COCHRANE— Building on the momentum of the recent Black Lives Matter rally, a series of anti-racism workshops are coming to Cochrane.
“We need to keep creating these learning opportunities,” said event organizer Vanesa Ortiz. “The rally was great but it’s one day.”
Ortiz is collaborating with the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre and the Town of Cochrane to help bring a free Anti-Racism Community Education Series to Cochrane.
The series features three online sessions over the course of a month that will encourage participants to develop their critical vocabulary for recognizing, naming and challenging racism. Participants will learn about foundational concepts that include the active choice to be anti-racist and unpacking the experience of racialization, racism and whiteness.
“I think we are ready as a town to start talking about it, having conversations, becoming more aware of these issues,” Ortiz said. “Hopefully we can reflect on how we can do better.”
The time between weekly sessions will serve as a great way to unpack and process what is learned, Ortiz said. Participants will have time to analyze and think about how they interact with the people and community around them and make the choice to be anti-racist.
“It’s easy to say ‘I’m not racist’ but we need to think about what we are doing to address the realities and experiences of racialized people in our town,” Ortiz said.
It can be a challenging issue to talk about, but Ortiz said she hopes the sessions will help people understand that even if they have not experienced racism first-hand their friends or neighbours may experience it daily.
“This is about understanding, about listening to each other, about empathizing with others,” Ortiz said. “It’s about solidarity and community building— We are ready for this we are a caring and understanding community.”
Cochrane is a growing town with changing demographics, Ortiz noted, explaining that she feels Cochranites genuinely want to welcome new faces into the community.
“The empathy is there, this is just an effort to better channel those efforts of kindness and understanding,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz encouraged those that participate in the series to be open and willing to have a difficult conversation about race and racism that is centred on learning and empathy.
Ortiz said they are hoping to build on the Anti-Racism Community Education Series and bring more events featuring Indigenous, Black and people of colour as speakers to Cochrane.
“Every experience is different,” Ortiz said. “We can talk about how we can support each other— Everyone will benefit from educational experiences like this."
Cochrane Family and Community Support Services resource worker and Town Equity and Inclusion leader Melissa Engdahl has been working with Ortiz to understand how the Town could help bring the Anti-Racism workshop to Cochrane.
The Town is dedicated to ensuring all members of the community feel represented, Engdahl said, explaining that it was important to make space for all voices to be heard.
The series will centre around community education and fits with the Towns mandate to support community programming.
Engdahl said that she had received multiple requests for anti-racism training and education before the series was announced. She added the series marks the first time the Town has been able to provide this type of educational series at the community level.
“There’s been elements of it but not necessarily this focused on diversity and inclusions,” Engdahl said. “We get to create a community understanding.”
Engdahl encouraged people to sign up for the series, “with an open heart and open mind,” to better understand the experiences of those around them.
“It’s really about creating that complete community where everybody feels like they can participate,” Engdahl said. “I’m just really happy that the opportunity has been made available— It’s about people and what their experiences are.”
The Anti-Racism Community Education Series takes place on Tuesday (Aug. 25), Sept. 8 and Sept 15 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. using the video conferencing app Zoom. The series has room for 30 participants.
To sign up for the free Anti-Racism series visit cochrane.ca/Calendar.aspx?EID=2421.
