“LOOK AT YOUR OWN COMMUNITY OR REGION. WHAT TYPES OF INDUSTRY ARE BEING CARRIED OUT THAT MAY HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS? CONSIDER THINGS LIKE RAILWAY LINES, TRANSIT ROUTES, HIGHWAYS, DISPOSAL SITES. WHO IS MOST AT RISK OF BEING AFFECTED BY THESE? IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO COMMUNITY ORGANIZING OR SUPPORT ONGOING EFFORTS?”
This has led to a project called Generations of Activism: The Grassy Narrows First Na- tion’s Fight for Clean Water. They’ve also used the arts to express community in the song Home to Me developed in 2016 with the support of the N’we Jinan Artists youth empowerment and education program. The video, available on YouTube, sends a power- ful message about the students’ love of their community and the land. Today, both communities continue to
advocate for the cleanup of their traditional lands. Although both levels of government made commitments in 2017 to address these issues through remediation of the water sys- tem (provincial) and building a health fa- cility in the community (federal) there has been no definitive action to date. A youth- led campaign for mercury justice was one of the focal cases of last month’s global Write for Rights campaign. A new generation of young people are undertaking advocacy with the knowledge that this is a life-or-death situation. The story is far from over for the people from Asabiinyashkosiwagong.
THE ROLE OF EDUCATORS
Our experience as educators, activists and community organizers teaches us that our role as allies is to support communities as they work to identify the issues and decide what action to take to resolve them. Ontario educators come from many cultural com- munities. The important question is how can settler-Canadians and other outsiders support communities in their fight against
18 ETFO VOICE | SPRING 2020
environmental racism? I’d like to make the following suggestions. Start by educating yourself about Cana-
da’s colonial history. Although it’s popular to view Canada as being non-racist (as com- pared to our southern neighbours), closer examination reveals a different reality; on a systemic level, racialized people experience racism in many ways. Take the time to look into the history of government policy per- taining to Indigenous and racialized people. Read information from the Ontario Human Rights Commission about systemic racism. Look for other resources, including (but not limited to) videos, TED Talks and books about systemic racism. Research the work that community mem-
bers are doing to build capacity and take back power. Anishinaabe women in Ontario orga- nize water ceremonies and water walks. Attend any open events, listen to what community members have to say, and share this informa- tion with others. Look for events near your community for opportunities to learn more. Learn about being an ally through your
research. ETFO has a conference focused on allyship and many useful resources are avail- able online. Look at your own community or region.
What types of industry are being carried out that may have environmental impacts? Con- sider things like railway lines, transit routes, highways, disposal sites. Who is most at risk of being affected by these? Is there an oppor- tunity to do community organizing or sup- port ongoing efforts?
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