Posted by: Li Xiu Guo
When you think of Ottawa, you may envision a multicultural city that offers equal opportunity to all – and in some cases, that may be true. However, for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC), racism continues to present itself in the city’s institutions, structures, and everyday life.
You may be thinking “I don’t believe that happens anymore” or, “I’m not a member of the BIPOC community”, so this has nothing to do with me”, but the only way to learn and grow as a collective, is to unite with others in our communities and uplift BIPOC voices so their experiences, struggles, and realities can be heard.
That’s where Brave and Safe: A Place for Courageous Conversations comes in.
Brave and Safe is a community initiative that was founded by both BIPOC people and co-resistors, to motivate active and purposeful change in our communities, starting with Ottawa. The organizers of this event say that education and unlearning start from within, and they’re determined to put in the work.
“Combating racism requires each and everyone one of us to be intentional about our anti-racism efforts and we hope to plant some seeds of wisdom for how the youth can do their part. Youth are the future,” says Susan Young, an organizer of Brave and Safe: A Place for Courageous Conversations.
This event will take place on March 25, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM, at Julian of Norwich Anglican Church in Ottawa. This free event is open to all youth in Ottawa between the ages of 14 to 22. During the event, several local speakers from the BIPOC community will share their stories and experiences and participate in a moderated panel Q&A. The event will also feature performances from local Black, Indigenous and Asian artists.
“This event will help take actionable steps toward combating racism by raising awareness of some of the impacts of racism and also providing some resources to help youth become allies,” says Susan.
Youth can create progressive and impactful change by teaching their family, peers and the greater community about these systems, which is why the day will end with a facilitated conversation on sustainable tools and resources our youth can use to expand the conversation and think more critically about their motivations for engaging in anti-racism work and their actions.
Brave and Safe is offering a synchronous virtual session to accommodate anyone who wishes to participate remotely from anywhere within Canada.
If you’re interested in attending this event either in-person or virtually, we invite you to register your ticket using the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-and-safe-time-for-courageous-conversations-tickets-519695091007
This event is being funded by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) and developed in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and Julian of Norwich Church.
The program recognizes the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation of which we live and work on.