IDERD – YMCA of Southwest NS

March 21 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This date was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966 to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa. On March 21, 1960, Sharpeville police opened fire on a demonstration against the apartheid ‘pass laws,’ killing 69 people and wounding many more of the mostly Black protestors. On March 21, we commemorate the Sharpeville massacre and commit to end racism in all its forms.

Background: Apartheid and Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions.
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation that legislated where people could live, work, and study, based on how they were racially classified. In South Africa, apartheid was passed into law in 1948 by the ruling National Party. Apartheid rule was based on a white supremacist ideology, which privileged the white minority, while condemning the majority Black population to impoverished living conditions. The white minority had 80% of the land, while Black people were deprived of citizenship and were relegated to inferior education. The ‘pass laws’ regulated the movement of Black people between racially segregated spaces, since their labour was necessary to the nation. Apartheid also dictated the lives of other racialized groups, whose race was defined by law.
Black people resisted apartheid since its inception. In 1958, the African National Congress (a South African Black liberation party and movement) advocated for an academic and cultural boycott of South Africa, calling on performers, artists, and academics not to visit South Africa. This led to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement to end apartheid. The call for BDS came from Black South African civil society and was adopted by many around the world. The song Sun City, performed by Artists Against Apartheid, became emblematic of the movement. Nelson Mandela, one of the leaders of the African National Congress, was released from 27 years imprisonment in 1990 and helped to negotiate the end of apartheid in 1994.

Apartheid’s Canadian Roots
While South Africa has been duly demonized for its apartheid system, the pattern of settler colonialism and racial segregation was not unique but is on a continuum with European conquest of many parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The Canadian state has a direct, but seldom acknowledged, connection to South African apartheid. In the 1940s, white South African government representatives were “inspired” by Canada’s Indian Act and the reserve system, which influenced the creation of Bantustans – separate townships for Black people.

Racism in Canada Today
On this day, and throughout the year, it is important to examine how systemic racism and colonialism continue to impact every sphere of life: economic, political, and social. A recent report notes that the COVID-19 pandemic sharpened racial inequalities in terms of access to health-care, job loss, poor housing, and economic disparity. Other forms of racism heightened by the pandemic were anti-Asian racism, anti-Indigenous racism in health-care, and the targeting of Black, Indigenous, and racialized people by police.

Anti-racism at the YMCA
Since the 2020 Anti-racism Town Hall, YMCA Canada has amplified our commitment to addressing racism at the YMCA. This commitment is shown through our pledge to the Black North Initiative, our commitment to reconciliation, and our Board Diversification Initiative, which seeks to include the voices of underrepresented communities in our leadership. In 2023, we launched the Board Diversification Handbook for Associations. The Handbook consists of recommendations, wise practices, and tools that support and enable YMCA Member Associations in their journey to recruit board members who are from underrepresented communities, including those who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, and disabled. We remain committed to supporting and enabling Associations to view their work through an anti-racist lens.
In addition, YMCA Canada hosts national webinars on anti-racism. In February, we held a National Black History Month Webinar with Dr. Mark V. Campbell who spoke about his research on how Afro-diasporic music and creativity enrich our understanding of the connections between art, struggle, and survival.

How to Take Action
• Read the Canadian Labour Congress report on Islamophobia and how to fight it in the workplace
• Check out the anti-racism resources from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
• Learn more about, and support, anti-racist organizations in your community. For instance, Migrant Rights Network campaigns for the rights of migrant workers in Canada
• Take the Black North Initiative pledge and take measures to remove barriers to Black inclusion in the workplace
• Learn about and respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action
References
• https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
• https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2021/03/20/reflections-on-racism-and-canadas-dark-history.html
• https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/07/09/human-rights-watch-responds-reflections-apartheid-and-persecution-international-law
• https://www.amnesty.ca/human-rights-news/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-a-cruel-system-of-domination-and-a-crime-against-humanity/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgaGgBhC8ARIsAAAyLfGU7_mXt9Yces8nLIDpH9mpr4-eTiH2GS2Fy7hOBHFlybOUQx-cE-saAunxEALw_wcB
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/apartheid
• https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/south-africas-academic-and-cultural-boycott
• https://www.thepost.on.ca/news/local-news/decolonizing-our-minds-and-redeeming-our-essential-humanity
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9862348/
• https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/no-single-fix-for-anti-indigenous-racism-in-canada-s-health-care-system-doctor-1.6090855