Posted by: Roo Kailey
*This toolkit is a working document that we will continue to update as we discover new resources.
This list is a starting point, not the be-all end-all. Unlearning racism is a constant pursuit— there’s always more to learn. Push yourself to keep educating yourself, and strive for kindness and compassion. Please reach out to rkailey@unisonfund.ca if you have resources you think should be added to the list/a link doesn’t work/you’re concerned about a particular resource I’ve linked.
Canadian Resource List:
Justice For Regis → https://ca.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-regis
Gofundme set up by Regis’ sister to aid with any costs they face while seeking justice.
Black Lives Matter Toronto → https://blacklivesmatter.ca/donate/
Toronto chapter of BLM; BLM is completely supported through community donations.
Black Legal Action Centre → https://www.blacklegalactioncentre.ca/
A non-profit community legal clinic that provides free legal services for low or no income Black residents of Ontario.
Black Women in Motion → https://blackwomeninmotion.org/
An organization that supports the advancement of Black women in Toronto through educational tools, economic opportunities and cultural content.
Federation of Black Canadians → https://fbcfcn.nationbuilder.com/general_donation
This national, non-profit organization is driven by organizations across the country that advance the social, political, cultural, and economic interests of Canadians of African descent. Federation of Black Canadians focuses on community building, higher education, health, economic security, reducing racism, and criminal justice reform.
Zero Gun Violence Movement → http://zerogunviolence-movement.com/
The Zero Gun Violence Movement is committed to addressing the structural and socio-economic conditions that contribute to gun violence in the greater Toronto area.
Black in BC Community Support Fund for COVID-19 → https://gf.me/u/x34if9
A fundraiser for a low-barrier, emergency, micro-grant program for Black people in B.C., who are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Black Emergency Fund → https://ca.gofundme.com/f/black-emergency-support-fund
Run by Black Lives Matter Toronto, this fund provides stipends to black folx in the GTA who need support through the pandemic after losing their jobs or essential programs that helped keep them and their families comfortable.
COVID-19 Sex Worker Emergency Support Fund → https://www.maggiesto.org/covid19
This fund was created for Toronto & GTA-based sex workers who have lost income because of COVID-19 and are struggling. They are prioritizing Queer and Trans, Black and Indigenous Communities of Colour, migrant sex workers and those with precarious status, as well as sex workers living with illness and disability and poor and precariously housed sex workers.
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands → http://www.whiwh.com/donations
The Mandate of Women’s Health in Women’s Hands (WHIWH) Community Health Centre is to provide primary healthcare to racialized women from the African, Black, Caribbean, Latin American and South Asian communities in Toronto and surrounding municipalities.
The Come Up (Alberta) → https://www.yegthecomeup.com
As the youth collective of the Africa Centre, The Come Up have been working towards building and supporting a hub of African and Caribbean communities in Edmonton since 2013.
NIA Centre for the Arts → https://niacentre.org/
NIA Centre is committed to supporting artists working across disciples, and ranging in experience levels; striving to build the creative capacities and support the development of a healthy identity in Black youth.
Black Business and Professional Association → https://bbpa.org/
The BBPA is a non-profit, charitable organization that addresses equity and opportunity for the Black community in business, employment, education and economic development.
Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention → http://www.blackcap.ca/
Black CAP, Canada’s largest Black specific AIDS service organization, works to create culturally relevant outreach, prevention and support services for people infected with, affected by, or at risk of contracting HIV.
Feed the Community – COVID Emergency Support → https://ca.gofundme.com/f/BlackTO-feed-the-community
Funds will be donated to the Black Creek Community Farm that serves the Jane & Finch community as well as the Building Roots organization that supports the Moss Park Neighbourhood. Delivering fresh, healthy food to those in need during the pandemic.
Black Food Toronto → https://blackfoodtoronto.com/
Provide emergency food support to individuals and families within the African, Caribbean, Black community in Toronto who have been affected by COVID-19.
Peer Support led by Jennifer Eaman → https://affordabletherapynetwork.com/ontario/
Jenn is a Black queer woman who is neurodivergent and a survivor of SA. She has been practicing peer support for 5 years. She grounds her work in person-centered, trauma informed, collaborative, and anti-oppressive approaches. She encourages peers to define how sessions will best support their needs.
(READ) Anti-Black Racism in Canada:
Policing Black Lives, by Robyn Maynard
The Skin We’re In, by Desmond Cole
Blank: Essays and Interviews, by M. NourbeSe Philip
In the Black, by B. Denham Jolly
Queer Returns: Essays on Multiculturalism, Diaspora and Black Studies, by Rinaldo Walcott
Black Life: Post-BLM and the Struggle for Freedom, by Rinaldo Walcott
Canada in Africa, by Yves Engler
The Hanging of Angelique, by Afua Cooper
North of the Colour Line, by Sarah-Jane Mathieu
Viola Desmond’s Canada, by Graham Reynolds
Last Steps to Freedom: The Evolution of Canadian Racism, by John Boyko
The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill
Racial profiling in Canada : challenging the myth of “a few bad apples”, by Carol Tater
Black cop : my 36 years in police work, and my career-ending experiences with official racism, by Calvin Lawrence
Reena Virk : critical perspectives on a Canadian murder, by various authors
Anti-racist feminism : critical race and gender studies, by various authors
Who’s Who in Black Canada: Black success and Black excellence in Canada : a contemporary directory, by Dawn P. Williams
Má-ka: Diasporic Juks : Contemporary Writing by Queers of African Descent, by various authors
A Map to the Door of No Return, by Dionne Brand
This Body for Itself, by Dionne Brand
FREE Books:
The End of Policing, by Alex S. Vitale (EBOOK HERE)
Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States, a TRUTHOUT collection (EBOOK HERE)
Police: A Field Guide, by David Correia and Tyler Wall (EBOOK HERE)
GOOGLE DRIVE – BOOKS BY BLACK ACTIVISTS
(LISTEN) Podcasts
RCI | English : Portraits of Black Canadians
A Therapist Walks Into a Bar – “Seeing White”
About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge
Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror
(WATCH) Film & TV
13th, Ava DuVernay (Netflix)
Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler (on demand)
The Hate U Give, George Tillman Jr. (Crave)
Ninth Floor, Mina Shum (National Film Board of Canada)
Selma, Ava DuVernay (on demand)
I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck (Amazon Prime Video)
If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins (Amazon Prime Video)
Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee (on demand)
Just Mercy, Destin Daniel Cretton (on demand)
Clemency, Chinonye Chukwu (on demand)
Watchmen, Damon Lindelof (Crave)
Journey to Justice, Roger McTair (National Film Board of Canada)
Les Misérables, Ladj Ly (on demand)
When They See Us, Ava DuVernay (Netflix)
BlackKklansman, Spike Lee (Crave)
The Good Fight, Robert King, Michelle King and Phil Alden Robinson (on demand)
Beyond Moving, Vikram Dasgupta (Hot Docs Canada)
The Colour of Beauty, Elizabeth St. Philip (National Film Board of Canada)
Atlanta, Donald Glover (on demand)
Coded Bias, Shalini Kantayya (Hot Docs Canada)
Whose Streets?, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis (Paradise Theatre, Canada)
More Resources:
Anti-Racism Resources for White People
Black Lives Matter Allyship & Action
Me and White Supremacy Workbook
Shareable Anti-racism Resource Guide