Anti-racism & anti-oppression work
NLS STATEMENT OF MOURNING FOR MUSLIM-CANADIAN FAMILY KILLED IN HATEFUL CRIME
June 16, 2021 - This past Saturday, the funeral was held for a family of five in London, Ontario after an individual drove his truck into them in a hate-motivated crime. Madiha Salman, 44, her husband Salman Afzaal, 46, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal and Salman's 74-year-old mother Talat Afzaal died after they were run down on June 6 while on one of their regular evening walks. The lone survivor is nine-year old Fayez. The police have stated the victims were targeted because of their Muslim faith. On Monday the perpetrator was charged with terrorism, adding to the already-laid charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Our hearts go out to our Muslim colleagues and communities. This hateful and horrific act adds to the pain experienced by those who have previously faced anti-Muslim intolerant violent incidents across Canada. Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities. We need to do all that we can to stop Islamophobia. Our organization is learning and committed to taking steps to be anti-racist both within our organization and how we show up for and advocate alongside our Muslim clients.
In our individual capacities, we are supporting this Gofundme page started by friends of the Salman family and we urge you to do the same and share this with your networks. https://www.gofundme.com/f/salman-family-accident-relief
Our hearts go out to our Muslim colleagues and communities. This hateful and horrific act adds to the pain experienced by those who have previously faced anti-Muslim intolerant violent incidents across Canada. Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities. We need to do all that we can to stop Islamophobia. Our organization is learning and committed to taking steps to be anti-racist both within our organization and how we show up for and advocate alongside our Muslim clients.
In our individual capacities, we are supporting this Gofundme page started by friends of the Salman family and we urge you to do the same and share this with your networks. https://www.gofundme.com/f/salman-family-accident-relief
June 2021 STATEMENT OF MOURNING AND CALL FOR JUSTICE FOR INDIGENOUS CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Neighbourhood Legal Services stands in solidarity with Indigenous peoples calling for justice in the wave of the recent news of 215 Indigenous children’s remains found at a residential school in Kamloops. We express our deepest sorrow to the families and communities that have had to silently grieve losses like these for years as a result of the systemic erasure of Indigenous people in our country.
We know that this tragedy is one of many examples of the continuing process of settler-colonialism. While Indigenous children make up only 7% of the youth population in Canada, they account for 52.2% of children in foster care. This means that there are more children now in care than there were at the height of residential schools. We know that even when Indigenous children are not in care, they are often forced to leave their communities at a young age just to attend high school. The forces of colonial violence that took the lives of these 215 Indigenous children are the same as those that murdered seven Indigenous high school students in Thunder Bay between 2000-2011; the same as those that killed Joyce Echaquan; the same as those that killed Colten Boushie; the same as those that sanction the cruel practice of “starlight tours”, and the same as those that perpetuate violence against Indigenous women and girls.
In recognizing Canada’s shameful past and present, we commit to truth and reconciliation. We commit to unlearning the framed histories we’ve been taught and learning the truth of these tragedies.
We echo the calls for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination and stand in solidarity with land defenders across Turtle Island: the Mi’kmaq people of the Sipekne’katik First Nation rightfully asserting their treaty rights to fish on their land; the Secwepemc land defenders resisting the Trans Mountain Pipeline on their unceded territory; the Wet’suwet’en Nation fighting the RCMP invasion of their territory despite opposition to the Coastal GasLink Pipeline proposal; the Six Nations of the Grand River at 1492 Landback Lane, and many more.
We support the demands of Residential School Survivors that the Government of Canada provide adequate resources to search for unmarked graves on and around residential school sites across Turtle Island, and that the Government of Canada cease fighting Residential School Survivors and Indigenous children in court.
Decolonization is not a metaphor. We are all responsible for reconciliation and denouncing racism and prejudice of all forms. #EveryChildMatters
If you or your loved ones need support during this time, or if you're in a position to donate, please contact the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society either online or at 1-800-721-0066.
We know that this tragedy is one of many examples of the continuing process of settler-colonialism. While Indigenous children make up only 7% of the youth population in Canada, they account for 52.2% of children in foster care. This means that there are more children now in care than there were at the height of residential schools. We know that even when Indigenous children are not in care, they are often forced to leave their communities at a young age just to attend high school. The forces of colonial violence that took the lives of these 215 Indigenous children are the same as those that murdered seven Indigenous high school students in Thunder Bay between 2000-2011; the same as those that killed Joyce Echaquan; the same as those that killed Colten Boushie; the same as those that sanction the cruel practice of “starlight tours”, and the same as those that perpetuate violence against Indigenous women and girls.
In recognizing Canada’s shameful past and present, we commit to truth and reconciliation. We commit to unlearning the framed histories we’ve been taught and learning the truth of these tragedies.
We echo the calls for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination and stand in solidarity with land defenders across Turtle Island: the Mi’kmaq people of the Sipekne’katik First Nation rightfully asserting their treaty rights to fish on their land; the Secwepemc land defenders resisting the Trans Mountain Pipeline on their unceded territory; the Wet’suwet’en Nation fighting the RCMP invasion of their territory despite opposition to the Coastal GasLink Pipeline proposal; the Six Nations of the Grand River at 1492 Landback Lane, and many more.
We support the demands of Residential School Survivors that the Government of Canada provide adequate resources to search for unmarked graves on and around residential school sites across Turtle Island, and that the Government of Canada cease fighting Residential School Survivors and Indigenous children in court.
Decolonization is not a metaphor. We are all responsible for reconciliation and denouncing racism and prejudice of all forms. #EveryChildMatters
If you or your loved ones need support during this time, or if you're in a position to donate, please contact the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society either online or at 1-800-721-0066.
april 2021 statement on anti-asian racism
The board and staff at Neighbourhood Legal Services stand in solidarity with members of our community who identify as Asian as they have been the target of increased racist attacks since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as documented in this report, A Year of Racist Attacks: Anti-Asian Racism Across Canada One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, produced by the Chinese-Canadian National Council and others.
We denounce the absurd notion that Chinese and Asian people are somehow responsible for the origin of COVID-19 which is simply not borne out in fact. As this report states, “[P]andemics represent the growing challenges of human development and the natural world – not any particular race or ethnicity.”
The data collected since March 2020 shows that structurally marginalized Asian community members are most often targeted with verbal attacks, being coughed on/spat on, or being physically assaulted. These groups include seniors, those with limited English fluency, low income individuals, women, frontline workers, those without permanent immigration status, LGBTQ+ persons, and those facing mental health issues.
We join this Report’s call on all levels of government to recognize anti-Asian racism as a distinct area of discrimination that requires immediate action. We also implore our governments to establish laws and policies that dismantle white supremacy as all forms of racism are filtered through that hate-based prism. The Report’s recommendations include: committing financial and other resources to community-led organizations to carry out anti-racism education; providing supports for survivors of racist attacks; committing comprehensive policies to prevent the spread of misinformation, and funding more educational initiatives about the long history of Chinese Canadians and Asian Canadians in Canada, their historical experiences with racism and their contributions to Canada.
The link between systemic racism and the increased likelihood that “essential” workers in front-line service sectors are more likely to be racialized is clear. Policy-created vulnerabilities such as the lack of paid sick days stems from and exacerbates this systemic racism.
NLS also recognizes that it too operates within a system and network of institutions grounded in white supremacy. To combat this, we hired an anti-racism and anti-oppression consultant to guide us in shifting the paradigm we use to service our clients, work with each other, and engage with community organizations. This has not been an overnight process, but a lengthy one that will continue and must continue to be uncomfortable as we evolve and challenge ourselves to do social justice work through an anti-racist and anti-oppressive framework.
Click here for resources to learn about what we can all do to address anti-Asian hate and systemic racism, and see the below links to learn about important work of grassroots, Asian community-led organizations:
Butterfly https://www.butterflysw.org/
Caregivers Action Centre https://www.caregiversactioncentre.org/
Friends of Chinatown TO https://www.facebook.com/friendsofchinatownTO/
Reel Asian https://www.reelasian.com/
We denounce the absurd notion that Chinese and Asian people are somehow responsible for the origin of COVID-19 which is simply not borne out in fact. As this report states, “[P]andemics represent the growing challenges of human development and the natural world – not any particular race or ethnicity.”
The data collected since March 2020 shows that structurally marginalized Asian community members are most often targeted with verbal attacks, being coughed on/spat on, or being physically assaulted. These groups include seniors, those with limited English fluency, low income individuals, women, frontline workers, those without permanent immigration status, LGBTQ+ persons, and those facing mental health issues.
We join this Report’s call on all levels of government to recognize anti-Asian racism as a distinct area of discrimination that requires immediate action. We also implore our governments to establish laws and policies that dismantle white supremacy as all forms of racism are filtered through that hate-based prism. The Report’s recommendations include: committing financial and other resources to community-led organizations to carry out anti-racism education; providing supports for survivors of racist attacks; committing comprehensive policies to prevent the spread of misinformation, and funding more educational initiatives about the long history of Chinese Canadians and Asian Canadians in Canada, their historical experiences with racism and their contributions to Canada.
The link between systemic racism and the increased likelihood that “essential” workers in front-line service sectors are more likely to be racialized is clear. Policy-created vulnerabilities such as the lack of paid sick days stems from and exacerbates this systemic racism.
NLS also recognizes that it too operates within a system and network of institutions grounded in white supremacy. To combat this, we hired an anti-racism and anti-oppression consultant to guide us in shifting the paradigm we use to service our clients, work with each other, and engage with community organizations. This has not been an overnight process, but a lengthy one that will continue and must continue to be uncomfortable as we evolve and challenge ourselves to do social justice work through an anti-racist and anti-oppressive framework.
Click here for resources to learn about what we can all do to address anti-Asian hate and systemic racism, and see the below links to learn about important work of grassroots, Asian community-led organizations:
Butterfly https://www.butterflysw.org/
Caregivers Action Centre https://www.caregiversactioncentre.org/
Friends of Chinatown TO https://www.facebook.com/friendsofchinatownTO/
Reel Asian https://www.reelasian.com/
Summer 2020 Statement on Anti-Black Racism
Neighbourhood Legal Services (“NLS”) is outraged by the deaths of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd who represent the latest of too many who have died in lethal interactions with the police. NLS understands the collective grief experienced at this time and it is aware of the specific stress, grief and triggering impact that these recent fatalities have caused on our board members, colleagues, clients, community partners and friends who are Black.
We acknowledge that these recent deaths are reflective of a very long history of anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence too often perpetrated by state actors, institutions and agencies. In a 2018 CBC News investigation focusing on the period of 2000-2017, it was found that Black people comprised 36.5 per cent of deaths involving Toronto police while only making up 8.3 per cent of city’s population (Deadly Force: Fatal Encounters with the police in Canada: 2000-2017, Jacques Marcoux and Katie Nicholson). This same study identified that “more than 70 per cent of victims suffer from mental health and substance abuse problems”. This means that at least some of the Black persons who died at the hands of the police were also experiencing substance abuse issues and mental health crises. NLS recognizes that when racism interlocks with other systems of oppression like poverty, gender identity etc., it heightens the likelihood of encounters of anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence.
NLS understands that it too is part of a network of state agencies that are complicit in perpetrating anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence. However, NLS commits to being actively anti-racist by among other things, continuing to educate ourselves about implicit bias and systems of oppression as well as reflecting on how we can work internally and externally to dismantle systems of racism.
We acknowledge that these recent deaths are reflective of a very long history of anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence too often perpetrated by state actors, institutions and agencies. In a 2018 CBC News investigation focusing on the period of 2000-2017, it was found that Black people comprised 36.5 per cent of deaths involving Toronto police while only making up 8.3 per cent of city’s population (Deadly Force: Fatal Encounters with the police in Canada: 2000-2017, Jacques Marcoux and Katie Nicholson). This same study identified that “more than 70 per cent of victims suffer from mental health and substance abuse problems”. This means that at least some of the Black persons who died at the hands of the police were also experiencing substance abuse issues and mental health crises. NLS recognizes that when racism interlocks with other systems of oppression like poverty, gender identity etc., it heightens the likelihood of encounters of anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence.
NLS understands that it too is part of a network of state agencies that are complicit in perpetrating anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence. However, NLS commits to being actively anti-racist by among other things, continuing to educate ourselves about implicit bias and systems of oppression as well as reflecting on how we can work internally and externally to dismantle systems of racism.
We are using the word ‘Black’ because many within the movement have chosen to identify as such and we respect the right to self-identify
