THUNDER BAY — Organizers hope that breaking down stereotypes through education and relationship-building will help in the fight against racism in Thunder Bay.
The city’s Anti-Racism and Equity Advisory Committee brought a diverse host of speakers to the Italian Cultural Centre Thursday to discuss ways the community can break down racialized stereotypes and promote inclusivity.
Louisa Costanzo, city manager of community safety and well-being, said the event is a place for people to come together to share their stories and learn from one another.
“Hopefully, they feel that they're in a welcoming space and feel included where we have a lot of individuals that are going to share their stories today. And then, we have an opportunity to have a discussion and talk about what's happening in our community,” Costanzo told Newswatch.
Keynote speaker Carl Crawford, an Equity and Inclusion Specialist with St. Louis County, touched on the importance of Indigenous youth voices, action for truth and reconciliation, international students' experiences, and how biases shape our world.
Crawford said he was excited to speak and the event about how we, as human beings, have more in common with each other than we think.
“We have a feeling that we're uncivil. And really when we get past looking over the fence at each other and create those doors and windows to create opportunities to meet each other, we find out how amazing we all are and those fences that we keep up, we don't need to have those in place anymore,” said Crawford.
He said when it comes to breaking down stereotypes, people need to take the opportunity to learn about one another.
“We have to be able to see eye to eye and be willing to be next to each other and have our friends and families connect with each other and we need to break down those myths and stereotypes and challenge them that's really keeping us apart,” said Crawford.
He said he is looking forward to speaking at the event, but he is excited to listen to all the other speakers at the event and learn from their experiences.
