It’s been 11 days since George Floyd was murdered by four police officers in Minneapolis. In the days that have followed, we have watched further brutality in horror, watched a powerful uprising in awe, and reckoned with our own privilege and place in the resistance. As people, and as a company, we see clearly that we can and must be doing more to live and work in a way that is actively and openly anti-racist.
We started with an immediate donation to the Black Visions Collective, a racial justice initiative based in Minneapolis, doing good work to end systemic racism and police brutality and create a world where all Black people are free to live safe, happy, free, and fulfilling lives.
We are now in the midst of doing some research and adding a Canada-based racial justice organization to our roster of monthly charitable giving. We understand that systemic racism and embedded white supremacy are continuing problems in Canada as well, and we are committed to being part of the solution. We have seen, heard, and appreciated the feedback that there is a noticeable lack of diversity on our existing teams. We have been engaged in conversations this week about how to fix this, and are putting an actionable plan in place to begin working on right away. We have always considered ourselves to be a steadfastly equal-opportunity employer, but we know we need to be more purposeful about recruiting a diverse team that is representative of our community and our company’s core values.
In this blog post, we’ve put together a quick summary of just some of the resources we’ve been turning to this week and will continue to lean on in the days, weeks, and months to come. If you are a person of privilege, we hope that you will explore some of these resources, and take the information presented forward as you dig deeper into your own work on this subject. If you personally benefit from white privilege, then you personally have a role to play in dismantling the systems of oppression that lead to the violence we have seen. We are all our brother's keeper.
Where to Donate
An emergency fund for black people living throughout Nova Scotia
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation is Canada’s Leading agency dedicated to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian Society
CCLA Fights for the civil liberties, human rights and democratic freedoms of all people across Canada
The Black Health Alliance is a community-led registered charity working to improve the health and well-being of Black communities in Canada.
What to Read
Books
Articles
Children’s Books
What to Listen to
Podcasts
What to Watch
13th by Ava Duvernay | Netflix
American Son by Kenny Leon | Netflix
Dear White People by Justin Simien | Netflix
See You Yesterday by Stefon Bristol | Netflix
When They See Us by Ava Duvernay | Netflix
Just Mercy Available To Stream for Free Through June