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Girl Guides of Canada’s Statement on Anti-Black Racism
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Over the past week, we have all seen the impacts of historical injustice and anti-Black racism on Black communities. We have all heard about the horrible deaths of Black people including George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed while in police custody in the city of Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor, a Black healthcare worker who was killed by police in her apartment in Louisville and Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a Black woman whose death is being investigated as she died after falling from her balcony while police were in her apartment in Toronto. While some of these acts of anti-Black racism took place in the United States, we acknowledge that anti-Black racism exists here in Canada. Anti-Black racism deeply harms our Black members, staff and communities and it affects all of us. GGC is committed to addressing anti-Black racism both within our organization and through our voice as the leading organization for girls and women in Canada.
To our Black girl members, Guiders and staff, we see you, we hear you and we are with you. GGC wants to ensure that we provide a safer space for you to share and give feedback. Please contact inclusivity@girlguides.ca if you have ideas to share.
To our members who are not Black, we have to recommit daily to our values of equity and inclusion. This means we educate ourselves about anti-Black racism and learn how to be active allies. We must understand that the burden of changing oppressive systems should not be put on those being oppressed.
GGC is in a place of learning to ensure that all girls and women are welcome in Guiding. We will continue to reflect, learn and address oppression and anti-Black racism openly within our organization in order to continue to develop strategies and supports for those impacted. GGC seeks to be a catalyst for girls empowering girls and to serve all girls in Canada equitably and we know this can only happen through a commitment to change and anti-racism. As part of our commitment to equity and inclusion we will re-commit to the work that we have already started on making our organization more equitable and inclusive and will continue this conversation with our membership and staff in the coming weeks.
We are here to listen, to learn and to enact change that will create a safe space for Black girls and women in Guiding – that is our pledge and our promise.
Jill Zelmanovits
Chief Executive Officer |
Robyn McDonald
Chair, Board of Directors |