A team of people in Saskatoon and Regina hope to inspire non-Indigenous readers to have honest conversations about racial issues on the prairies.
Christina Anderson is an editor with the “Anti-Racism on the Prairies” project and says it’s important for non-Indigenous people to join the conversation to understand the true history of Canada and unpack the harms that have been caused by racism.
“For real change to happen, we also have to challenge systems and work to achieve structural change in our justice and healthcare system for example,” Anderson told CTV News.
The book will feature local photography and infographics. It will also have a workbook and journal component and a collection of poetry and art from Black, Indigenous and people of color youth.
Anderson says for people who are non-Indigenous, the essays and exercises will help them have important conversations on racism and identify biases and macroaggressions within themselves.
While anyone can read the book, it’s aimed towards larger corporations and teaching spaces for educational purposes and professional development.
“These kinds of conversations and tools are really important because reconciliation isn’t the responsibility of Indigenous people here in this country and certainly here in the prairies,” Anderson said.
“We’ve been asked to be involved and there are meaningful places in our personal lives, our workplaces and the classroom where we can make a difference.”
Vada Jethro is a Metis person and the social media and project manager for “Anti-Racism on the Prairies” and says racism is “everywhere you look towards Indigenous people.”
“I think it’s important to have a workbook specifically for this area to keep it local to be able to tackle the different types of racism that you see in different areas of the prairies,” Jethro said.
Jethro describes themself as a white-passing person and says they missed out on a lot of experiences to be able to learn their culture when growing up in Prince Albert.
“I often think about how intergenerational trauma affected me not being able to learn my culture and learn Michif and it saddens me. But I think that sadness is turning into motivation to be able to change it for future generations,” Jethro said.
While the book’s release date isn’t until summer, Jethro is excited to see the impact it’ll have.
The project is accepting submissions until the end of April. Those interested in contributing can visit the website.