not an identity but rather an ongoing and
lifelong process and commitment to action that involves a lot of work.
• Of all the things one can do, don't choose silence.
ANTIRACISM THE WORKPLACE
 Examine some of the ways racial discrimination manifests in our
workplace environments i.e hiring practices, pay structures, benefits etc.
 Redistribute opportunities and create new pathways to material and nonmaterial opportunities.
 Address the myth of meritocracy that suggests that … "if you work hard,
you will do well."
Celebrate Diversity and actionize Inclusion
“Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a
new space, a better space for everyone” (Dei, James, Karumanchery,
James- Wilson, Zine, 2000).
Source: Dei, G. J. S., James, I. M., James-Wilson, S., Karumanchery, L .L., & Zine. J.
(2000). Removing the margins: The challenges and possibilities of inclusive schooling.
Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholars' Press
• Facilitate inclusive workplaces
 Create safe places for dialogue about difficult topics in the workplace.
Safe space: A space where people can express honest impressions,
thoughts, and attitudes without fear of ridicule. A safe space can as small as
between two people or can be expanded to include all of the members of a
larger group; at a specific work location or organizational unit or department
and can even be an expectation of the organizational culture overall.
•
Confronting racism begins with acknowledging that racism exists in our
schools, work environments, business spaces, etc. without asking
racialized folks to "prove" through their lived experiences.
• Examining our biases and prejudices that may be creating less inclusive
spaces at school, work, and community environments.
• Channeling our knowledge into Antiracist action and showing solidarity
with marginalized communities.
• An equitable world begins with an equitable opportunities for everyone
involved.
Questions
Closing video
https://youtu.be/GORCKBhZP9Y
Contact Information
Ivan Okello
Project Manager – Antiracism Initiatives
Email: Ivan.Okello@nbmc-cmnb.ca