Black Lives Matter

Black lives matter.

It’s not enough for us as an organization to say those three words. They need to be reflected in the work we do.

We can’t just condemn racism. We need to be anti-racist.

We talk about food insecurity and poverty every day—amongst each other as coworkers, with donors, volunteers, people with lived experience, our food banks and meal programs, and other members of the community.

Those conversations rarely include race.

That’s not okay.

We can’t talk about food insecurity and poverty in our province without talking about the ways Black, Indigenous, people of colour are disproportionately affected by both. Food security is impossible without dismantling the system that was designed to oppress.

When people ask us what more they can do to further the cause, our answer is often the same: “Take time to learn and speak up about the issues.”

We ask them to be advocates.  To not only give their time or money, but also their voice.

We need to reflect, as an organization and as individuals, on the ways we use our own voice. We need to listen. We need to learn. And we need to start doing the work to be anti-racist.