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PODCASTS & VIDEOS

Relish our diversity

We need to break through the divides that separate us and relish our diversity.

“If nature is into diversity and you’re not, you’re gonna lose that fight buddy! You see, nature doesn’t care about your race, that’s man-made. Nature just cares about healthy organisms, and your precious ethnic features are expendable to that end. So the moment you let go of that racist identity, and relatch onto humanity, all your problems go away. I'm going to tell you what race ain't about to die out: the human race. Join the party. The water's great.”   

 

- Theo E.J. Wilson | TEDxMileHigh

In this must-see talk about race and politics in America, Theo E.J. Wilson tells the story of becoming Lucius25, white supremacist lurker, and the unexpected compassion and surprising perspective he found from engaging with people he disagrees with. He encourages us to let go of fear, embrace curiosity and have courageous conversations with people who think differently from us. "Conversations stop violence, conversations start countries and build bridges," he says.

COMMENTS

When I heard this TEDTalk, it made me think, metaphorically, about landscape design and our natural habitat, and how a garden made up of different types and sizes of species makes for a much more interesting garden than one with a bunch of the same type of plant or tree. Now switch out plants for humans and think about the richness that is inherent in such “human gardens.”

CBC Radio 1
THE CURRENT
with Matt Galloway

COMBATTING SYSTEMIC RACISM in HEALTHCARE and POLICING

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Alberta's only female cardiac surgeon, Dr. Teresa Kieser, has filed a human rights case alleging systemic gender-based discrimination over her 34-year career.

 

Matt Galloway talks to Dr. Kieser about why she's trying to bring "the light of day" to her experiences; and Canadian surgeons Dr. Nancy Baxter and Dr. Marisa Louridas about what needs to change.

Toronto's interim police chief apologizes after a report detailed disproportionate police action taken against racialized people — but activists say an apology isn't enough.

Matt Galloway talks to Neil Price, executive director of non-profit consultancy group LogicalOutcomes; El Jones, a poet, activist, and professor of political and Canadian studies at Mount Saint Vincent University; and Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto, who researches police and racism in Canada. 

CBC Radio 1
THE SUNDAY MAGAZINE
with Piya Chattopadhyay

DEALING WITH ONLINE HATE

What talking to his online haters taught
Dylan Marron about empathy

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When many of us receive nasty comments on social media, we may either ignore them or take a stand and fight back. But when online creator and activist Dylan Marron started getting negative, even bigoted comments on his online videos, he made another choice entirely.

 

Marron invited his detractors to chat on the phone and talk through their differences. That move led to his podcast Conversations with People Who Hate Me. He joins Pia Chattopadhyay to reflect on the lessons he took from those discussions, which he outlines in a new book, called Conversations with People Who Hate Me: 12 Things I Learned from Talking to Internet Strangers.

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CBC Radio 1
THE CURRENT
with Matt Galloway

COMBATTING ANTI-SEMITISM

Anti-semitism in Canada amid the Israel-Hamas war

As Israel’s military offensive in Gaza drags on, many Jewish Canadians say they feel afraid — at the synagogue, at school and on the street. Matt Galloway talks to Rabbi Louis Sachs, human rights consultant Karen Mock, and writer and filmmaker David Bezmozgis about the anxiety of the moment, unsettling echoes of the past and divisions within the community itself. This conversation was part of a broader discussion on the effects of the Israel-Hamas war on antisemitism in Canada.

 

 

Antisemitic conspiracies are rampant online. Students, experts share how to combat them

Matt Galloway has also addressed the issue of anti-semitic conspiracies online. A report by CBC News highlighted the concerns of students and experts on the prevalence of such conspiracies in digital spaces and the need for better education to combat them. The report discusses how students encounter anti-semitic content and comments on social media platforms and the importance of Holocaust education in countering these harmful messages.

 

Experts suggest that in times of significant social, political and economic unrest, some just find it easier to scapegoat a specific group, which can lead to a rise in hate and antisemitism. 

"It's a way to channel anger and rage and a sense of injustice….You don't actually have to fix a broken system. All you have to do is persecute this group." 

- Abbie Richards, Misinformation researcher

CBC Radio 1
THE SUNDAY MAGAZINE
with Megan Williams

HOW ANTI-BLACK RACISM OPERATES IN CANADA

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How anti-Black racism operates in Canada – and how to counter it

 

When it comes to anti-Black racism, it's easy to point to the obvious: Empires and oppressors, slavery and segregation. But political scientist Debra Thompson says we need to make space for nuance – especially when we talk about racism in Canada. We revisit Piya Chattopadhyay's conversation with Thompson about her book The Long Road Home: On Blackness and Belonging, which weaves her academic scholarship and personal narrative to explore how race and anti-Black racism operate in Canada and the United States.

TEDTalk
IDEAS WORTH SPREADING

TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT RACE and RACISM

What I am learning from my white grandchildren -- truths about race

“The vision I long for is not post-racial, but post-racist, where the destruction wrought by race and power is eliminated.”
 

“If we really want to benefit from our diversity, and if we really want to break the strongholds of racism, we tell the truth to children even before they ask. Tell them again: Race is not real, but race does matter. And tell them why.”


- Anthony Peterson | TEDxAntioch

 

 

Are we in a post-racial society?
Do we want to be?

 

Anthony Peterson, an African American, draws from current research and from conversations with his Anglo-American grandchildren to address truths about race in 21st century America.

Anthony Peterson is an African American Army brat who calls Hawaii home. He has lived, studied, written about, and taught about cultural and racial realities. He has developed and facilitated diversity training for corporate and church leaders. His degrees in psychology and religious education add to his perspective. Anthony continues work as an educator, writer and editor in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife, Laura. They count six children and nine grandchildren.

CBC Radio 1
THE CURRENT
with Matt Galloway

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOUR HUMANITY IS UNDER QUESTION?

Killer of London, Ontario, Muslim family committed terrorism, says judge

The actions of Nathaniel Veltman, who was convicted of murder and attempted murder after deliberately driving his truck into five members of the Afzaal family in London, Ont., on June 6, 2021, amounted to terrorism under Canadian law, a judge ruled Thursday. Matt Galloway speaks with child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Javeed Sukhera, who knew the Afzaal family; and Jessica Davis, president of Insight Threat Intelligence and a former CSIS Analyst.

 

Read more
Terrorism ruling in Afzaal family murders can help Muslim communities heal, says family friend

By MOUHAMAD RACHINI 

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/terrorism-ruling-in-afzaal-family-murders-can-help-muslim-communities-heal-says-family-friend-1.7123744

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One movie can't end racism in Canada — but 'The Skin We're In' will fuel the fight

Acclaimed journalist Desmond Cole explores what it is to be Black in 21st century Canada. 

Urgent, controversial, and undeniably honest, the documentary  The Skin We’re In is a wake-up call to complacent Canadians.

Racism is here. It is everywhere. It is us and we are it.

Following celebrated journalist Desmond Cole as he researched his booik of the same name, this film from acclaimed director Charles Officer pulls back the curtain on racism in Canada. It marks a distinctly Canadian contribution to the Black Lives Matter movement which originated in the US, but which describes a set of systemic injustices and disadvantages faced by all black people living in white-dominated societies

 

See S2 | The Skin We're In
March 8, 2017

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See also 

The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power

By Desmond Cole

A bracing, provocative, and perspective-shifting book from one of Canada's most celebrated and uncompromising writers.

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Real Life Stories in Film

With funding from the Government of Canada, Brandon University researcher Dr. Michelle Lam and her team spent two years collecting stories of racism currently happening in the Manitoba, and turned those stories into a comprehensive report and then, films. The four research-based films created by four Manitoba filmmakers highlight anti-Indigenous racism, anti-immigrant racism, anti-Black racism, and Islamophobia.

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Racism, Bias, & Discrimination in Manitoba: Survey Report

This report details the results from a survey distributed province-wide in January 2021. The data and stories provided here explore current perceptions towards diverse groups in Manitoba, where people in Manitoba experience racism, bias, or discrimination, and how it occurs.

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Facilitation Guide
Facilitating a conversation about race and racism is hard. It can be emotionally difficult as well as surface strong feelings and perspectives. It is not uncommon that as a facilitator you will likely face some challenges. We put together a guide for facilitators using the video in classrooms and professional development settings.

For related BU CARES Research Centre

Anti-racism Resource Toolkits

If you don't think 'funny' and 'racism & discrimination' belong in the same room, think again.

Comedy is one of the most powerful ways to get the message across.

And many comedians do it well. 

Here are just a few examples:

NETFLIX

Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable

2018 | STAND-UP 

In her first special since 2003, Ellen revisits her road to stardom and details the heartfelt - and hilarious - lessons she's learned along the way, including coming out of the closet.

"Live your truth."

-  ELLEN DEGENERES

NETFLIX

Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives

2018 | STAND-UP

Hari Kondabolu breaks down identity politics, celebrity encounters, his mango obsession and more in an unpredictable stand-up comedy special.

"Racism is all about changing hearts and minds."

-  HARI KONDABOLU

NETFLIX

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution

2024 | DOCUMENTARY

Explore the history of LGBTQ+ stand-up comedy in this funny and heartfelt documentary that demonstrates its importance as an instrument for social change over the past five decades. Featuring personal stories from an all-star roster of performers.

“You’re sharing who you are with the audience and it's so powerful, because laughter is disarming. You make the personal universal, so we can realize that actually, we’re more alike than we are different.”

-  PAGE HURWITZ, Comedy director and producer

CBC Radio 1
q
with Tom Power

ADDRESSING RACISM in THE MOVIE INDUSTRY

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In November of 2021, Netflix’s Western, The Harder They Fall, was getting a lot of buzz. The film is produced by Jay-Z and features an all-star cast, including Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors and LaKeith Stanfield. Unlike classic Hollywood Westerns, Black characters are at the forefront of this story. The film's director, Jeymes Samuel, joined Tom Power to explain why The Harder They Fall isn't a reimagining of the Old West, but a reclaiming. He explains why it was important for him to correct the story of the Old West by putting Black characters at the forefront and showing something that is more reflective of the Wild West.

Jeymes Samuel talks about his frustrations with Western films:

“The thing is with Westerns, if you’re a woman in the Old West, you are automatically subservient to some weakened male plot. It’s just what it was. If you are a woman of any colour, you are subservient. Take for instance Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, that was made in the 90’s… if I’m not mistaken it won best picture, but every single woman in it is a prostitute. Every single woman. Now what town was that where every woman in the entire town is a woman of delight? Like really, Clint! Or if you’re a person of colour, any colour, you are treated less than human…subservient would be a complement for how you’re treated. You’re treated less than human automatically, and the story were always really white male-centric. And there was no room, either left or right of that viewfinder, to have a broadened idea of what that time and place was like. So the older you get, you want to start seeing yourself or things that you relate to on the screen. And you realize, wow, I don’t relate to any of this. I don’t relate to a world where women are insignificant. I don’t relate to a world where people of colour are just less than human across the board.”

 

 

COMMENTS

When I heard this interview, it crystalized for me how the media can easily propagate and perpetuate racist and discriminatory attitudes. If we are to truly evolve as a society, our media platforms have to follow. While we are starting to see this, it is clear that we still have a long way to go.

TEDTalk
IDEAS WORTH SPREADING

RACISM HAS A COST FOR EVERYONE

Racism makes our economy worse -- and not just in ways that harm people of color, says public policy expert Heather C. McGhee. From her research and travels across the US, McGhee shares startling insights into how racism fuels bad policymaking and drains our economic potential -- and offers a crucial rethink on what we can do to create a more prosperous nation for all.

“Our fates are linked. It costs us so much to remain divided."


- Heather C. McGhee | TEDWoman2019

 

Also, hear Heather McGhee talk about her book "Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together".

 

 

 

 

 

Guess what?

Racism is at the core of all of our most vexing public problems.

Tying together economics and deeply personal stories from across the United States that convey the cost of a broken system, political strategist Heather McGhee roots out the racist policies and politics that she says plague the finances and lives of Americans. In her debut book, she makes her case: racism and a flawed zero-sum structure are at the root of all our dysfunctions.

 

Traversing across the country, McGhee shares both the big picture and individual tales of the cost of playing the zero-sum game. McGhee brings people of all races and creeds to share their accounts of lost homes and lost dreams, owing to the mentality that some must lose for others to win. Indeed, in a system where education is a private commodity and incomes for many Americans have remained stagnant, she says winning is not an option.

 

Yet, there is reason for hope. In combat against this system, McGhee has seen sparks of a “Solidarity Dividend” that transcends racism and demands a win for all. McGhee will set out her vision for a future that moves beyond the zero-sum and into radical compassion to the benefit of all.

CBC Radio 1
THE CURRENT
with Matt Galloway

HOW TO TACKLE SYSTEMIC RACISM IN OUR INSTITUTIONS

Sen. Murray Sinclair urges Canadians to reckon with systemic racism

As he retired from the Senate in january 2021, Sen. Murray Sinclair noted that Canada still needs a reckoning on "the systemic racism that has been bred into our very institutions."

"Indigenous people and people of colour standing up and saying 'Enough is enough' is one thing … [but] the people in charge of the institutions that we're trying to address really do need to take stock of what they're doing, and change the way they do business."
 

- Murray Sinclair 

He served in various capacities over the years, including as the co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in Manitoba, commissioned in 1988.

 

Thinking back on that particular work, Sinclair remembers coming to a conclusion that still feels relevant.

 

"What I said then was, 'If you get rid of all of the racists in all of the positions of government, policing, justice, health — you will still have a problem. Because you will have a system that is functioning based upon policies, priorities and decisions that direct how things are to be done, that come from a time when racism was very blatant."

Choose strength. Choose life. Conquer your mind.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a powerful message for those who have gone down a path of hate.

I must admit to being impressed and touched by Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest video. I highly recommend checking it out. It's only 12 minutes long, but packs a punch.

In this video, he specifically addresses people who are drawn to hate ideologies and, without judging or condemning them, but with clear good will, he lays out a powerful description of how hate -- blaming Jewish conspiracies, immigrants, other races, LGBTQ people, etc. for your own unhappiness -- is the easy but also the weak "path of least resistance" that inevitably leads to failure and unhappiness.

He argues for choosing the harder path -- taking responsibility for your own life, learning and growing stronger and improving your own life.

Instead of looking for scapegoats in other people, Schwarzenegger recommends that people look more to personal accountability and inner strength, adding that there is “still hope” for those travelling a hateful road.

Uncomfortable Discussions with a Black Man

These are conversations that need to happen.

Our nation and world continue to be confronted with its greatest ongoing pandemic - Racism. 
 

Racism is not a virus of the body; it is a virus of the mind, and unfortunately, it can be lethal.
 

But you cannot fix a problem that you do not know you have. And if “ignorance is bliss”, in this case, bliss has caused bondage and pain for others. But there is a fix. We can all access the life-saving medicine that will cure the world’s most ailing, long-lasting pandemic. But in order to access it, we’re going to have to have some uncomfortable conversations.

 

So says Emmanual Acho, American sports analyst, former professional football player, and sports psychologist, who hosts and produces Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, a web series that seeks to better understand racism through open and uncomfortable dialogue. It's a safe place to have the uncomfortable conversations about race that many white people have never been able to have.

Watch the videos

 

Countless lives have been impacted as the first uncomfortable conversations with a black man went viral around the world.

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Hear American professor, social worker, author, and podcast host, Brené Brown, interview Emmanual Acho about his Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man work and more. It's lively and informative.

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In Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, Emmanuel Acho takes on all the questions, large and small, insensitive and taboo, many white Americans are afraid to ask—yet which all Americans need the answers to, now more than ever. With the same open-hearted generosity that has made his video series a phenomenon, Acho explains the vital core of such fraught concepts as white privilege, cultural appropriation, and “reverse racism.”

In his own words, he provides a space of compassion and understanding in a discussion that can lack both. He asks only for the reader’s curiosity—but along the way, he will galvanize all of us to join the antiracist fight.

You don't escape trauma by ignoring it. You escape trauma by confronting it.

Ava DuVernay's critically lauded film Origin premiered at the Venice Film Festival to an outstanding ovation. DuVernay adapted Origin from the New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Isabel Wilkerson’s 2020 bestseller Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents, which explores the cultural roots of American racism from slavery to Jim Crow and beyond in a whole new and gripping way, linking it to the caste system in India and antisemitism in Nazi Germany, in a story and interwoven with personal loss and love. In the book, Wilkerson argues that to fully understand the United States and its divisive history, you need to look past race and grasp the role played by caste, which she sees as an artificial and static structural “ranking of human value that sets the presumed supremacy of one group against the presumed inferiority of other groups.” Caste, she writes, separates people — including into racially ranked groups — and keeps them divided. 

If you want to deeply FEEL and understand why there has, and continues to be, so much social division as well as oppression, and leave feeling empowered to change it for the better, I implore you to watch this work of art!

Available on Amazon

The Daring Racism Experiment That People Still Talk About 20 Years Later

Oprah put her audience through a social experiment that puts racism in a new light. 

In a 1992 Oprah Winfrey Show, award-winning anti-racism activist and educator Jane Elliott taught the audience a tough lesson about racism by demonstrating just how easy it is to learn prejudice.

 

Watch as the audience, totally unaware that an experiment is underway, gets separated into two groups based on the color of their eyes. The blue-eyes group was discriminated against while the people with brown eyes were treated with respect. Jane says she first started this exercise in her third grade class back in 1968, the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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AN EARLY LESSON IN
WHITE PRIVILEGE

A British school helps its students uncover and eradicate hidden racial biases.

Similar Privilege Walk Exercises can be found by pressing the buttons below.
The message is clear and powerful.

SYSTEMIC RACISM EXPLAINED

Four dimensions of racism and
how to be part of the solution

You’ve likely heard the term “systemic racism,” but do you know what it means? Two experts break it down and to give us the tools to address it.

The Experts: The CEO of Portland’s Center for Equity and Inclusion, Hanif Fazal, and the CEO of North Star Forward Consulting, Lillian Green, have dedicated their careers to empowering the community with an understanding of racism to create a more equitable future.

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UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM OF STEREOTYPING

What is internalized oppression?

Internalized oppression refers to the insidious processes by which one’s experiences as a member of a devalued minority group are internalized and become associated with their self-esteem.  

 

Internalized oppression often takes the form of negative attitudes, beliefs, and feelings about oneself as a minority group member and about one’s minority group. 

 

All forms of oppression (e.g., racism, heterosexism, sexism, classism) exert their influence at both the sociopolitical and personal levels and can take on both external (e.g., prejudice, harassment, discrimination) as well as internalized forms. 

 

Sociologists believe that internalized oppression rather than external oppressive events (e.g., harassment and discrimination) may be the most damaging psychological injury that is due to oppression.

TEDTalk
IDEAS WORTH SPREADING

WHAT WHITE PEOPLE CAN DO TO MOVE RACE CONVERSATIONS FORWARD

What if white people led the charge to end racism?

“My fifth-grade teacher taught me that justice requires an accomplice. Not just anyone will do. She said we need unlikely allies if we want to see real change happen. And for those of us experiencing injustice up front, we need to be willing to accept the help because, when we don’t, change takes too long.”

“When you add your voice and your actions to situations that you don’t think involve you, you actually inspire others to do the same.”


- Dwinita Mosby Tyler | TEDxMileHigh

 

Diversity fatigue is real: people of color are tired of leading the fight. White allies are tired of being told they're doing it wrong. No wonder we don't have equity yet! In this inspiring talk, Dwinita Mosby-Tyler explains why we need "unlikely allies" in the fight for justice, and why people who are experiencing inequality first hand must be willing to accept the help.

Dr. Dwinita Mosby Tyler is the Chief Catalyst and Founder of The Equity Project, a company that supports organizations & communities in building equity, inclusion, and diversity, and The HR Shop, a boutique human resources firm for non-profits & small businesses. Previously, she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Executive Director of the Office of Human Resources for the City & County of Denver.

TEDTalk

IDEAS WORTH SPREADING

GETTING TO THE ROOT OF RACIAL INJUSTICE

“We must confront the ways our actions and our institutions lead to a differential treatment of blacks, even if done unintentionally.”


- Megan Ming Francis | TEDxRainier

In this inspiring and powerful talk, Megan Francis traces the root causes of our current racial climate to their core causes, debunking common misconceptions and calling out "fix-all" cures to a complex social problem.

Megan Ming Francis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington where she specializes in the study of American politics, race, and the development of constitutional law. She is particularly interested in the construction of rights and citizenship, black political activism, and the post-civil war South. Born and raised in Seattle, WA, she was educated at Garfield High School, Rice University in Houston, and Princeton University where she received her M.A. and her Ph.D. in Politics.

 

In her award-winning book, Civil Rights and the Making of the Modern American State, Megan Francis shows that the battle against lynching and mob violence in the first quarter of the 20th century were pivotal to the development of civil rights and the growth of federal court power. She is inspired by people who fight for justice–even when the end appears nowhere in sight.

TEDTalk

IDEAS WORTH SPREADING

WHAT WHITE PEOPLE CAN DO TO MOVE RACE CONVERSATONS FORWARD

“If we are to ever effectively address race, racism and racer relations in this country, it means we must also talk about what it means to be white.”

“Dismantling structural racism means we must acknowledge it exists. Talk about the impact on the lives of people of colour. Work together to pull it apart piece by piece, but that won’t happen as long as our white brothers and sisters and non-binary friends aren’t willing to admit race matters.”

“Recognize it is our differences that make America great.”

 

- Caprice Hollins | TEDxSeattle

In this 2020 TEDxSeattle talk, Dr. Caprice Hollins explains why we often fail to have productive conversations about race, race relations, and racism in this country. Her talk sheds light on why People of Color and White people take different approaches to these conversations and what White people can do to move race conversations forward.

With over twenty years of experience leading and facilitating conversations on race, Dr. Hollins uses current events and daily moments as teaching opportunities about race relations in America today.

2:07 - Different approaches to race conversations

8:14 - Understanding the Black Lives Matter movement

14:11 - What white people can do to move the conversation forward

THE PROBLEM WITH
JON STEWART

SEASON 1

S1, E8   MARCH 24, 2022

Racism

No matter how sincerely some white people want to educate themselves and take action against racism, white comfort seems to block progress.

 

 

SEASON 2

 

S2, E1   OCTOBER 6, 2022

The War Over Gender

It’s a boy! It’s a girl! It’s a spectrum! It’s 19 possible chromosomal combinations! Look, it’s complicated. Just watch.

Now in its second season, "The Problem With Jon Stewart" is a multiple-season, single-issue series, taking a deep dive on the issues affecting us most. In this new Apple Original series, Stewart has conversations with the people who are impacted by the issue — as well as those who have a hand in creating the impact. Together, they discuss a more productive path towards action.

The companion series podcast extends the conversation from each episode, featuring staff members from across the show who bring us interviews with activists in the space, the facts on the issue, and yes, lots of jokes.

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If you’re looking to do your part and become truly anti-racist, the following podcasts about race can point you in the right direction.

Following are a selection of high-quality podcasts that address racism, discrimination, and related issues from diverse perspectives in Canada and the U.S. These podcasts aim to foster open dialogue, raise awareness, and promote positive change.

  • Don't Call Me Resilient: This podcast hosted by Vinita Srivastava explores systemic racism in Canada and beyond, covering topics like police brutality, advocacy, food insecurity, and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities.
     

  • Intersectionality Matters!: Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the critical race theorist who coined the term "intersectionality", this podcast unpacks political and racial topics through conversations with activists, journalists, and historians.
     

  • Colour Code: A Podcast About Race in Canada: Hosted by Denise Balkissoon and Hannah Sung, this podcast from The Globe and Mail tackles difficult conversations about race relations, identity, and experiences of being a visible minority in Canada.
     

  • Podcasts from the Canadian government's "Anti-Racism Learning Series": This series provides access to tools, job aids, courses, workshops and events on topics like anti-Black racism, unconscious bias, and the challenges faced by visible minorities in the public service.
     

  • Between Us With Wes Hall: This podcast addresses anti-Blackness and racism in corporate Canada, with conversations that are finally happening out loud.
     

  • Yo, Is This Racist?: Andrew Ti and cohost Tawny Newsome answer questions from listeners about whether certain situations or comments are racist.
     

  • The Diversity Gap: Host Bethaney Wilkinson’s podcast tackles “the gap between good intentions and good impact” in regard to diversity, inclusion, culture, and belonging.
     

  • About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge: From the author behind the bestselling Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race comes a podcast that takes the conversation a step further.
     

  • Code Switch: An NPR podcast that tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between. 
     

  • Ten Years Out: Stories from My Queer Community: Host Sam Fagan celebrates her 10th anniversary of coming out of the closet and dives into the transformative experiences and collective wisdom shared by herself and her queer friends since that time.

What can science tell us about race and racism?

Science of Racism Documentary

 

The Science of Racism is a short documentary exploring the ways in which our brain compartmentalizes, classifies and subconsciously discriminates in order to make sense of the world around us.

 

A Canadian Race Relations Foundation production
in partnership with Silvertrust Media
This project has been made possible in part by the
Government of Canada.

The Royal Institution

SCIENCE, RACE AND RACISM

An evidence-based discussion on the controversial topic of race, as science sees it.
Do races even exist, biologically?

Adam Rutherford hosts a panel of experts,
including Kenan Malik, Aoife McLysaght and Heidi Mirza. 

Heidi Mirza
Professor of Race, Faith & Culture at the Department of Sociology at Goldsmiths University. Her work focuses on gender, race, faith and culture using postcolonial and black feminist theoretical frameworks.

 

Kenan Malik
Writer, lecturer and broadcaster. His latest book is 'The Quest for a Moral Compass: A Global History of Ethics.' 

 

Aoife McLysaght
A professor in the Molecular Evolution Lab at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin. 

Creators for Change

THE SCIENCE OF RACISM

Racism is real.
Science can help us combat it.

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The Agenda

THE RETURN OF RACE SCIENCE

Objective Science,
or Is It?

The continual thread of belief in biological racial differences that originated as early as the 16th century and has since been discredited is the topic of British science journalist Angela Saini's 2019 book, "Superior: The Return of Race Science." She talks to Nam Kiwanuka about her book, which tells the disturbing story of the persistent thread of belief in biological racial differences in the world of science.

For millennia, dominant societies have had the habit of believing their own people to be the best, deep down: the more powerful they become, the more power begins to be framed as natural, as well as cultural. When you see how power has shaped the idea of race, then you can start to understand its meaning.

At a time when racialized nationalisms are a resurgent threat throughout the world, Superior is a rigorous, much-needed examination of the insidious and destructive nature of race science—and a powerful reminder that, biologically, we are all far more alike than different.

In this webinar, Dr. Charlotte Loppie explored anti-Aboriginal racism in Canada – how to understand it in historical context, how it affects individuals and communities, and what programs, policies and strategies exist to combat it. Dr. Loppie began by describing the construction of race as a form of social hierarchy, followed with an overview of expressions of racism as well as the impact of lived and structural racism on First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in Canada. Finally, Dr. Loppie provided examples of efforts to address racism in Canada, including anti-racism interventions, anti-oppressive education and cultural competency, as well as anti-discrimination legislation.

Listen on SoundCloud: 
https://soundcloud.com/nccih-ccnsa/sets/nccahwebinar-racism

 

For additional information, speaker bios, learning objectives, recommended readings, and resource downloads, see: https://www.nccih.ca/495/Webinar__Anti-Aboriginal_Racism_in_Canada__A_Social_Determinant_of_Health

 

See also

8th Fire: Aboriginal Peoples, Canada & the Way Forward

By CBC

It's a Canadian broadcast documentary series, which aired in 2012 and featured television, radio and web broadcasting components, the series focused on the changing nature of Canada's relationship with its First Nations communities.

The television component aired as a four-part documentary hosted by Wab Kinew as part of CBC Television's Doc Zone. See the trailer below:

BIONEERS

Revolution from the Heart of Nature

FROM OTHERING TO BELONGING

Making equity real

How can we, as a society, move from “othering” to belonging. What and whom does othering actually benefit? How can we expand the circle of human concern and concern for nature? How can we live into our innate interconnection to create true inclusivity and wholeness? How do we build the structures, institutions, policies, cultures and stories that will support that inclusivity? 

 

Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder-in Residence at PolicyLink, which works to improve access and opportunity for all low-income people and communities of color, and john a. powell, renowned law professor, activist, and founder of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, delve deep into these critically important, existential questions.

This discussion took place at the 2022 Bioneers Conference.

CBCNEWS

SILENT NO MORE

Canada is not immune to racism.

 

Sure, we're nice, but we are also not without our issues of discrimination. Sadly, we are also grappling with the acceptance of 'The Other'. If we're going to have a better Canada, we need to hold people to account. We need to call out racism when we see it.
 

Because racism is inhibiting the true progress of all.

BIONEERS

Revolution from the Heart of Nature

FROM OTHERING TO BELONGING

Creating the Conditions for Belonging and Breathing in a Toxic Environment

Bridging or breaking? That is the sharp choice we face today as a society and as individual citizens. 

 

We need bridges, not walls.

Bridging is about recognizing another person’s humanity.
When people are seen, they start to heal.

john a. powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, has long been one of our nation’s leading and most original thought leaders. He has delved deeply into the complexities of civil rights and liberties, structural racism, poverty, housing, racial and ethnic identity, inclusivity, spirituality and social justice, as well as the needs of citizens in a democratic society. john goes beyond the personal and interpersonal to consider some of the cultural systems that push us to break and polarize. He illuminates how instead we can bridge to transform and heal these destructive impulses and the current toxic political atmosphere by cultivating new ways of thinking and by building social structures conducive to Belonging and Breathing. john a. powell delivered this talk at the Bioneers 2020 Conference, introduced by Kenny Ausubel.

To learn more about john's work, visit the Othering and Belonging Institute

Coming out of the closet isn't easy.
But it will change your life.

While "coming out" may be a term associated with people telling the world they are gay, equality advocate, Ash Beckham says everyone has a "closet" of their own. The closet, after all, just means the safe space we go to instead of having a difficult conversation. "And although our topics may vary tremendously, the experience of being in and coming out of the closet is universal. It is scary, and we hate it, and it needs to be done," she says in her popular TED Talk video titled "Coming Out of Your Closet." She shares a heartwarming story of how she had a conversation she had been dreading for years, but it turned out to be easier than she had imagined.

 

Just wanted to recommend this Netflix movie that left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside and also made me shed a few tears.

'It's Only Life After All' tells the story of the Indigo Girls, a dynamic, musical, queer duo who talk about their queerness and change lives in the process.

And so much more.

Honestly, I fell in love with the Indigo Girls after watching this film.

Their messages about queerness and social justice are wonderful and powerful.    

CFRAC Conversations 1.png

This season includes presentations on the following:

  • Anti-Black Racism in Canada

  • Systemic and Institutional Racism in Canada

  • The Media and Racism 

  • Experiences of Racism and Discrimination Among Black Communities in Alberta 

  • Exploring the Impacts of the Pandemic on Immigrant Communities

  • Enhancing African Canadian Capacity to Advance Human Rights and Equality

  • The Effects of COVID-19 on Visible Minority Groups in Canada

  • Systemic Racism & Indigenous Communities in Alberta

  • Anti-racism and Acts of Solidarity

  • Impacts of Racism on Mental Health

  • Renaming & Removal: Public Memory in Public Spaces

  • Discrimination in the Arts

CFRAC logo.JPG

CENTRE FOR RACE

AND CULTURE

Challenging-Discrimination-Through-Community-Conversations_logo.jpeg

Challenging Discrimination through Community Conversations” is an ongoing series of online moderated roundtables with guest speakers from diverse communities, organizations, academia, and the general public, which seeks to understand and address experiences of discrimination and exclusion in the Canadian context. 

By shining the spotlight on different forms of discrimination, such as anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism, and discrimination against Asian communities, among other topics, we hope to encourage solidarity among groups and individuals interested in promoting social inclusion and equity.
CFRAC Conversations 2.png

This season includes presentations on the following:

  • Intersectionality and Social Inclusion

  • Understanding and Addressing Anti-Muslim Hate in Canada

  • Addressing Discrimination in the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community

  •  Responding to Houselessness in our Community

  • Ableism, Accessibility, & Advocacy in Our Community

  • Celebrating The Black Community in Alberta for Black History Month

  • Celebrating Women in Our Community on International Women’s Day

  • Anti-Racism Practices in Education

  • Ageism in Alberta

  • Understanding Racialization and the Canadian Criminal Justice System

“When men oppress their fellow-men, the oppressor finds, in the character of the oppressed, a full justification for his oppression.”

Dr. William Douglass sums up the history of racist ideas in a single sentence.

The Netflix documentary Stamped from the Beginning kicks off with a provocative question from antiracism advocate, author and professor Ibram X. Kendi:

What is wrong with Black people?

As a succession of Black academics express wonder and surprise at the question — rolling it over in their mouths while they think about it, like tasting a bitter pill — Stamped from the Beginning launches into an incisive, expansive look at the origin of racist ideas about Black people, covering themes Kendi first explored in his 2016 award-winning book Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.

'Stamped From the Beginning' is a sharp look at the history of anti-Black racism

Films, series and documentaries
you can watch

Listen to podcasts or the radio and take steps toward dismantling racism.

  • Hidden Figures
    A film about three African American mathematicians working at NASA

  • Just Mercy
    A film that follows civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s work on death row

  • Becoming  
    A Netflix documentary on Michelle Obama's book tour

  • 13th 
    A Netflix documentary that explores racial inequality in the US criminal justice system

  • Dear White People 
    A Netflix series following a group of students of colour at Winchester University, a predominantly white college

  • When They See Us (Netflix)

  • Just Mercy (Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Redbox)

  • Fruitvale Station (Tubi)

  • America to Me (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Starz)

  • Imitation of Life, 1934 (Available to rent on most platforms)

  • The Hate U Give (Available to rent on most platforms)

  • The Color of Compromise (Amazon Prime)

  • National Film Board of Canada Anti-Racism films

  • PBS Understanding racism videos

  • Code Switch (NPR)

  • Pod for the Cause (Leadership Conf on Civil & Human Rights)

  • Podcasts (hosted by Black Christians and Theologians)

  • Truth’s Table (Soundcloud)

  • Pass the Mic (Apple Podcasts, Spotify)

The recipe for unraveling unconscious bias is quite simple. “You People” reminds us of that.

A modern take on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the movie 
You People wades into the difficulties and awkwardness of interracial romance, and the cultural exchange and conflict that comes with it. Directed by Kenya Barris with a script by Barris and Jonah Hill, the film follows Ezra Cohen (Hill), a white Jewish guy who falls in love with Amira Mohammed (Lauren London), a Black Muslim woman. In a beat that feels fairly true to life, neither of them fully anticipates how weird their respective families will be about their relationship.
 As their respective families respond to the cultural differences, their relationship is put to the test. The movie tries to tackle some difficult topics, including racism, with a mixture of romance and comedy. 

Movie "You People" a Recipe for Racial Harmony

“Many of our political leaders are not the role models we need them to be - and it's a disgrace
(not to mention dangerous).”


- Ted Yudelson

Sadly, many of our political "leaders" deploy a playbook of racist tactics like dog whistles and scapegoating to win favour. The tragedy is that many in leadership have convinced a significant number of people that their best future depends on rejecting, and indeed actively fighting against, a multiracial democracy. But we're already a multiracial society. What we stand to lose, then, is our democracy and a society that can work for all of us.

WATCH: ‘We will not let hate win,’
Michigan lawmaker says

A US Senator responds to some unfortunate comments from across the aisle, schooling her colleague (not to mention her country in general) in the art of decency.

 

Mehdi:

Openly racist Republicans like Tuberville face no backlash from GOP
(msnbc.com)

The ability to see yourself on-screen is powerful.

Told first-hand by some of Hollywood’s leading voices behind and in front of the camera, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING is a feature-length documentary that uncovers what is beneath one of the most confounding dilemmas in the entertainment industry – the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women. It takes an incisive look at the history, empirical evidence, and systemic forces that foster gender discrimination and thus reinforce disparity in our culture. Most importantly, the film seeks pathways and solutions from within and outside the industry, and around the world.

If the characters featured in children’s programming are disproportionately male, then “we are teaching them that girls and women don’t take up half the space in the world,” as Davis puts it. If the few female characters we do see are marginalized — or worse, sexualized — that sends an even clearer message to audiences about what is expected of women in society. 

 

A star-studded documentary about gender inequality in film and TV is equal parts history lesson and constructive criticism.

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