What does it mean to support equity, diversity and inclusion? In the from the Victoria Foundation, host Lucky Budd welcomes Silvia Mangue Alene, president of the BC Black History Awareness Society, to delve beyond the B次元官网网址渨hatB次元官网网址� of that question, to explore why itB次元官网网址檚 important and how we can approach it.
In addition to her role with the society, Alene works at the City of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion office, and is co-founder and president of Kulea Culture Society. As the community commemorates Black History Month, the two explore Black history and fostering diversity and inclusion in Greater Victoria, talking about AleneB次元官网网址檚 journey to Victoria, from being born in Africa to growing up in Spain before coming to Canada.
Growing up as the only Black child in her neighbourhood, B次元官网网址渨hen youB次元官网网址檙e a child itB次元官网网址檚 fine, you donB次元官网网址檛 notice anything, but when you start becoming a teenager and become a young adult and you see that your friends are getting stuff that you should be getting too, and youB次元官网网址檙e not there, you start realizing the cancer of racism,B次元官网网址� Alene says.
B次元官网网址淭here was a time that I didnB次元官网网址檛 like who I was, I didnB次元官网网址檛 like my Blackness, I didnB次元官网网址檛 like being Black because there was nothing that was telling me the opposite, there was nothing reinforcing the opposite B次元官网网址� that the colour of your skin doesnB次元官网网址檛 define who you are.B次元官网网址�
Arriving in Canada, Alene began volunteering with the BC Black History Awareness Society and learning about the history of Black people in Canada, B次元官网网址渁nd then I started to learn about the importance of being Black and the importance of who I was as a Black woman,B次元官网网址� Alene reflects.
The society works to share the history of Black pioneers, and collaborate with other organizations with complementary goals. B次元官网网址淓ducation is important B次元官网网址� it is important that we learn about the history of our country so that we can make sense of the present,B次元官网网址� she says.
How do we use that knowledge to help build a more inclusive community?
As humans and as a community, B次元官网网址渨e have to really believe that diversity brings richness to our community,B次元官网网址� Alene says.
B次元官网网址淚n anything we doB次元官网网址e have to look around and see who is missing at our table, what can we do better, how can we grow better and how can we include more people.B次元官网网址�
Diversity isnB次元官网网址檛 necessarily easy, B次元官网网址渂ut when you have a goal in mind, those differences become secondary because now everyone has one goal,B次元官网网址� she says.
With just 53 per cent of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Vital Signs survey respondents saying they are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, understanding what that means begins with understanding what equity is, Alene says, sharing an illustration from a teacher.
B次元官网网址淚magine that you have three glasses of water. One is full to the rim, one is half full and one is a quarter full, and I have the jug, which is the resources. IB次元官网网址檓 not going to pour more water in the glass that is full B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 already full of resources B次元官网网址� but IB次元官网网址檓 also not going to take from that. Fair enough, they work hard for that,B次元官网网址� Alene says. B次元官网网址淏ut those other two glasses, they need more resources, not to get to the rim, but to be able to cover the necessities, to be able to say, B次元官网网址楾his has been a fair treatment.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭he person who is giving the resources has to be very aware of that, and the people who already have so much should be okay with the person with the resources giving to the other two glasses instead of them, because we all are connected.B次元官网网址�
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