[antiwar-van] Dec 9: Racism and Anti Racist Organizing Meeting

[Harsha]

- pls forward -

3rd Meeting on Racism and Anti-Racist Organizing

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Sunday December 9 from 5-7 pm
Lore Krill Co-op
65 West Cordova (corner, just east of Cambie)
Snacks served. Childcare on-site. Wheelchair accessible.
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Given a clear and keen interest to continue meeting and in continuing to
work together on building and organizing a more effective and visible
anti-racist movement, we are organizing our third meeting on racism and
anti-racist organizing.

To date, there have been two community forums and discussions on racism,
racial violence, systemic racism, and anti-racism. Over 100 people total
have participated in both community meetings. Several community groups
have given presentations and updates on current struggles against racism,
others have offered historical perspectives on anti-racist organizing,
while other individuals have shared personal experiences of racism.

A majority of those in attendance were interested in continuing to work
together on building and organizing a more effective and visible
anti-racist movement, particularly one connected to understanding and
fighting racial violence, giving voice to experiences of racism, as well
as resisting structural racism as it manifests itself through colonization
of indigenous lands, anti-immigrant measures, militarization and
occupation globally, and capitalist neoliberal economic policies.

In addition, we hope to have more critical conversations on understanding
and analyzing racism, what anti-racist movements and ally work looks like,
facilitating organizing of and active solidarity between
individuals/communities of colour, as well as dialogue between individuals
and communities on our diverse and nuanced experiences of racism.

Several concrete ideas were also proposed in these meeting: including a
radical anti-racist day of action in March 2008, documenting incidents of
racism and racial violence in order to break isolation and silence, ideas
for popular education including alternative anti-racist educational
program development, an Indigenous/People of Colour Grassroots Coalition
and more.

We hope you will join us. For more information contact
van.antiracism.forum at gmail.com or call 604 418 0279