People from a number of different backgrounds gathered at the Don Ross Centre last recently to talk about racism in their lives and what can be done about it.
The Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan organized the event, in partnership with Battlefords Immigration Resource Centre.
Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan Executive Director Rhonda Rosenberg said forum attendees “talk about what racism is and … how it works.”
The forum’s format involved a presentation followed by members of different social groups pairing up for a structured conversation. The conversation is about “what in this community we can do,” Rosenberg said.
Forum attendees in other workshops, Rosenberg said, have been a mix of people. Many who have attended have been targets of racism, Rosenberg said.
Racism, Rosenberg said, can hold “us back from benefiting from the contributions of all people.”
Elder Sylvia Weenie and her son Kirkland presented. Shared stories at the forum included one in which a hockey team of First Nations people were denied service at a small town bar and were told “we don’t serve your kind.”
Sylvia Weenie spoke about how racism toward First Nations people can be found in the healthcare system, the justice system and the education system. A message at the forum was staff at stores seem to be suspicious of people of colour.
Chizuru Kishida of Battlefords Immigration Resource Centre talked about her experiences with racism in the country. She said she hoped the forum allowed people to better understand each other, to build connections, and for participants to “try to put [themselves] in other people’s shoes.”
The forum was one event in a series and, earlier that day, Battlefords Immigration Resource Centre organized a walk in the name of eliminating racism.
