By Sheldon Spackman

Inspiring change at CommUnity: The Power of One

Mar 24, 2018 | 3:24 PM

Roughly 40 people learned more about how to end racism and promote racial harmony during an event held at the Golden Circle in Red Deer on Saturday.

The third annual CommUnity: The Power of One was a joint effort held between the Central Alberta Refugee Effort (CARE) and Red Deer Native Friendship Society and followed the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination celebrated on March 21.

The event featured interactive workshops and keynote speaker Renee Vaugeois, Executive Director at the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights.

Sadia Khan, Public Awareness Coordinator, Central Alberta Refugee Effort (CARE) says we all need to recognize that racism exists in every community.

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“The City of Red Deer has great initiatives that are going but we really need to just build on those and get those going,” says Khan. “First ‘A’ is to recognize it. Once it’s recognized, it’s OK, so what’s happening? What are some of the initiatives that we can take? What are some of the steps that we can take really to eliminate racism and make our community really welcoming and inclusive. That’s what our hope is today.”

Tessa Murphy, Settlement Practitioner for CARE says there are many things people can do to help make Red Deer a more welcoming and inclusive community.

“On an individual level, it’s calling out racism when you see it,” she explains. “Feeling uncomfortable but comfortable in that uncomfortableness and then taking it to the policy level. Report it to the Human Rights Commission, take it higher so that policy makers can understand that changes need to happen at that level as well.”

“I hope that people feel positive with change,” adds Murphy. “I hope that they feel encouraged and supported by the diverse community that we have here in Red Deer and that other people feel the same way.”

Keynote Speaker Renee Vaugeois says there were two things she really wanted to get across to event participants; the systemic issues we face deep in the history of Canada’s legislation and how we all use the spaces that we share.

“It’s not a simple solution, it’s a really long journey of working together,” explains Vaugeois. “What I see is a lot of adversarial relationships between whether it’s public sector or elected officials and grassroots communities but that’s not going to get us anywhere. We’ve really got to sort of step inside the circle together.”

“I have observed and witnessed too many times over the years where marginalized or racialized people come to the table ready to contribute,” says Vaugeois. “But the very dynamics of how those who have privilege will behave in this space, like stepping in first, have that confidence and that. It influences people’s willingness to share.”

Vaugeois concludes that people with privilege need to start stepping back and not speaking first but know that their voice is still going to be heard.

“It just doesn’t have to be first, so sharing that space is so foundational for us to be making change and to address racism,” adds Vaugeois. “I think that very simple thing can change a lot if we just shift how we engage in our spaces together.”