Black Lives Matter
Add our names to the millions who are and were horrified, and angry about witnessing the murder of George Floyd by a police officer as well as the countless other Black people who have been killed because of the colour of their skin.
This is our statement that we unequivocally support Black Lives Matter. This is a reflection, an apology and a promise to take action to do better.
It has been difficult and uncomfortable to listen and see how deep White Privilege and Systemic Racism run through not just American society, but Canadian society as well - creating centuries of inequality.
As Canadians, it’s too easy to just point to the U.S. and say “it’s not like that in Canada.” But, that’s not true.
We admit that our education is in its early stages and we fully accept the anticipated stumbles we will make along the way. But we've also learned that's a part of the process in becoming a better ally and speak out against the injustices we see around us.
We now understand there is a major difference between being “not racist” and being “anti-racist” and we commit to being an anti-racist ally.
Unity in Food
Food unites people and we’ve seen that since the first day of starting this community. We’ve done our best to make it a warm, welcome, diverse and inclusive community but there’s always more we can do and we commit to doing the work to ensuring that happens.
We’ve proudly showcased and celebrated a cross-section of people from all backgrounds…Canadian food bloggers, chefs, restaurants, food/beer/wine companies from across the country. Over the years, we’ve searched out diverse stories to share like those on Indigenous Canadian Chefs, learning more about ingredients like Harissa and Filé powder and Canadian Iconic Foods like Ketchup Chips and Caribbean Roti.
But in stepping back for a moment and looking at it all with a different set of lenses, the biggest takeaway is that there’s always more we could have done, We can not only showcase more Black people within the Canadian food space but Black-owned businesses too.
Our promise is that we will continue to listen, read, watch and learn. We will use our voices to be an ally.
Get To Know and Follow Some Canadian Black Food Bloggers
- Delightful Adventures
- Trudy Stone
- Ifi Yani
- Now You're Cooking
- Biting Into Life
- Chef Sous Chef
- Black Food Bloggers Club by The Blenderist
- Chew Street
Resources To Help You Be A Better Ally
- Afro Biz is a great compilation of Black businesses across Canada (if you're a Black owned business you can add your business to their directory)
- Learn how to become a better Ally from Mireille Cassandra Harper
- 10 Recent Books On Racism in Canada and the US by The Globe and Mail includes many titles written by Canadian about racism in Canada.
Donate
Donate to any number of organizations who are tirelessly working to fight racism. Here are just a few in Canada but we encourage you to keep doing your own research, find causes near and dear to you and your community.
- Black Lives Matter Toronto
- Black Lives Matter Vancouver
- Black Women in Motion
- Black Health Alliance
- Justice for Regis
If you don’t have the means to donate, follow them on social media, share their posts, watch their videos on YouTube and then leave it “on repeat” so the ad revenue continues to add up.
What Now?
Our words and these links are just a first step and just a small step at that. Just like many of us are already doing (the two of us included), we encourage you to continue your education and speak up along the way.
Busting centuries of inequality isn't going to happen overnight but just need to keep pushing forward. What steps are you taking and how are you going to become a better ally?
Thank you for allowing us to share our thoughts and for being here with us to make a difference with our thoughts, beliefs, words and actions.
As Always,
Ethan and Melissa
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Thank you Ethan and Melissa. Silence is not the answer and we all have to take it upon ourselves to make a difference. Now is the time. We appreciate your statement. It will encourage others to address the racism in our country and around the world.
Thank you for writing this. I too wrote a blog post after Black Out Tuesday (with nudging from my son). Like so many others I have a lot to learn! I’m encouraged by the willingness of food bloggers to embrace becoming an alley and anti racist. This might be a good round up topic in the coming months.