People in the Northwest Territories and throughout the world are making their voices heard in confronting and condemning anti-Black racism. The NWT Human Rights Commission stands with the Black community of the NWT in condemning the racial profiling and systemic discrimination that is part of the lived experience of Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour in the Northwest Territories and throughout Canada on a daily basis.
It is our responsibility as citizens of a territory that embraces diversity and human rights to speak out and to act to eradicate bigotry, discrimination, and systemic racism in all its forms.
We must speak out against racist comments and racist acts, no matter how subtle. To ignore them is to allow them to grow. Non-racialized northerners in particular have a duty to listen to the concerns of their fellow northerners, and to educate themselves and others on the history and current experiences of Black, Indigenous and other northerners who experience discrimination on the basis of their perceived race and/or colour.
As members of one human family, it is our responsibility to respect others, to treat others with dignity, and to act to protect the equality and rights of all human beings.
This post is also available in: French