As Canada marks Black History Month and International Development Week, we ask ourselves: How can we resist, rather than reinforce, global structures of racism and colonialism? This is a question that we are always exploring at Inter Pares, and it is the question that frames our February Bulletin, Challenging Colonialism.
This Bulletin features the work of our counterparts in Canada and Colombia to resist racism and colonialism. Read about the efforts of La Ligue des droits et libertés to provide accessible and engaging education on complex concepts of systemic oppression. Learn how Justicia for Migrant Workers raises awareness of xenophobia and racism experienced by migrant farm workers. Get to know an Afro-Colombian teacher leading the struggle for ethno-education.
What's inside...
Forty-five years ago, a group of young Canadians with a passion for global peace and justice returned home from volunteering overseas, disillusioned but motivated. Inspired by anti-colonial struggles, feminist consciousness-raising, and community organizing, they founded a new type of social justice organization: one that united activists in Canada and the Global South to work for change inter pares, or “among equals.” Read how Inter Pares still aspires to uphold that principle for which we were named.
Dismantling Systemic Racism and Exclusion in Colombia
Colombia has one of the largest Afro-descendant populations in Latin America, representing approximately one quarter of the entire country. Afro-Colombians, many of whose ancestors were kidnapped and brought to the Americas during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, continue to face widespread discrimination. Read about the struggle of Manuel, an Afro-Colombiam teacher and community leader, to ensure Afro-Colombian children receive culturally appropriate, quality education that reflects their history and traditions.
Anti-Racism and Anti-Colonialism Start With Us
For many people, 2020 was a year of increased awareness about injustices in our society. The outrage sparked by the death of Joyce Echaquan and the momentous Black Lives Matter protests represent a public rejection of a system where power is not shared equally, but for the advantage of a dominant group. Read how Inter Pares counterparts in Canada are taking action, and providing tools and resources to combat racism.
Challenging Colonialism, February 2021