Recording from Roundtable on "The Power of Storytelling for Anti-Racist Change in Calgary's Communities"
Throughout the Fall of 2020 we've been sharing the thoughts, experiences, and calls to action from Calgarians about their own anti-racism and decolonization efforts to help inspire others to continue on their own journeys. As part of this initiative, CDLI’s Anti-Racism and Decolonization Learning and Action Team organized a special event.
On Saturday, November 7th, 2020 dozens of us gathered on Zoom for our Roundtable conversation and community conversation. Our Roundtable members Nellie Alcaraz, KtheChosen, and LeeAnne Ireland shared their thoughts on "the power of storytelling for anti-racism and decolonization efforts". We made a recording of the Roundtable for those of you who couldn’t join!
Click here to view the Roundtable with closed captioning. The password is C0nv3rs@t!0n
Afterwards, we went into breakout rooms where we had the chance to share what resonated with us from the conversation, and talk about how this conversation enhances our own anti-racism and/or decolonization efforts. You can find notes from each of the six breakout rooms here.
A HUGE thank you once again to our Roundtable members who accepted the call, acted courageously in their sharing, and helped us to connect with one another, the ideas and experiences, and the movement. Thank you also everyone who helped to organize, facilitate, note take, and promote the gathering. And of course, thank you to the more than sixty of you who joined in on a Saturday morning for this very important conversation!
We’ll leave you with some wisdom from the Roundtable members:
To become a member of CDLI’s Anti-Racism & Decolonization Learning and Action Team, send an e-mail to AmandaPr@caryacalgary.ca.
Roundtable member bios:
NELLIE ALCARAZ.
Nellie Alcaraz, BSW, MSW, is a social worker, and a community advocate with the international organization Migrante. Migrante is an organization that advocates for the rights of temporary foreign workers, undocumented, and migrant workers in Canada and around the world. Nellie's social work practice is mainly with Indigenous peoples on reserves in Alberta. As a racialized Filipina, Nellie came to Canada as a live-in caregiver more than 15 years ago. Read what Nellie shared with us about privilege and Black Lives Matter here.
KTHECHOSEN.
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, KTheChosen is a hip-hop artist studying business at the University of Calgary. He uses his platform to talk about social issues and promote conversations within different communities. Inspired by artists such as King Los and Kendrick Lamar, KTheChosen challenges himself to write lyrics that are both entertaining and enlightening. Although his main focus as a social activist is gender-based violence and consent training, he also attends protests and makes music that discusses the Black Lives Matter movement. Read what KtheChosen had to say about the role of art in anti-racism and decolonization efforts here.
LEEANNE IRELAND.
LeeAnne Ireland is a graduate of the Indigenous Studies program at Trent University, where she was awarded the Louise Garrows Award for her excellence in a critical theory. Since 2008, LeeAnne has been the Executive Director for the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY). As Executive Director for USAY and her experience at Trent University, she understands the issues and barriers that Indigenous youth are facing and the best approaches to creating services to help them be successful. Throughout her experiences, she has been able to learn the unique and vibrant resources available that serve our Indigenous youth demographic. LeeAnne’s personal, business and educational choices have inspired her to be more connected with her community and aspire to be of service to Indigenous Peoples. Read what LeeAnne had to say about empowering Indigenous youth here.