March 21st is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. There is no better way to celebrate than by taking firm action towards a more fair and equitable society for all.
There are many actions the provincial government can take to address systemic racism in B.C. Recognizing the International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD) 2015-2024 and including a line in the upcoming budget to financially support Black-led community organizations in the province is a great start. Budget to Build 2021 is an immediate action the government can take to demonstrate that Black Lives Matter.
The IDPAD is an initiative to promote and protect human rights, and proclaim the"recognition, justice and development" of people of African descent. However, there are just three years left and the B.C. provincial government has not recognized the Decade, despite repeated advocacy for years from the B.C. IDPAD Advisory Committee, composed of Black community leaders from across the province.
The federal government recognized the Decade in 2018 and allocated $25M in funding, but until B.C. officially recognizes the Decade and allocates funding to help build the capacity of Black-led organizations, our local organizations cannot access the federal funding unless they go through an office in Alberta. During this time of COVID-19 recovery, wouldn’t funnelling this critical funding into the province be a no-brainer?
After the cataclysmic events of 2020, we have seen a surge of interest around the systemic racism that Black communities face. But we need more than conversations - it’s the responsibility of legislators and elected officials to demonstrate leadership on anti-racism initiatives and take action. This must include stable funding for those who are on the ground and already doing the vital work in their communities, like SNIWWOC and others.
We are asking for a Budget to Build: A 2021 budget that will help build community because the Decade is more than just capacity-building for Black-led organizations. These are further investments into affordable childcare, food security, economic growth, local businesses, and more job opportunities for our province.
Current members of the B.C. NDP government are aware of the IDPAD and have committed to its recognition. Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation Ravi Kahlon promised during a town hall in the 2020 snap election that an NDP government would recognize the Decade in a meaningful way. Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives Rachna Singh said that the government has worked closely with the Committee to understand how to appropriately recognize the Decade; however, members of the Committee have not had a meeting with the Parliamentary Secretary to date. Consultation is important and before the government commits to recognizing the Decade and introduces Anti-Racism legislation, the Committee is looking to have a meeting with the Premier, the Minister of Finance, the Parliamentary Secretary of Anti-Racism Initiatives and the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation by early April to discuss recognition and implementation in detail.
It will take firm action to ensure that we move beyond words to achieve the outcomes that we all wish to see and that B.C.’s Black communities deserve. Over the next few weeks, please contact your local MLA and advocate for the Budget to Build 2021.
The provincial government can honour the IDPAD’s mission to promote, respect, protect and fulfil the human rights and fundamental freedoms for people of African descent by formally recognizing the Decade and ensuring that Budget 2021 allocates targeted investments to the Black-led, grassroots organizations in B.C.
We only have one month until Budget 2021 is tabled in the Legislature and today is the perfect day to take action! To learn more about what you can do, please visit the Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour’s website.
Boma Brown is the founder of the Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour (SNIWWOC) and Sonia Furstenau is the leader of the BC Greens
