Justice for Black, Brown and Indigenous Lives: A message of solidarity from RAVEN

We stand in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of peaceful protestors who are in the streets and on their feet to defend the dignity of the lives of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC).

The outcry over the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota at the knee of a white police officer has swelled into an uprising for justice. Running like rivers across Turtle Island and around the world – calls for justice, anti-racism, and environmental justice have flowed in dozens of cities.

Here in Canada, we must address anti-Black racism in our culture, our institutions, and our individual lives. Black people also lose their lives at the hands of police in Canada. In Toronto, the family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet is demanding answers after she fell to her death from her balcony after the police attended her apartment. 

We stand in solidarity with the Black and Afro-Indigenous communities across Turtle Island and the world. We see you, we hear you, and we are with you in this fight for justice. 

The legal, social, and political distribution of resources and opportunity across Turtle Island is rooted in white supremacy and colonialism. Our work with the Beaver Lake Cree, Tsilhqot’in Nation, Wet’suwet’en, Tsleil-Waututh and other Indigenous peoples has shown us that living with racist Indian Act legislation, broken Treaty promises, and disrespect for Indigenous legal orders is a daily reality. This is also a reality for Black and racialized communities.

Rooted structural inequality perpetuates the impoverishment and political marginalization of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. This inequity at its core is violent, and unacceptable. We, as an organization and as a movement, are deeply committed to tackling these issues at the root. 

At RAVEN, our mission is fundamentally aligned with the clear and present calls for justice. It is the work of people everywhere to re-invent the future, by courageously interrogating  the inequities of the present. It is up to each one of us to dismantle privilege, decolonize power structures, and invest in movements for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, with humility, love, and solidarity. 

We invite you to support any number of organizations such as: Black Lives Matter, George Floyd Memorial Fund, Black Visions Collective, Campaign Zero, The Bail Project, Federation of Black Canadians, Black Youth Helpline, Freedom School Toronto, Black Women in Motion, Black Legal Action Centre, the BC Community Alliance, and all the Black Lives Matter chapters across the country. Please amplify the voices of Black communities on the frontline doing important work for social and environmental justice.

 

In solidarity,


Jeffrey Nicholls, President

with the team at RAVEN
Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs

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