Tag: Black Lives Matter

GUELPH POLITICAST #306 – Taking the System Out of Systemic Racism

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With all things COVID back on the front burner, it’s easy to temporarily forget everything that happened in the last few years around fighting systemic racism and embracing social justice. The City of Guelph is trying to make progress towards a more equitable and representative system seriously, but let’s ask the person who knows best: Is the City of Guelph making real progress on tackling issues of systemic racism? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #306 – Taking the System Out of Systemic Racism” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #280 – Deconstructing That Big School Board Decision

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For much of the last year, the Upper Grand District School Board began an investigation into the effect of having police officers in school, especially the School Resource Officer program, after the Black Lives Matter march last June in Downtown Guelph. The task force recommended, among other things, that the SRO come to end, but that was not the easy decision you might have thought it was. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #280 – Deconstructing That Big School Board Decision” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #271 – Takin’ Care of Business

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As you may have noticed, it’s a tough time out there for businesses, and a tougher time for businesses run by Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Colour. No one knows that better than Chidi Nwene because he talked to BIPOC-owned businesses to discuss their struggles in this third wave of the pandemic. What he learned was not necessarily surprising, but it still needs to be said. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #271 – Takin’ Care of Business” →

Guelph Police Twitter Account Takes Down Blue Lives Matter Banner

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How often do you look at the banner image at the top of a Twitter page? Probably not that often, but that top image may be the source of a big headache for the Guelph Police Service. An image of a “Blue Lives Matter” flag had, until today, appeared at the top of a Guelph Police Twitter account, and though it’s now gone, there’s still a concern about who is responsible, and if they understood that the symbol has more than one meaning. Continue reading “Guelph Police Twitter Account Takes Down Blue Lives Matter Banner” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #258 – They Had a Plan to “Defund the Police”

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“Defund the Police” is a simple three-word slogan for a complex idea. Some people mistakenly think that it means literally taking away all police funding, but more precisely it means re-examining how police services are funded, and rededicating that money to social programs. It’s easier said than done, but a group of folks in Waterloo actually came up with a real plan to defund the police. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #258 – They Had a Plan to “Defund the Police”” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #256 – Racism Wasn’t Defeated in a Year

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It’s impossible to look at the events last week in Washington D.C. outside the lens of White Supremacy. Even President-Elect Joe Biden affirmed in a press conference that if the insurrectionists that broke into the Capitol, vandalized, and threatened the lives of elected representatives had been Black, there would have been a lot more arrests, and a lot more than five deaths. Shockingly, 2020 wasn’t the end of racism. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #256 – Racism Wasn’t Defeated in a Year” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #240 – Catching Up with Kween

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We’ve heard a lot of talk about this being a moment, and June 6 was indeed a memorable moment in the history of Guelph with over 5,000 people in Market Square to march for Black Lives Matter. It amplified of a lot of voices who don’t always get heard in our community despite best intentions, but moments pass and that one was almost four months ago. How have things been going lately? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #240 – Catching Up with Kween” →

Graffiti Abounds! Guelph Black Heritage Hall Vandalized, But So is Nazi Monument (?) in Oakville

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So, there are Nazi monuments in Ontario? You might have never found that out if someone hadn’t vandalized the “Monument to the Glory of the UPA” in the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery in Oakville before Friday. This is the latest instance of racist, or colonialist, monuments and statues to be challenged or vandalized since protests for social justice started after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in May, but this one has a twist. Continue reading “Graffiti Abounds! Guelph Black Heritage Hall Vandalized, But So is Nazi Monument (?) in Oakville” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #229 – Black Votes Matter!

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This is where the hard work of changing the system, and combating systemic racism, begins. For almost two months there have been marches, demonstrations and meetings all designed to promote the cause, but if we’re going to tear down the system, and build something more equitable, it’s going to be a more long term fight. So how do we begin? Why don’t we begin with this podcast? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #229 – Black Votes Matter!” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #227 – Guelph Stuff (BLM, COVID-19, and Tabbara)

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There’s been a lot of news in Guelph lately, maybe too much news, so we’re all going to take a minute, or 60, on this week’s podcast to bring some analysis and a recap of all the happenings in this sorted little ‘burb called the Royal City. It’s time for another entry in the great Guelph Stuff punditry franchise. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #227 – Guelph Stuff (BLM, COVID-19, and Tabbara)” →