Alexis Cinq-Mars, VP Diversity & Inclusion, ACCSA

This month practically flew by! 

I’m so excited to be writing about my amazing experience doing the 21-day racial equity challenge. I definitely learned about many interesting perspectives from a wide variety of cultures. There was so many choices of podcasts, short reads, and videos I was able to easily take a few minutes out of my busy life to take in the rich ways of knowing by many individuals with lived experience.

I highly recommend the Brown Rice Hour; they have an amazing host and so many interesting interviews. The interviews all included talk of spirituality in their respected profession such as social justice and program development in the not-for-profit sector. Many of the article pieces I read were personal blogs that painted colorful images of history, breaking down systemic racism and interestingly enough an article about a newfound understanding on white privilege written by a fresh ally. The Munroe Bergdorf interview on her personal narrative regarding being dropped by L’Oréal was moving and inspiring. She had a lot of interesting viewpoints on her life as a Black transwoman and activism within her modeling career. There are so many wonderful advocates in the Black community that I am looking forward to continuing to follow along their careers.

In my reflections on account of my experiences as an indigenous woman in Canada I can see a lot similarities and possibilities for allyship along side indigenous communities and Black communities in promoting racial equity.