Here in Canada we don’t have as many Black Lives Matter chapters as there are in the United States but the ideas are just as relevant. Despite our beliefs in this country that we are not racist and not violent, Black Lives Matter is helping us see that those perspectives aren’t accurate.
Today, we’ll hear about the two Black Lives Matter chapters in Canada, in two different cities. Toronto and Vancouver has very different ways of exploring and challenging racism.
1. Desmond Cole has emerged as one of the strongest voices for the rights of black people in Toronto in recent years. A noted journalist, his articles have appeared in various publications including The Walrus, Toronto Star, Vice, and NOW. He’s a radio host on Newstalk 1010 in Toronto, and until recently, was cohost of Canadaland Commons. He’s one of the go-to people when the media explores issues of racism in Toronto.
rabble podcast network reporter and associate producer Kvesche Be got the opportunity to talk to Desmond Cole at Ruckus, an Annual Conference in Toronto to empower youth to act on issues of racism and oppression, held on April 28 at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Desmond reflects on the progress of Black Lives Matter in Toronto over the past 18 months.
2. Cicely-Belle Blain is a queer, black, femme poet, artist, full time child-care provider and community organizer who has been a settler on Coast Salish lands for four years. Originally from London, England, she has been working on bringing accessibility and inclusivity to spaces, mainly at UBC, where she studied European Studies and Russian. Cicely-Belle’s current projects include co-founding a chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement in Vancouver, writing a novel on Black queer love and archiving the history of racialized student activism across North America.
An excerpt from the MsRepresent podcast on the rabble podcast network. Thanks to Charlene Sayo, podcast host and interviewer in this feature.
You can hear the whole program here.
Read rabble’s two-part interview with BLM organizer Janaya Khan here and here.
