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BC Human Rights Commissioner runs anti-racism campaign in Squamish

Program prompts residents in 24 communities to examine their internal racism
human rights

Expect to see signs around town asking a rather intimidating question: “Am I racist?”

Others signs may ask: “If I say I don't see skin colour, am I racist?” Another poses the question: “If I want to forget our province's history, am I racist?”

The messages are part of the first major anti-racism campaign of BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) running in 24 communities.

The program started on Nov. 30, and arrives amid an increase in hate crimes in recent years, as well as anti-Asian sentiment related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Systemic racism is a difficult and urgent problem in B.C.,” said Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender in a news release. “Statistics show a rise in hate crimes in B.C., both gradually over the last decade and rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the province. We need to name the problem before we can solve it, and that starts when we confront our own, often subconscious, racial biases.”

The office reports hate crimes in B.C. rose by over one third (34%) between 2015 and 2018. In the first nine months of 2020, the Vancouver Police Department reported a 116 per cent rise in hate crimes in Metro Vancouver compared to the same period in 2019, with Asian communities bearing the brunt of the increase. Anti-Asian hate crime incidents increased from just nine reported last year to 88 reported in the 2020 period, an 878% increase

The campaign also comes amid concerns of structural racism in health care and other institutions, including concerns that COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on health outcomes for racialized communities in B.C. A Statistics Canada report found COVID-19 mortality rates between March and July 2020 were higher in B.C. communities where more than 25 per cent of residents are visible minorities.

Find out more here.

 


 

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