Are you wondering what you can do about racial inequities?
Isn’t that someone else’s job?
What difference can one person make anyhow?
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
Sometimes it takes just a leap of faith. Sometimes we overthink things. Sometimes we
just need to get on with it.
More than a #Hashtag is about getting on with it.
It is about making a commitment to the things are that are most important. It is about ensuring my values are aligned with the work I do.
I envision More than a #Hashtag as a conversation – one where everyone shows up
and is willing to learn. A conversation where we are willing to have the hard discussions
and to hear and feel the uncomfortable. A place where we can learn from each other,
where we can share resources and respectfully challenge each other. A place where we
can commit to taking the steps we need to take to do things differently.
For me, this process starts with education. What do I need to learn?
One of the first things I did was watch the movie “Thirteen”. While it is American in
content, it really opened my eyes to the history of systemic racism and how the
American justice system was actually set up intentionally to disadvantage African Americans. It was shocking and eye opening and heartbreaking all at once. While the Canadian experience is different in some ways, I am learning (thanks to Jan Campbell) that systemic racism is alive and well here also, and continues to unfairly disadvantage many of our neighbours.
At our first conversation of More than a #Hashtag, I am thrilled that two respected business leaders – Jan Campbell and Catherine Meade have agreed to join us to open the conversation with their personal experiences of being Black in Canada. Then I will
lead a larger conversation with the entire group about what inequities we are aware of,
what we are learning, how we can help be the change we want to see in the world. It
would be helpful to know what resources we each have come across that would help us
learn more about what we can do to make a difference. I will compile a list of resources
for the group and discuss where we might begin together to dig deeper into this topic
with the purpose of driving change. If you have come across a resource that you found
helpful, I would be grateful if you would bring it to the conversation so it might be
shared.
From this list of resources, we will choose a place to start to learn together and meet on
a regular basis to discuss our learnings, our questions, and our actions.
I look forward to these insightful conversations and to learning and taking action with
you. Join us by signing up here.
Here are some more details on our guests:
Jan Campbell is one of Canada’s most experienced advisors to non-profit, public
agency and business leaders. The CEO and founder of Strategisense Consulting, Jan
has coached, taught and consulted hundreds of leaders and teams from some of the
country’s most recognized and respected organizations to build cultures of resilient,
curious and deeply committed leadership. Jan believes that a powerful collective
energy emerges when women connect with other women and is the founder of the
Black Women’s Leadership Network - a global community that provides women with the
tools and resources they need to navigate, grow and thrive in their careers and
communities.
Catherine Meade is the VP, Social & Community Responsibility at Ontario Lottery & Gaming and long time equity, diversity and inclusion advocate. Catherine has been
working on EDI issues for nearly 30 years and was an EDI professional for 8 years prior
to becoming a lawyer. Since then, she has continued to work on anti-racism and equity-
seeking pursuits through volunteering both in her workplace and in the broader
community.