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TOGETHER, WE CAN CREATE
A MORE ACCEPTING WORLD

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WHAT IS

THE HUMAN DIGNITY PROJECT

It’s your one-stop address in the fight against racism and discrimination.

This website is an attempt to deal with and understand a problem that just won’t go away, and, in fact, may be getting worse. It’s a veritable treasure trove of, dare I say, racially motivated (but in a good way) stuff to stir the soul, encourage thought, build understanding, initiate discussion and inspire action – a little something for the ’discriminating’ palate, if you will.

THOUGHTS

Progress starts with an understanding of the matter at hand.
This section offers a collection of thought-provoking questions, descriptions, discussions and quotes about the nature and complexities of racism and discrimination.

It helps to get to the heart of the problem.

The website includes the following content:
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EDUCATION

Our ability to solve problems hinges on our ability to understand the issues.
This section offers a myriad of hand-picked educational resources to help give you a solid grounding in the various aspects of racism and discrimination. They include:

  • Tools: A variety of anti-racism
    toolkits and learning tips.

  • Podcasts & Videos

  • Books & Quotes

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IDEAS TO DO BETTER

Impactful solutions to big problems are not easy.
This section offers a variety of ideas and strategies that can help make inroads in the fight against racism and discrimination.

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MUSIC & ART

Artists are often the most deft at communicating problems and possible solutions in ways that can really hit home.

This section features creative and inspiring work that speak to the cause.

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RESOURCES

There are many groups doing great work and offering helpful information about addressing racism and discrimination.
This section presents a curated list of some of the best resources.

 Also check out our
BLOG
Thoughts and comments on the matters of the day
Under the 'More' tab

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GET INVOLVED

All change starts with action.

This section shows you the myriad ways you can get involved to make impactful change.

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WHY DO WE NEED

THE HUMAN DIGNITY PROJECT

Because news about racism and discrimination seems never-ending.

Many are troubled by the amount of energy that we are expending on the marginalization of others. Reports of harassment regularly find their way to our newspapers, radios and TVs. Stories about violent acts against people of all colours punctuate our airwaves. Bullying runs the gamut of venues seamlessly spreading from our schoolyards to our political stages to our social media platforms.

 

Against the backdrop of the London, Ontario attack that targeted and killed a Muslim family, the deep pain associated with revelations about the hundreds of children buried on the grounds of former residential schools, ongoing reports of discrimination against Canadians of Asian origin, rising anti-semitism and Islamophobia in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, and the disproportionate targeting of Black people by racism and hate-motivated attacks, many are attempting to reconcile the realities of the nation’s attitudes towards diversity and equality with national mythologizing about multiculturalism.​

Our proclivity for generalizing, stereotyping, and pigeonholing means we are quick to prejudge people we don’t even know, having decided that they are the same as a few bad apples in the news or complicit with a few ‘people like them’ who have committed heinous acts or made nasty statements or believe certain things. The leap of logic is easy….and harmful and dangerous.

 

​Efforts to move society forward are handicapped by seemingly disproportionate efforts to put down people who are not like us. 

Why is so much energy being expended on hate?
Who is really benefitting from this? How did we get here?

And why can’t we escape from a mindset so damaging, so debilitating, you have to wonder why so much time is allocated to its proliferation? 

 

I am bewildered, perplexed, bothered, annoyed and disappointed. Because I know we can do better.

We must.

Some Telling Stats
 

Hate crimes in Canada have been on the rise in recent years.
From 2019 to 2022, the number of police-reported hate crimes rose by 83% - with racialized communities disproportionately impacted by these incidents - and that’s without considering the estimated 80% of hate crimes that go unreported across the country every year. 

 

  • Following a peak of 886 incidents in 2021, hate crimes targeting a religion were down 15% in 2022 to 750 incidents. But despite the overall year-over-year decline, the number of incidents targeting a religion in 2022 was well above what was recorded from 2018 to 2020.
     

  • A rise in hate crimes targeting race or ethnicity (+12%) was the result of more reported crimes targeting the Black population (+28%; +182 incidents). Overall, incidents targeting the Black population accounted for 57% of the increase in these types of hate crimes. Hate crimes targeting the White population (+54%; +31 incidents) and the South Asian population (+18%; +30 incidents) and those targeting other or multiple races or ethnicities (+27%; +61 incidents) also increased.
     

  • An increase in hate crimes targeting a sexual orientation recorded in 2022 marked a 12% rise from the previous peak recorded in 2021 (438). Nearly three-quarters (74%) of these crimes specifically targeted the gay and lesbian population.
     

  • A disproportionate increase in anti-semitic hate was evident in StatsCan figures which showed that Jews were targeted in a dramatic 67% of all police reported hate incidents against religious minorities, yet they only comprise 1.25% of Canada’s population.
     

  • A marked increase in police-reported cyber hate crime incidents which more than doubled, increasing 138% from 92 incidents in 2018 to 219 incidents in 2022.

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See also
Hate crimes and incidents in Canada

'It's a constant battle': 20% of Canadians say they experience racism, survey reveals

Six in Ten (60%) Canadians See Racism as a Serious Problem Facing the Country
Areas with high rates of hate crime also report lower quality of life

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WHAT'S THE END GOAL OF

THE HUMAN DIGNITY PROJECT

Positive change. Social justice. Kindness.

We CAN change the world.

But it will take commitment and action.

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE.

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Speak up and take action.

Societal change begins with small steps.

And it begins with you.

It's about putting ourselves in
the shoes of others

You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view. Racism might be best understood as an inability to envision the script flipped.

THE GOAL

To create a world in which all people are empowered to be their best selves, where all people can reach their full potential

THE IMPEDIMENT

  • Racism

  • Discrimination

  • Prejudice

  • Bias

  • Hate

  • Bigotry

  • Oppression

  • Marginalization

  • Ignorance

  • Arrogance

  • Inequality

  • Stereotyping

  • Stigmatization

  • Intimidation

  • Harassment

  • Sexism

  • Misogyny

  • Homophobia

  • Antisemitism

  • Islamophobia

  • Ethnocentrism

  • Colorism

  • Bullying

  • Exclusion

  • Classism

  • Ableism

  • Exploitation

  • Stigma

  • White supremacy

THE SOLUTION

  • Mutual respect

  • Understanding

  • Acceptance

  • Kindness

  • Compassion

  • Reciprocity

  • Fairness/Equity

  • Inclusion

  • Empathy

  • Civility

  • Humility

  • Dignity

  • Security/Safety

  • Care

THE KEYS

  • Understand the history that is still with us to this day

  • Work on a big strategy that encompasses everything and that when we pursue it, recognizing that it is the moral thing to do; understand that it is not a zero-sum game

  • Engage in transformative solidarity

THE PRINCIPLES

  • A just society​

  • A safe and secure environment

  • Equitable access, participation and outcomes

  • Acknowledged and valued diversity and cultural identity

  • Interconnectedness

  • Human dignity

THE ASSETS

  • Our diversity

  • Cultural richness

  • Economic benefits

  • Social cohesion

  • Educational opportunities

  • Community resilience

  • Innovation and creativity

  • Enhanced civic engagement

THE VALUES

There's always room
for improvement

If you know of any information or resources that you think would make this website better and more helpful, we're all ears (and eyes).

​

Send us an email and we'd be happy to consider your submission.

 

Also, despite our best intentions, sometimes links stop working. If you notice this, please let us know and we'll try to remedy the situation.

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  • EQUALITY – The benefits and burdens of society should not depend on what we look like, where we come from or what we believe. Equality means celebrating our differences while challenging stereotypes and breaking down barriers.
     

  • MOBILITY – Where we start out in life should not determine where we end up. Inherent in mobility is the belief that everyone who works hard should be able to advance and participate fully in society.
     

  • VOICE – We should all have a say in the decisions that affect us. Our voices must be heard in voting booths, at public forums, and across the media.
     

  • REDEMPTION – We all grow and change over time and need a chance to start over when things go wrong. To foster redemption, we must provide conditions that allow people to develop, to rebuild, and to reclaim full responsibility for their lives.
     

  • COMMUNITY – We share a responsibility for each other and for the common good; the strength of our nation depends on the vibrancy and cohesiveness of our diverse population.
     

  • SECURITY – We should all have the tools to meet our own basic needs and the needs of our families. Without economic and social security, it is impossible to access the other rights and responsibilities society has to offer.
     

These values are part of our human rights, the rights we all have simply by virtue of our humanity. Fulfilling our unalienable human rights is essential to realizing the promise of opportunity for all.

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THE BIG PICTURE

"Equity creates more, not less.

The solution is not a zero-sum game."


"Our future, collectively, is dependent on all of us being able to reach our full potential."


"We need a transformative solidarity for a thriving, multiracial democracy."

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"OUR DIFFERENCE IS OUR STRENGTH, THE VERY BEST ASSET THAT WE HAVE."

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  • Angela Glover Blackwell
    Renowned civil rights and public interest attorney, long-time leading racial equity advocate, and founder of PolicyLink, the extraordinarily effective and influential national research and action institute that advances racial and economic equity by “Lifting Up What Works.”

Our ability to change the world for the better hinges on us coming to grips with our context. This powerful talk by Angela Glover Blackwell crystallizes how we can get on the road to getting it right.

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This is our moment.

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Note: While this talk speaks to an American perspective, the message is universal.

Anti-Racism Toolkit

 

In researching the numerous existing tools that have been developed to combat racism, I stumbled upon this interesting toolkit.
 

These tools have been designed and curated to work together to support you on your anti-racism journey.

 

You can “Start with Self” and work through each of the tools in order, or you can jump to learning more about “How to Talk about Racism.” There is no "right" way to start; what matters is that you start.

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Includes understanding personal biases and self-care

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Creating psychological safety to have difficult conversations

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What it means to be an ally, how to act beyond being an ally

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Why it's important to discuss racism and how to lead an effective discussion

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What is anti-racism, how to be an anti-racist

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Creating and sustaining change/cultural transformation

NOTE: The information in this section comes from the Stanford University's Manager Toolkit

For more on this and other
anti-racism tools, see:

Inclusion starts with "I".

Consider what you can do to unleash the power of diversity.

Inclusion starts with "I" is a discussion about the importance of a positive, inclusive work environment. This video demonstrates that bias can appear in both expected and unexpected ways—and that each of us has the power to make a difference.

Not only is there richness in diversity;
there is inherent power as well.

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Diversity is a wellspring of strength. When we embrace different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, we unlock a tapestry of creativity, resilience, and innovation. Just as a vibrant ecosystem thrives with a variety of species, our interconnected world flourishes when we celebrate our differences and work together. 

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Remember, unity in diversity is not just a catchphrase;

it’s a guiding principle that propels us toward progress and understanding.

 

Let’s work on championing inclusivity, respect, and collaboration, recognizing that our collective power lies in our unique contributions. 

An open world begins with an open mind

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