On Anti-Black Racism
June 1, 2020
We grieve Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Chevranna Abdi. We grieve the many more Black people who have died, including those whose names we will never know. Each name represents a preventable death of a Black person, within and beyond our colonial borders. We affirm Black Lives Matter in this time of Black deaths at the hands of police and white supremacy, this past week and beyond.
At YouthCO, we believe Black Lives Matter. We affirm Black youth in our communities who are resisting, who are grieving, who are raging, who are organizing, who are resting, and who are afraid that they will be next. We affirm Black voices and Black leadership, and we recommit to the ongoing work of dismantling white supremacy, ending centuries of racial injustice, discrimination, and violence, and defunding institutions that harm us.
We know we have work to do, in our organization, in our programs, to create space for Black joy, Black leadership, and Black freedom. This week, we are affirming that Black Lives Matter, all of the ways Black people are responding in this moment of anti-Black violence, and identifying ways to put our belief that Black Lives Matter into action within our organization and in our programs.
We invite our colleagues within the HIV and Hep C movements to join us in this work, and we invite our communities to hold us accountable as we seek to put our beliefs into action.
Donate to Black-led organizations like Afro-Canadian Positive Network within and beyond our work in HIV and Hepatitis C.
Afro-Canadian Positive Network is a Black-led organization that does incredible work to provide direct support to Afro-Canadians, including newcomers, impacted by HIV. This volunteer-led organization provides important services to people experiencing anti-Black racism, xenophobia, and the related HIV stigma, poverty, and over-policing throughout Surrey, the Lower Mainland, and BC. Afro-Canadian Positive Network is a key partner in supporting Camp Moomba families year round, and is led by wonderful volunteers whose labour should be paid.