Despite the well-intentioned willingness of many Canadians to speak out against racism when they see it, knowing what to say in order to navigate the ensuing conversation can be so daunting that oftentimes, the conversation is avoided entirely.
In an effort to equip Canadians with the tools and resources to respond appropriately when they encounter racism, the co-founders of #StopAsianHateAlberta—a movement spearheaded by a collective of Alberta food-leaning media and communications professionals in response to racialized hate crimes in North America—recently launched the website StopRaceBasedHate.ca in collaboration with a number of anti-racism organizations.
"When speaking out about racism, we kept hearing about the challenges people had in finding the right words to articulate why something is racist,” says #StopRaceBasedHate co-founder and celebrated Edmonton blogger/social media expert Linda Hoang. "The ability to put words to why something is wrong is powerful and the idea for this tool was fuelled by our desire to help people become more confident in their words and reasoning to speak out.”
Developed in partnership with Edmonton-based marketing agency Kick Point, the #StopRaceBasedHate website offers effective ways to identify and respond to racist comments, reinforces how a willingness to speak out against racist statements is a form of allyship, and works to reduce racist sentimate and indecinces in the community.
In addition to providing informative articles, blogs, and social media posts, one of the website's core features addresses statements and scenarios people may encounter in day-to-day life, along with a specialized template designed to guide users in developing and articulating anti-racist messaging in their own lives.
"Silence is violence and complacency is part of the problem. If we do not address race-based hate, it signals that those views are okay,” says Hoang. "Helping people of colour and allies be more confident in speaking out against racism is just one tangible action we can take to protect ourselves, become a better ally to support those who may need help.”
More information about #StopRaceBasedHate can be found online.
