"Take a lesson from history"

We need to start learning from the oppressive events of the past.

Please read Amanda Parris's recent article "Canadian cultural institutions have silenced Black voices for years. Can we write a new chapter?" (8 June 2020).

We are living through historic times in terms of our ability to mobilize principles of collective action to make change in arenas of debate on social justice and the environment. Raising our awareness about specific events and issues that negatively, often mortally, impact other humans is our basic duty as citizens of the world. Technology is capturing the stories and voices the mainstream has always silenced, but it's also being used to silence.  Learning about the Algorithmic Justice League has opened my eyes to the urgent need for educating ourselves and our youth about how the world is changing faster than our laws can ensure protection for our most vulnerable citizens. We CAN learn from history, as long as we use this history to inform our future and correct for the racism inherent in our societal systems and procedures.

We need to educate our children about what these systems are and how to correct them. We CAN create an equitable and environmentally-friendly world. This seems daunting in the face of 24-hour news cycles and global unrest, but education and socially-oriented professionals are working just as hard to help make sense of the world for us and our children. Thankfully, Common Sense Media produced a webinar conversation with child development experts titled "Helping Kids Process Violence, Trauma, and Race in a World of Nonstop News." You can watch it through the link here without signing in to Facebook; it's recommended 13+ if you'd like to watch with your children.