coagnsnaOaE Racism awareness SARAH GLEN THE MARTLET acism is a global disease Res human hearts worldwide-a disease that can only be cured with education and awareness. This was the message of Ms. Souna Fanayan, President of the United Nations Association, speaking at Monday's “Racism in Victoria: What is Our Community's Responsibility?” panel. The panel kicked off seven days of community-based awareness campaigns to elimi- nate racism in Victoria. The event will culminate with a noon-hour march and rally on Sunday March 21-the UN - International Day for the CINDY POULIN, new ground in designation opens strength of my « Elimination of All Forms of Racism. “Racism first takes root in the minds of the individual,” said Fanayan. “We must endeavour to change the beliefs and attitudes of each individual to reach true racial equality.” The Committee for Awareness of UN Agreements, which hosted the forum, was called into action by the upcoming UN International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racism and Canada’s recent ratification of the United Nations Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The convention, though praised as a step forward in the elimination of racism, was chastized by Monday night's panellists for its use of lofty language and lack of immediate implementation into communi- ty policy. “The international govern- ments have pledged themselves to this cause,” said Dr. Joan Russow, panellist and represen- tative for the Global Compliance Project. “But they still do nothing. We must demand this rhetoric be changed to action.” But that change comes slow- ly and is weighted down by bureaucratic red tape, said Mrs. Harinder Dillon, panellist and local anti-racism activist. “We must bring a human face to racism,” said Dillon. “Those who live with racism every day don’t live in lofty words and mounds of governmental Summer Session Application CGA Consultant the n part of internet opportunity. N K CGA new economy, breaking and accounting. It’s definitel The Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia offers unparalleled career opportunities in financial management. Top positions, big responsibilities and maximum earning power. COMBINE YOUR DIPLOMA WITH THE POWER OF A CGA DESIGNATION. Call 1-800-565-1211 or (604) 732-1211 or visit: www.cga-bc.org 1 March 30 at the Sheraton Guildford, 15269 - 104th Ave., Surrey 7:30 - 8:30 pm. | March 23 at BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour St., Vancouver 5:30 - 6:30 pm; Information sessions are held | Extra information every Tuesday 1:30 - 2:30 pm sessions: March 23 and in the Association's office, 25 at the Association's 1555 West 8th Ave, Vancouver. office 7 - 8 pm; Page 10 March 24 1999 The Other Press papers.” An emotional plea from an audience member named Kea showed that “human face” to the panel and demonstrated the need for change in racism policy in Victoria. “I came here to live a peaceful life, not bru- tal life,” said Kea, who described the police abuse he has endured because of his Latin-American background. “Tm not a drug dealer or pimp—I'm just a guy trying to survive,” said Kea. With racism survivors like Kea in mind, the committee drafted a tentative “document of action,” outlin- ing proposals ranging from anti-racism educational pack- ages for elementary and pri- mary schools to the develop- ment of an organization to help racism survivors express their concerns directly to the municipal government. “Doing something, anything, against racism empowers people the way nothing else can,” said panellist Dr. Saul Arbess. “We've got to embrace the con- cept of unity in order to have change.” Whites eliminating racism DAWN ASHBACHER group of White Allies got together on the subject of Whites Eliminating Racism for National End Racial - Discrimination Day of March 21. The allies had decided that they wanted to show their support by looking at how racism has hurt their lives as White people and they made the decision that one of the best ways to do this was to get a group of interested people together. They wanted to look at how being the agents of the oppression of racism not only hurt their lives but the lives of the people around them. In addition, a secondary purpose was to release what feelings they had accumulated, like hurts, pain, guilt, and grief, over being responsible for _ passing on the misinformation that they had received as young people. At the end of the group meeting, someone volunteered to write up a brief report to include in this Colours Supplement. [Gweny Wong, Colours Sup. Coordinator]. This topic group led by two womyn, Jevera Temsky and Francie Magee, looked at spe- cific issues for people in their 30s related to eliminating racism. Jevera reminded us that as adults, we are required to be the agents of oppression. It is important that we make the decision to fight racism, as well as actually fighting it. In other words, just recognizing the problem of racism does not make it go away, we also have to do the work both personally and systemically to eliminate racism. It may seem like a big, complex problem, but we can figure it out. Francie pointed out that as adults, our deci- sions are taken more seriously. Therefore, if we take a stand against racism, we may become more of a target. Some of us may also have the resources to avoid the problem, such as by moving to a different neigh- bourhood. On the plus side, we may have more opportunities to take a stand against racism. A piece of information I real- ly appreciated was that racism is often used as permission to run the baggage that we carry around with us or internalized oppression at people of colour. For example, womyn may put their fear of men on African- Canadians, in particular, where it is experienced as racism. On the other hand, someone may not reach out to people, but when she does not reach out to people of colour, it is experi- enced as racism. In order to eliminate racism, the underly- ing hurts white people have must be eliminated. Thus, it is important for white people to remember that they are doing this work for themselves to clean up years of baggage that they have been carrying around. To recall the kind of misinformation that has been passed on to them by others and hurts that limit their lives in many ways, not just with people of colour. This topic group was led excellently and widened my perspective on dealing with the issue of Whites eliminating racism as adults.