April 2021 Newsletter

Neethan Shan, Executive Director

"Over the last month, we were able to mark International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination with an incredible turn out for our “Making Good Trouble” event. We have completed our Scarborough 30: Get Digital series and 211 series, with excellent feedback. Looking ahead, we are springing into action with planning future collaborations, training our volunteers, and continuing to provide culturally appropriate and supportive virtual spaces for our youth as they navigate various changes brought on by the pandemic.

There is still much work to be done. With anti-Asian racism on the rise in the west, the oppressive consequences of an amended law in France disproportionately affecting marginalized communities, and the frequent occurrences of police brutality as a method of systemic racism, we have found our work at UARR to be increasingly necessary. Read on for updates on some of our projects that are currently underway."

Establishing a Voice for Black Youth in Politics

This month, our Black Youth Fellows will be settling into their respective roles and begin planning the independent projects they are curating in their placements. Our fellows are currently working directly with elected officials in a range of different areas including research, advocacy, policy, and communications. We will be having a large training session on April 24th, where we will be joined by a panel of policy makers who will answer any questions and address any concerns raised by the fellows. This training session will take place in conjunction with the CABR where we aim to explore potential career opportunities available for the fellows within the political sector, and discuss the best methods for them to utilize their experiences from the Black Youth Fellowship program.

Advocating for Equity in the Education System

In March, the Coalition for Racial Equity in Education moved forward with our preparation for community organizing. We rounded off our search for parent and student volunteers and hosted our second round of community forums. At these forums, our partners and their respective volunteers selected the issues most important to them and the geographic areas we should focus our organizing efforts on. If you are still interested in supporting the project as a volunteer, the Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action and the Council Agencies Serving South Asians are still recruiting parent volunteers. Links to the online application can be found below:

TCCCA: https://form.jotform.com/210536735064049

CASSA: https://form.jotform.com/210544427161246

In the coming months, we will continue to regularly host shared spaces for our volunteers. During our student and parent meetings, we aim to make connections, share experiences, brainstorm for potential action, as well as keep each other informed. In addition to those spaces, community-specific meetings will now begin as communities organize around their selected topics.

We have also begun planning for the CREE Academic Conference, which is another opportunity to bring all the compiled and disseminated research and context about the education system to the groups that the system impacts most directly. The online sessions will be taking place on Monday, June 14th to Friday, June 18th, 2021. A detailed breakdown of topics and a call for research will be published in the coming weeks. Check out our website to stay informed: https://cree-uarr.nationbuilder.com/

Enhancing Durham's Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

The Diversity and Inclusion Training Session which took place on April 7^th aimed to increase Durham region’s professionals’ and staff’s understanding of their responsibilities and key strategies to advancing racial equity, diversity and inclusion for the Tamil and Pakistani members of the community. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this demographic has repeatedly been the victim of systematic challenges and structural disadvantages.

The Urban Alliance on Race Relations has delivered a wide range of workshops and presentations for organizations, community groups, and schools. We’ve worked with educators, youth and community members to deliver impactful educational experiences. We are committed to providing dynamic speakers who incorporate popular education, movement, and arts-based activities, which create a space for inclusive participation. We also encourage collaboration between other agencies, organizations and community-based initiatives.