March 21 is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a day that commemorates the killing of 69 people at a peaceful anti-apartheid demonstration in South Africa in 1960.
All these years later, progress has been made, but this day is a reminder that racial discrimination continues to take place every day, globally and locally.
Today, BIPOC communities are disproportionately affected by such things as poverty, inequitable access to health care, poor housing and over-representation in the criminal justice system. We’ve collected some facts and statistics on how Canadians continue to experience racism, in overt, hidden and systemic ways.
For us at DIVERSEcity, understanding how Canadians experience the world and access services differently based on their race informs our work every day, especially as we welcome more newcomers arriving each year. We listen with open hearts and minds as we support people in our community, elevate diverse voices and work together to help create an equitable and just society.
For additional resources on anti-racism, please visit the link here: https://www.dcrs.ca/resources/everyone-belongs-here-racism-does-not-campaign/