People in communities throughout B.C. will have improved access to resources to help them tackle discrimination and enhance the province’s diversity as 60 organizations receive support through the BC Multiculturalism Grants program.

”Over the past two years, we’ve seen a staggering increase in racism and hate incidents in B.C.,” said Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives. “These grants are one of many steps in our fight against racism, helping organizations on the ground address systemic racism. This is important work, and I am grateful to everyone stepping up to build anti-racist workplaces and communities.”

Funding is provided to a range of community-based organizations for projects that build intercultural interaction, trust and understanding, or challenge racism, hate and systemic barriers. Projects receiving a grant include:

• British Columbia Black History Awareness Society (Victoria): using video and focused outreach to engage young people in conversation through a research and dialogue project that investigates and brings awareness to the diversity of Black people of African ancestry in B.C.
• Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre Society (100 Mile House): to deliver as many as six sessions focused on teaching and preserving Secwepemctsin. Elder language keepers will lead language lessons, art and storytelling, and explore cultural competency and truth and reconciliation.
• Museum and Archives of Vernon: creating an interactive training program for North Okanagan professionals, businesses and community organizations to introduce and address concepts of bias, privilege and discrimination in the workplace and to teach practical strategies to confront racism and privilege.

"People of African ancestry are typically categorized as one group and treated as a monolith, obscuring the vast diversity in their histories, identities, journeys and experiences,” said Silvia Mangue Alene, president, BC Black History Awareness Society. “This funding builds on ‘Worlds Within: Diverse Histories, Identities, and Experiences of Black People of African Ancestry in British Columbia,’ the report of the African Ancestry Project released in March 2022, to add a youth-focused component about the rich heritage and diverse cultural identities of Black people in B.C. Connecting with young people is key to building self-esteem and challenging the stereotypes that promote anti-Black racism.”

For the full list of grant recipients, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/2021-22_Multiculturalism_Grant_Recipients.pdf

Quick Facts:

• In spring 2022, the Province will introduce anti-racism data legislation. Informed by extensive community engagement, the legislation will help government identify inequities in programs and services, address barriers and pave the way to a more equitable province.
• Other government actions that are making B.C. a safer and more inclusive place for everyone, including:
  • providing funding to support several anti-racism initiatives, including the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network, and a provincewide anti-racism awareness campaign;
  • reinstating the B.C. Human Rights Commission;
  • reviewing the Police Act, developing an anti-racism action plan for kindergarten to Grade 12 and tackling anti-Indigenous racism in health care;
  • working to introduce a new anti-racism act; and
  • developing a multilingual racist-incident hotline for British Columbians to report racist incidents and receive support and referrals.

Learn More:

For more information about the BC Multiculturalism Grants program, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/multiculturalism/multiculturalismgrants

For more information about Resilience BC, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/anti-racism/resiliencebc

If you are the victim of a hate crime, find support online: https://www.resiliencebc.ca/