Plan to scrap ‘racist’ streaming in Grade 9 hailed as major step for Black students in Ontario
Beginning in Grade 9, all the way through his high school career, Ethan Itwaru had a ritual of visiting the guidance counsellor once a year. His annual battle to secure the grades he needed to earn in some of his classes had him regularly questioning whether to switch to the hands-on applied stream or stay in the post-secondary-track academic stream….
Lookahead ’21: An Ottawa organization is seeding change by helping farmers around the globe
SeedChange is continuing to help farmers grow crops and preserve farmland
Ottawa’s people of colour grapple with mental health toll of COVID-19
Mental health disparities in Ottawa are inspiring BIPOC-led initiatives to provide an empathetic path to well-being.
Faces of change: Wise Atangana works to empower Black youth
Wise Atangana hopes to open a cultural centre to empower young Black artists in Ottawa.
Still waiting in the wings: Why women and people of colour remain sidelined in Canadian film and TV
While change is starting to happen, too many BIPOC women are still waiting for their turn at leadership roles within the film and television industry in Canada and worldwide.
‘It’s about time’: Black Canadians cheer rise of Kamala Harris to U.S. vice-presidency
Black Canadians are applauding the victory of Kamala Harris as the first Black, South Asian woman to be the U.S. vice-president.
Locked down in lockup: Prisoners’ mental health suffers as visits, volunteer groups suspended during pandemic
Volunteer-led activities in prisons across Canada have been shut down because of the pandemic, leading to a decline in already-difficult conditions that strain mental health.
‘Names Hurt’: Confronting the embedded racism in Ottawa streets and landmarks linked to slavery
In the wake of the North America-wide anti-racism protests spawned by the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, Canada has seen a growing movement to highlight systems of oppression and systemic racism. As a part of this, citizens have begun to question the symbols around Canadian cities that honour racist figures and they are pushing for renaming’s.
Quebec woman’s death after racist slurs prompts push to reform health care for Indigenous peoples
The Indigenous community continues bear the brunt of inadequate healthcare, regularly experiencing abusive treatment, negative stereotyping, and substandard care.
Faces of change: Nimao Ali, a ‘friend, sister and mother’ to Ottawa’s Somali community
Nimao Ali has worked to bring justice for Abdirahman Abdi with the Abdi family and local members of the community.
Faces of change: Rev. Anthony Bailey hard at work for social justice
Parkdale United Church Reverend Anthony Bailey has been awarded the Order of Ottawa for his exceptional contributions to the Ottawa community.
Faces of change: Nathalie Maione uses furniture to fight for inclusion
Nathalie Maione’s charity Helping With Furniture furnishes the homes of international and domestic immigrants in Ottawa. They go far beyond furniture in their fight for inclusion.