Today is the day when my two year term as co-chair of Alberta’s Anti-Racism Advisory Council comes to an end. It has been a challenging experience, difficult and undignified at times, but one that I approached with honour and passion.

As the Council goes forward under new leadership, here are a few thoughts as I depart. First, my co-chair, Dr. Lucenia Ortiz, has my appreciation and eternal gratitude for her wisdom, passion, and leadership.

The Council’s recommendations have been assembled into a report which has been provided to the Secretariat in @AlbertaCulture; the report should be made public. Demand it be so. With racism, silence is merely an act of complicity.

Anti-racism is not a partisan issue. Belligerent intransigence by leaders with respect to their views on systemic racism and understanding of systemic racism won’t lead to Alberta’s growth and prosperity.

Alberta’s leaders – political, faith based, business, not-for-profit, arts and culture, agriculture, sports – all need to deploy an anti-racism lens in their debate, dialogue, discourse and decision making for sustainability and success.

Systemic racism is an economic issue and based in depriving others of the opportunity to prosper & thrive. Black women and men in Calgary and Edmonton are between 1½ - 2 times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population.

The myth that racism only happens to immigrants, is an othering. We know this is a myth, because we know the extreme amounts of systemic racism that is experienced by those in our Indigenous communities, the Original Peoples of this land.

Albertans must responsibly own our history, acknowledge harms perpetrated, and go forward in a renewed spirit of reconciliation. We have a moral obligation to deliver on the 94 Calls to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Don’t look away when the topic of racism comes up. Don’t deny the existence of systemic racism. Call out racism each and every time it occurs. Be fearless.

Take care. À la prochaine. Walk good.