We celebrate the advocacy and collaboration of EN.
Some of the highlights
1. Understanding the harm of colonialism and working within toward the goal to dismantle by mirroring a decolonized structure within our group.
2. Creating a working group with those who heard the many calls to actions.
3. Highlighting initiatives that seemed important to us: Racism, Indigenous issues, Education, Food insecurity, LGBTQIA+ and Disability Justice.
4. We’ve had the courage to face growing pains within the group/disagreements/changes.
5. Make more equitable space by drawing the circle wider and expanding our membership to include the greater Hamilton area.
6. We have been able to move EN into important decision making spaces- both invited and invaded.
(Sometimes we’ve formed collaborative relationships with institutions which have disrupted those who are not committed to equity.)
7. We’ve been amplifying community leaders/organizations who are doing impactful and decolonized work. Lifting up, connecting those organizations and leaders who have worked in isolation.
8. Also creating affinity spaces for those people and organizations who have the same equity vision.
9. Our group became more cohesive, and more connected and that enabled us to be more focused and impactful. We developed a stronger sense of each of our roles. I felt particularly proud of how our group connected to other community organizations and showed up in solidarity with children and families in our community, and beyond. Two examples that stand out are showing up in solidarity with PoBC as they advocated a Black child in Waterloo and also with a Black student here in Hamilton. I do think that EN is exposing the violence of harmful systems and also helping to demonstrate what can be done to demand and make change, to more and more people.
10. We got our website up and running, blogs posted, figured out Twitter and how to effectively use it.
11. What I was very pleased to have done was stand in solidarity with, and listen to the parents of a young black girl who was the victim of racist abuse at school. Others carried the fight through more than I, but in showing up and speaking with her parents who were so very saddened and concerned for their daughter, talk about the racism they faced and their concerns being ignored, I sensed that they finally felt like they were being heard.
In part one of our Ontario election blog, we assessed the equity records and commitments of several parties. In this second piece we share the questions we’re asking of candidates and various ways to engage and evaluate what candidates deserve the votes of those of us demanding meaningful change.
When a party presents a platform, we must examine and evaluate what the implications will be. What are the equity impacts of their policies? In the decision-making, how are the needs of Black, Indigenous and racialised Ontarians prioritized? What are the ramifications for the groups of individuals we want to empower and support? Take the time and opportunity to put hard questions to any and all candidates.
When listening to the proposals of a candidate’s platform, consider who will be burdened by and who will benefit from these particular ambitions.
If you can’t engage face to face with candidates, write them an email, or call up their campaign office. Do a thorough review of what they are saying and doing via social and print media. Do they speak clearly about systems of oppression and structural violence or do they frame injustices as individual choices? What’s missing from their statements and analyses? Do they understand the systemic nature of dehumanization and violence? Do they understand that dehumanization and violence are systemic? Which candidate is going to make fighting for the survival of our communities easier? Will they open space to allow BIPOC and the underserved to speak and be heard? Have they built relationships based on trust and transparency?
At the end of the blog we provide links to organizations in Hamilton that are collaborating to evaluate candidates in each riding. In your community, check out who the advocates and organizers are. Who’s working for racial justice, disability justice, Indigenous rights, migrant rights, 2SLGBTQI rights? Who are the housing, worker and anti-poverty advocates? Follow these individuals and find out what they have to say about candidates in your area.
Here are questions we’ll be asking candidates, and that we recommend you ask as well. -What is your understanding of systemic racism in our province? What is your commitment to learning and action? -What is your commitment to justice for Indigenous peoples in Ontario?-How will you make schools safe and affirming for all students? What will you do to protect LGBTQI, Black, Indigenous and racialized staff, students and community from attacks on equity and human rights? -Disabled people in Ontario are asking to access MAiD because they are deprived of safe housing and basic needs. It should not be easier to access death than it is to access basic needs to live a safe and dignified life. What do you plan to do about this? -How will you work with marginalized communities and uplift and support community leadership? Can you give examples of how you have done this in the past? -What are your plans for addressing rising food insecurity? -What are your plans for the housing crisis? It’s not adequate to take measures to make buying a home easier. What about renters? What about unhoused folks? We want an expansive vision and plan for action, not incrementalism. Think ‘free housing now’ and eviction moratoriums. -What will you do to combat the rise of hate and hate crimes in Ontario? -How do you propose to use the money available in the budget to ensure equitable health outcomes, safe working conditions, and access to social service? -What do you currently do to support communities in your riding?
Here in Hamilton, The Disability Justice Network of Ontario, The Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, The Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre and the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic are collaborating on a series of live discussions in which they’ll discuss “the commitments of provincial candidates in each riding on systemic racism, hate, poverty and disability” The first livestream is this Friday.
Listen in to learn about advocates and activists in your community, and to gain insight from their tuned-in and knowledgeable perspectives. Incredibly valuable information about equity, and the actions we need to take to transform our systems to work for all communities, is now easy to attain. So we encourage you to dive in!
As we pay close attention to the provincial election, The Equity Network will be actively involved in municipal elections with the goal of ensuring the strongest candidates are elected as city councilors and school board trustees. We’re fortunate to have brilliant community organizers and a powerful grassroots community in Hamilton.
We are feeling confident about meaningful change and ready to hold leaders accountable between elections. . We’re hoping you’ll join us in working towards a better city that serves all so, keep watching and be ready to get involved.
The provincial and municipal elections are upon us. In keeping with the goals of EN we want to ensure we’re doing all we can to fulfill the aims of equity, inclusion and diversity. The voting mechanism is one essential tool in our democratic system. If you believe in something and you want to see change, you need to speak up. One significant way in which to do that, is to vote and to vote beyond your own interests. In part one of this two part blog we’ll be discussing major and notable minor parties in Ontario. In the follow up blog, we’ll present questions that we’ve been asking candidates, and that we suggest you ask as well.
On a global scale we have seen the rise of the far-right; on a more local scale hate crimes have increased. In comparing 2020 to 2019, the number of hate crimes in Canada that were reported to police rose 37 percent, according to Statistics Canada. Hate crimes targeting ethnicity or race made up the bulk of the increase across the country, with a rise of 80 percent. Though there has been a tremendous wave of effort and awareness by many towards creating a more just society. It is imperative that the policies put forward by our government consider equitable outcomes with every single decision made.
So let’s have a look at the Ontario parties. It’s obvious to anyone paying attention that the two new far right parties are overtly, aggressively seeking to maintain inequities. Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios who is also the co-founder of the New Blue Party has already sponsored a petition that aims to forbid teachers from teaching anti-racist curriculum and curriculum about gender diversity and 2SLGBTQI rights. This attack is extremely dangerous for Black, racialized, gender diverse, gender non-comforming, and queer staff, students and families. The impact will be erasure of their identities and the invisibilization of systemic power structures that privilege white, straight, and gender conforming people. We know that where these sorts of attacks are openly being made, other equity deserving groups such as migrants, Muslim and Jewish Ontarians will soon be targeted. The far right populist Ontario Party (little brother to the PPC?) has hired former Trump advisor Roger Stone, who was implicated in The Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol. This is the mainstreaming of racism and bigotry. The OP must have some backers with deep pockets to be able to afford Stone.
Doug Ford’s ‘Progressive’ Conservatives have done tremendous harm to nurses with Bill 124 by suppressing wage increases and infringing on nurse’s bargaining rights. This is an attack on a workforce that is largely made up of Black and racialized women. In typical conservative fashion, they worship a budget surplus while people suffer. Over $4 billion of federal covid relief funds are nowhere to be found while people struggle to survive, don’t have their basic needs met, work sick with Covid and without paid sick days. All this while planning to sell off the Greenbelt and facilitate an unwanted mining project at Grassy Narrows First Nation. The recent revelation about Stephen Lecce’s abhorrent participation in a frat house “slave auction” is deeply problematic. Lecce couldn’t even say the word ‘racist’ in his ‘apology’ which is on brand for an MPP and party who seem to have no interest or understanding of systemic inequities or anti-Black racism.
The Ontario Liberals as usual demonstrate no deep or specific commitment to equity. They occasionally boast of a commitment to human rights and multiculturalism but this isn’t good enough. Worse, they slide to the right when it’s advantageous. The Liberals are a performative political party in their approach to equity. They like the diversity photo opportunities but don’t meaningfully show up to shift the balance of power. While they often promise and sometimes deliver on progressive policies with one hand, they are often doing something equally or more harmful with the other hand. Their platform promises to guarantee homecare for every senior who needs it, so time will tell if this comes to fruition.
The Ontario New Democrats have in their ranks many who work tirelessly for justice and equity who deserve our gratitude and support. Three outstanding MPPs are Laura Mae Lindo, Dr. Jill Andrews and Sol Mamakwa. The party does have a level of demonstrated commitment but problems with the party’s institutional culture and pre-election machinations reveal lack of integrity that tells us their commitment to equity needs to deepen.
The NDP has a serious problem with tokenism. Andrea Horvath was recently quoted saying “This team is strong. They’re ready to do the job. They are as diverse as Ontario is.” The party leans on the intelligence and talents of racialized candidates and MPPs to bolster their brand as a diverse party but do they support those candidates when they challenge racism within the party or when they no longer serve the needs of the institution? We need the NDP to realize it’s not immune to systemic racism, ableism, and cis heteropatriarchy. It is an institution, not a grassroots movement. It’s not free of problematic and harmful power dynamics.
The Green Party is the party of the environment and has some progressive policies in their platform but there’s not a clear and lasting commitment to equity. Jim Schreiner has been on CBC Radio One stating that he plans to court traditionally Conservative voters that are concerned about climate change. This leaves us wondering, what about climate JUSTICE? If climate change measures do not confront issues of justice- ie poverty, environmental racism, and Indigenous justice, which must include Land Back, they perpetuate the status quo and those most impacted by the climate crisis will continue to be the most harmed.
It must be said that all parties are coming up egregiously short when it comes to the rights of disabled people. Disabled folks are having an easier time accessing Medical Assistance in Dying than accessing the basic necessities to live a safe and dignified life- medicine, therapies, aids, housing, food, transportation. Of the major parties, the PC’s have made the most pathetic and insulting commitment to increasing the abysmally low Ontario Disability Support Program by FIVE PER CENT. The Liberals have pledged a 10% increase. The Greens and just recently the NDP have committed to doubling the monthly support.
EN is hopeful that there will be some change brought about by this election and that the focus will shift to justice and equity for marginalized and underserved folks, which makes life better for everyone. One way to keep the spotlight on equity is by asking candidates and leaders hard questions at every opportunity. In part two of this blog, we’ll share examples of questions we ask, and questions we hope you will ask, too. Let us know how you’re making equity a priority in this election!
Reflecting as a Black woman on Feb. 2, 2002, my emotions are truly divided. The pride and admiration for Black luminaries of the past and present overwhelm me with gratitude and humility during Black History Month.
Today, I had the opportunity to speak with MP Matthew Green in his regular #ParltothePeople chat sessions. As I spoke, a stream of consciousness took over. He inquired what the work for 2022 looks like for EN; the answers came easy:
1. The education system must be reformed. Equity should be a human right and the hub from which everything branches. The HWDSB Trustees have made a mockery of their privileged positions. The bar continues to sink with Becky Buck being named Vice Chair after findings of her words and acts of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. We are tired of constantly reminding this school board that they must hire more people of colour to represent the student population. We know that this will ultimately provide richer and deeper learning for all students and better prepare the next generation to be impactful citizens. We will continue to hold HWDSB accountable and be transparent in our communication.
2. Healthcare in our community is really about the haves and have nots. Accessibility and equity are once again at the heart of this issue. Closing down services like Pain Clinics across the region will only make it more difficult for marginalized people to seek and access care. We will continue to shed light on these issues and call out impacts of systemic injustice in healthcare.
3. Finally we must bring attention to the stark difference in Policing of White Supremacists vs Black, Brown, Indigenous, racialized and marginalized communities in Ontario and in our Hamilton community. The difference between what is happening in our nation’s capital in comparison with how six young housing advocates were abused, criminalized and violated is grotesque, although not surprising. We must seek justice and hold those responsible for such cruelty accountable. We will continue to demand that all charges are dropped against the 6 young (mostly Black) adults.
We at Equity Network (EN) will do everything in our power to advocate for change and support those who understand it is important to earn the trust of the community, not demand it.
Andrea Purnell (Co-founder, Equity Network)
We at Equity Network ( EN) will do everything in our power to enhance change and support those who understand it is important to earn the trust of the community, not demand it.
Equity Network is excited to celebrate Black History Month. We will be highlighting Black Canadian contributions, both past and present.
Day 1: Bernie Custis. First black quarterback in the Canadian Football League.
Day 2 – Constance Scott (nee Farmer) Born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1943. Connie has dedicated her life as a Registered Nurse for over 40 years, most of it as an Operating Room Nurse & First Assistant. As a lifelong advocate for marginalized community members navigating healthcare, she encourages the next generation of Black excellence “by calling up.” We stand on the shoulders of Connie Scott & are forever grateful for the wise & selfless ways she makes our community better.
Day 3 – Jean Augustine is the first Black woman elected into the House of Commons, serving from 1993-2006. She’s responsible for the legislation to recognize February as BlackHistoryMonth in Canada. Although not from Hamilton, our community is deeply impacted by her crucial work.
Day 4 – Lincoln Alexander was Canada’s 1st Black member of Parliament & federal cabinet minister, & Ontario’s 1st Black lieutenant-governor. He represented Hamilton West in the House of Commons for 12 years. His impact on the Hamiltoncommunity is immeasurable.
Day 5- Curtis Bell a 5th generation Hamiltonian with deep roots. The grandson of William Henson Holland, nephew to Lincoln Alexander, Rev. John Holland & cousin to Ray Lewis & Norman ‘ Pinky’ Lewis. He self identifies as BlackIndigenous, Chippewa, Potawatomi & Erie Nation. Curtis earned a scholarship to the US and went on to play football in the CFL for the Hamilton Ticats. He has given back as a coach for over 25 years, as an author of resources about addictions and recovery, and he developed and implemented programs to mentor Black boys. Curtis released a book called TrailTrain13, a story depicting his family’s triumphs from slavery to Parliament. He is most proud of his children, 2 of which earned academic/athletic scholarships and are currently following their dreams in the US.
Day 6 – Rev John C. Holland was the first Black Canadian to be named Distinguished Citizen of the Year by a major Canadian city for his impactful community work and activism in #Hamont. He was inducted into the Hamilton’s Gallery of Distinction in 2003.
Day 7 – Lawrence Hill is an award-winning Canadian novelist. His writings mostly focuse on “identity and belonging.” He lives in Hamilton and continues to impact the #HamOnt community through his work and advocacy.
Day 8- Dr. Gary Warner is a Professor Emeritus who has been active in the Hamilton community for over 50 years on issues related to international development, peace, poverty, human rights, antiracism, immigration and social justice.
Day 9 – Andrea Purnell Is the Co-founder of Equity Network. She relentlessly promotes equity, and fights against racism and injustice in society. Andrea models leading with generosity, compassion and love as she strives for a just and equitable Hamilton
Day 10 – Stewart Memorial Church is Hamilton’s oldest Black church. It was established in the 1830s (on Rebecca St Paul’s African Methodist). After a fire in 1879, its location moved to John St. The reverence for this church runs deep in Hamilton.
The first pastor was Abolitionist Josiah Henson. We have members who grew up in the church along with luminaries like the Holland, Alexander, Lewis and Washington families. In 1994, the property was designated an Ontario Heritage Site.
Day11- Raymond Gray Lewis was born October 8, 1910 in Hamilton. Known as “Rapid” Ray. He was proud to be the first Canadian-born Black athlete to win a bronze medal in the 4 x 400m relay at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Lewis was named an officer of the Order of Canada (2001). He had a Hamilton elementary school named after him in 2005 Most recently, the Ray Lewis Track and Field Centre received upgrades to honour his athletic legacy.
Day-12 Raymond Robert Emery was born September 28 1982, in Hamilton. As a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, he played in the National Hockey League for eleven seasons. Emery was chosen 99th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. In 2013, he was awarded as the goaltender who give up the fewest goals in the season. His nickname was Razor” or “Sugar Ray” for his talented playing style.
Day 13- Jackie Washington was born in Hamilton in 1919. His performing debut was at age 5. The Washington family have deep roots in Hamilton & are world renowned. Several awards were created to honour his outstanding musicianship & contributions in Canada.
Day 14-Evelyn Myrie is a community activist and leader who’s crucial work has deeply impacted marginalized groups in #HamOnt. The current president of African Canadian Carribean Association in Hamilton and CEO of the Empower Strategy Group, she was one of the inaugural inductees into the Order of Hamilton award.
Day 15- Norman (Pinky) Lewis is a legend in Hamilton sport. His extraordinary contributions as a trainer and friend to McMaster athletes came after many years with the Hamilton Ticats. He was elected Hamilton’s Citizen of the Year in 1971.
Day 16 – Sarah Jama is a community organizer who relentlessly fights oppressive structures to defend the humanity of those unjustly marginalized. She is the cofounder of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario and Program Coordinator the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion. Sarah is a beacon of hope for many in Hamilton.
Day 17-Eleanor W Rodney was a passionate community leader & educator in Hamilton. As the founder of African Caribbean Cultural Potpourri Inc, she relentlessly advocated for youth of African & Caribbean descent. She received many awards for her work in racial equity & justice.
Day 18-Sarah Nurse is a professional hockey player from Hamilton. She is the first Black woman to win a gold medal in hockey from any country. She also holds the record of most points in a single Olympic tournament scored by a woman. Congratulations Sarah!?
Day 19 – Kojo Damptey is a musician, interdisciplinary scholar practitioner & decolonial advocate. As the Executive Director of Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, he is one of the most influential leaders in Hamilton advocating for racial justice & equity.
Day 20-Matthew Green elected as a MP for Hamilton Centre (2019). He is a member of the Parliamentary Black Caucus. In 2014, he was the first Black person elected to Hamilton City Council. Green is an advocate & organizer for many issues effecting Canadians.
Day 21 – Dr. Ama deGraft-Johnson, the brilliant anesthetist retired from HHS after over 30 years. As the only Black woman in the department, she faced racism & sexism from patients & colleagues. She broke many barriers @ HHS & is a devoted humanitarian.
Day-22 Historian, archivist and choir member/musician, Evelyn Auchinvole, is a member Stewart Memorial Church. Through her work as a historian, she documents the deep history of Black Canadians and the numerous contributions woven into the Hamilton community.
Day 23-Kia Nurse is a Hamiltonian basketball player in the WNBA & a 2x Olympian for the Canada Women’s National Basketball team. She is also a basketball pundit featured on The Sports Network. The Nurse family is well known in Hamilton for their contributions.
Day 24- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a professional basketball player in the NBA. Son of a former Olympian, he grew up in Hamilton attending St. Thomas More and Sir Allan Macnab Secondary schools. He was named the Golden Horseshoe Athlete of the Year for 2020.
Day 25-Yohana Otite is the Human Rights and Equity officer at Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. In her previous role as Executive Director of Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, Yohana led many initiatives to make #HamOnt an inclusive community
Day 26- Sarah Adjekum is a social worker and community organizer in #HamOnt. She is also on the board of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion. Sarah is a PhD student at @McMasterSocSci and won the Wilson Leadership Scholar Award in 2021.
Day 27 – Darnell Nurse is a professional hockey player for Edmonton Oilers in the NHL. He was drafted 7th overall in 2013. He grew up in Hamilton and attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School. Darnell is from a family of very successful athletes.
Celebrate 365/24/7❤️
Day 28-On the Concession Street wall at the public library, a plaque reflects the deep history of Black communities. “Little Africa” started in the 1800s extending from Upper Wellington to Upper Sherman, between Concession and Fennell Avenue.
Historian Adrienne Shadd writes, initially at least seven Black families bought the land & owned 100 acres on the Mountain; some of these families subdivided the land & sold it to other Black families.“They bought their land like everybody else, they weren’t given free land”.
Black History in Hamilton is deeply entrenched. The historical photo is Julia Berry and her family. Berry operated the James Street tollgate. To find more facts, check out the book, The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway, African Canadians in Hamilton by Author Adrienne Shadd.
“Raising Black children – female and male – in the mouth of a racist, sexist, suicidal dragon is perilous and chancy. If they cannot love and resist at the same time, they will probably not survive. And in order to survive they must let go. This is what mothers teach – love, survival.” – Audre Lorde
This space, Equity Network, was founded in the grief and rage of a Black woman as Mr. Floyd uttered “I can’t breathe” while being murdered by a byproduct of colonial violence. That same rage and grief reverberated throughout countless communities across North America who collectively started to fight back. The Hamilton community has been no different.
Anyone who has attended Hamilton-Wentworth District schools and identifies as belonging to one or more marginalized groups, understands the often problematic nature of the school board. During the pandemic, similar to the rest of the world, the oppressive and often manipulative nature of HWDSB was exposed by students, parents/caregivers, community members and even staff from within the institution. The harm that many had suffered through or stood up to in isolation, started to form a collective voice. Many of us realized for the first time that we were not alone. We could not be gaslighted, silenced or manipulated any longer because we started to bond in our collective struggle and resilience.
As parents or caregivers of children who have been harmed by HWDSB, we have learned to read between the lines and to navigate the system with an understanding that despite their claims and PR spin, the school board will always prioritize their corporate agenda, not the safety and wellbeing of students.We hope to use this knowledge to push for change from the community, to both hold HWDSB accountable and to support parents/caregivers who face similar struggles in protecting their children. We notice a massive gap between what is stated in policy and discussed by senior leaders during board meetings compared to what trickles down to grassroots student experience in schools.
Acknowledging there is a well established culture of fear within the school-boards, we will speak the truth as we now know that many board employees are not able to due to the fear of reprisal. We will identify the gaps system leaders are not talking about and their tactics of diversion and distraction.These gaps allow for students marginalized by the system to slip through thecracks. Those are the students we are writing this blog to protect.
Through our advocacy we hope to push for transparency and accountability from those who make decisions about our children. Over the years we have observed that the system does not effectively change itself or shift from the status quo that repeatedly causes harm to children. It does, however, follow the performative pattern of putting out policy documents, branding initiatives and public relations propaganda as a temporary fix whenever they are called out.
Through its hollow promises and gaslighting jargon, time and time again, HWDSB has shown no demonstrable commitment in action to real change that truly prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of our children. As an act of deep love and care for all past, present and future students of HWDSB, including our own, we intend to use this blog to call attention to and disrupt practices and mental models which continue to harm children in HWDSB schools. We are determined to hold the system accountable and to ask critical questions to increase transparency from our school board leaders.
Our hope is that this will lead to more equitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous, racialied, LGBTQ2S+, disabled and all other students who continue to be marginalized by their experiences in the current education system. With this blog, our intention is to ground our writing and advocacy in the racial equity principles illustrated below. It is a space for community activism that amplifies the voices of parents, aspace which holds the vision of a safer future for children in our community.
Equity Network has celebrated its one year anniversary. We started as a small group intent on learning about being co-conspirators and allies. We are equity seekers recognizing that we must operate in a decolonized space which focuses on anti-racism and anti-oppression through humility and kindness. Our membership has grown significantly. We continue to draw the circle wider to include all of Hamilton. Please take a good look at the website. There are numerous opportunities to provide support for many of the issues. We are requesting that members resubmit a request for membership by way of the website to ensure that you continue to be committed.
