We stand in solidarity with black people around the world. And we want to do more to help, but we’re not sure how.
We’ve spoken with some of our African-Canadian teammates and they’ve told us of how they have come to accept a fear, even here in Canada, that people of European descent just don’t experience.
This has to stop.
If you have some ideas, please share them in the comments below. One of the best things I've heard in the last several months is to listen and learn. We are all ears.
Comments
All of our communities need to get closer to our own God. We have all lost our morals that we use to learn from our families, Churchs, schools and our communities. Our media and leaders have forgotten that we are all brothers and sisters under God and need to love, listen and support one another. In order for change to happen, we must BE the change. Mostly never give up that the righteous (weak))will inherit the earth. No one should have to live in fear.
Blm is a criminal organisation you burn buildings, cars and loot . you get people killed your tied to antifa both of you take money ,Soros
Partnering with educational resources and fundraisers might be a good start. And later down the road, a campaign to make healthy/eco-friendly lifestyle options more accessible to African Americans in systematically poorer situations would be very nice to see. Right now it might look too much like a marketing gimmick but later it would be something to consider.
Systematic Racism needs to stop!
I am a Black American who marched and was in the movement in the 60’s. We are weary but appreciate the movement now. FINALLY! Thank you for caring and trying to be open to change. You are on the right track by asking for help and ideas. I see lots of great ideas here and hope that giving back and helping with jobs and all kinds of help for the children are foremost in your agenda. Stay open, listen, and trust your inner feelings about how to move ahead. Keep love in your heart and minds as you move towards change.
With all due respect, you need to educate yourself. It’s not our job to teach you. Look up systemic racism and white privilege. Read about them, then focus on your own actions and be honest with yourself on how your privilege has helped you throughout your life. Asking what your customers want you to do is pretty insulting. It sounds like you only want to do something because you want to make your customers happy. That’s not how this works and completely misses the point. You make changes and take actions you feel are the right things to do.
My favorite suggestions so far besides educating oneself are the collaborating with and uplifting black businesses, scrutinizing and changing hiring practices, paying equally to white people, and creating BLM type merch with the help of black artists and donating proceeds to help the cause.
Maybe you could hire/recruit more black people, hiring people at a good wage gives them more financial power. Or you could hold a community discussion with black people in your community/black business owners (like you said in your email) and listen to their opinions on what you could do. You could even just reach out to them by email or call the business or something to set up individual appointments if people would prefer that. I’m not black, so take what I’ve said with a grain of salt, I think you should take the advice of the black community here. Also, I’m white; I and others in my position of privilege must raise our voices and take action to undo the system that protects the “us” (white people), but not the “them” (black people). The police brutality/racism here in America is horrifying, it needs to end, but to do so we will need to change other issues with systemic and implicit racism.
Unconscious biases are something EVERYONE can have. Therefore, AWARENESS should be a top priority. I tell my employees and my students: “ Find people that do not look or sound like you and get to know and understand them. Widen horizons and raise consciousness.” I believe that if groups organize to spread hate, and commit hate crimes, they should be treated as terrorists. Make the penalty for these hate crimes commensurate with crimes of terror against our country. ZERO TOLERANCE for INTOLERANCE!!!
As a Caucasian who was in Jr High School toward the end of Martin Luther King’s life and was bused in the South to an African American community to go to school, I benefited from hearing the perspectives of black teachers, principal, and counselor. Their keen insight into 11-13 yr old students trying to figure out their own transformation within the context of those tumultuous years in the US was a tall order. But transform we did, some of us more successfully than others. Hats off to the staff and administrators who worked very hard to instill in our minds to be tolerant and accepting of each other. Martin Luther King’s words were lived everyday while I attended that school. It was often rocky, but the guidance within the school community was stellar. That immersion at a formative time for me was invaluable and could have a positive systemic impact if everyone could experience the same in some way.
I also believe, as said in a previous post, that more formal education of police is necessary. Perhaps POC could meet weekly/monthly with police to agree on how to proceed, each listening to the other for authentic change. Local churches, synagogues, and mosques are a great resource to find people with good intentions willing to work together.
Supporting black owned businesses within our own communities, online, and when traveling would open relationships between races and support POC economically.
In the last state in which I lived, taxes were equitably divided among all of the schools within the county. Additionally every school had much control over how the money was spent based on the needs of the students who attended.
Good quality healthcare for Everyone should be a priority in the US either with close oversight of Ins companies profits or easily accessible government sponsored healthcare. for everyone who needs it.
Thanks ETEE for asking!