“Canada Day” is on the horizon. With the uncovering of the remains of 215 Indigenous children at the Kamloops residential school, and with many more being found across Canada, there has been an invigorated discussion about Canada Day, what it represents, and in what capacity can it be honourably observed. So there is no getting around how Canada came to be. The honest truth is that Canada was built by way of genocide and enslavement. In the early 1600s, mission schools for Indigenous children were established and ran until the 1800s, when the Government of Canada Residential School system too ..read more

The MAR Education Advocacy Team is spotlighting Canadian, BIWOC authors this month with 5 endearing titles to celebrate #IWD and #WomensHistoryMonth. MAR Recommends: 5 Books Written by Canadian, BIWOC authors. During the month of March, we celebrate Women’s History Month, with March 8th marking International Women’s Day. Following Black History Month and the theme of February’s booklist, this month’s booklist takes a step back from a more traditional way of honouring achievements and contributions of women. Instead of listing books which depict important historical women and celebrate their su ..read more

Some steps you can take to ensure the books you choose for your classroom do not harm your students. As an anti-racist educator, one of our fundamental goals is to help students develop a lens of compassion and empathy for others. Compassion and empathy can be developed through the sharing of stories that offer windows into the lived experiences of others. For students whose lives are mirrored in these stories, the educator must mindfully validate their experience, while avoiding causing further harm. One of the greatest challenges of anti-racist teaching through a trauma-informed lens is ens ..read more

Here is a list of helpful resources to get you started. POV: White settler Educator located on the traditional territory of the T'Sou-ke Nation known colonially as Sooke, British Columbia. Hello Educators! Although I’ve been a teacher for over 15 years, it is only truly in the last two school years that I have paid close attention to bringing anti-racism into the classroom. Prior to joining MAR, I thought I knew what racism was, and I was certain that I wasn’t causing harm or condoning racism in my classroom and in my school. I now realize that there is no middle ground; if you aren’t activel ..read more

Spend your August reading BIPOC written books, with culturally diverse characters, with #ownvoices storylines. Kids, you could win a tablet. Parents, we have some prizes for you too. **open to Canadian residents only For the month of August, the Educational Advocacy Team (EAT) wanted to create a fun activity for children and adults to do together. One of the biggest initiatives of EAT is to diversify the literature in schools and in homes. So we thought, let's do a diverse books reading challenge. Why is it important to have books in your home and school that reflect a variety of races, cultu ..read more

Black History month is meant to celebrate Black joy, resistance, innovation and... unity. So why doesn't it always feel that way? When we gatekeep who is “Black enough” to be Black, we just perpetuate the same white supremacy ideology that has served to oppress us for hundreds of years. Am I Black enough? You don't look Black You don't sound Black You don't act Black Says the white person. You don't look Black You don't sound Black You don't act Black Says the Black person. The Black experience is not a singular experience. It is not a historical one. It is not a stereotypical one. It has evo ..read more

8 reminders to help you talk with your students about Truth and Reconciliation in a culturally safe way. Written by the Moms Against Racism Education Advocacy Team, with the guidance of Indigenous educators and knowledge keepers. Hello Educators! It’s September and the back-to-school rush is in full swing. Educators are frantically trying to figure out who their new students are and what gifts and challenges the new school year might bring. Getting to know our students and families is one of the main things that happens in the first month of school. With National Day for Truth and Reconciliat ..read more

The calendar of recognized holidays honoured and celebrated in Canada does not reflect the diverse cultures and faiths of our multicultural society. Our MAR Admin Team has created this monthly multicultural calendar to acknowledge the days of importance often unacknowledged. We encourage you to use this as a starting point and take some time to research these celebrations with your families. Our yearly calendar of recognized holidays, including all the statutory holidays, is a prime example of white supremacy ideology + Catholic/Christian religion + capitalism upholding systemic racism. Who d ..read more

April 24th to 30th is National Volunteer Week. We have some incredible volunteers in MAR that we are so thankful for. We could not do this without them! So many great organizations rely on the generous time, skill, and financial support from volunteers. And it's not just for adults! This year we are putting the spotlight on the kids. Here are five young Canadian activists to keep your eyes on. Share with your kids the great things these five are doing to inspire them to find a cause they want to support. We have included our MAR Global Kids downloadable PDF activity on volunteering to help you ..read more

Moms Against Racism shares just how poorly Canadian women are paid and how it's even worse when you're not white. Infographic text: April 12, 2022 - Equal Pay Day April 12th marks Equal Pay Day in Canada. The day symbolizes how far into the calendar year the average woman needs to work to earn what men, on average, earned in the previous calendar year. 15.5 Months: Women, on average, need to work 15.5 months to earn what men, on average, make in just 12 months. Gender Pay Gap in Canada: On average, women earn 89 cents for every dollar men make Indigenous women earn 35% less than non-Indigeno ..read more