Calling Ourselves to Action and Justice

Throughout September to November 2021, a team from Red Deer and area came together to reflect on racism, hate and discrimination. Through a journey of five dialogue-to-action sessions facilitated by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, the team learned from each other, built relationships and talked about practical strategies to affect change in and around Red Deer Alberta.

Participants in these sessions came from the grassroots, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, United Way, Urban Aboriginal Voices Society, Local Immigration Partnership, and non-profit organizations. All attended with a commitment to deepening learning and relationships while working to confront systemic challenges.

Through the lens of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls to Justice, the team built a series of calls to action for the community. The following shares the learnings and calls to action from the gatherings. Our hopes are that these calls to action can move towards implementation in Red Deer and area as well as act as a tool for education, dialogue and community engagement.

“Strategy of displacement - when something bad happens, bring in the good and have a party. You have the luxury of getting angry and as Indigenous man I do not. Bring the stories of injustice to life and replace the negative with the positive.”

-Lyle Keewatin

Developed and facilitated by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights with funding support from the Government of Canada, Anti-Racism Action Program.