Inequalities revealed in survey by Vital Signs

Over the past few weeks we have seen an immense social movement arise demanding an end to systemic racism, and the violence and oppression it feeds.

While the epicentre for this movement has been the United States, its reverberations have been felt throughout the world, including here in Victoria, where recent rallies have seen thousands voice their demands for an end to racial discrimination in Canada, particularly toward the Black community.

The Victoria Foundation supports this movement and acknowledges that broad discrimination exists right here in our community, with regards to race, gender, sexual orientation and more.

In Canada, many believe discrimination is a rarity, especially when we compare ourselves to the United States. This is far from the truth. Our last Vital Signs survey of Greater Victoria showed 24 per cent of respondents felt uncomfortable at least sometimes as a result of discrimination. That’s nearly a quarter of our region.

Our board chair, Zaman Velji, recently put forward a statement from the Foundation addressing these issues and speaking to what we as an organization have been doing, and are planning to do, to help.

In it, Zaman says that the Foundation “will do more, by listening, learning and acting.” I believe this is the key approach for our staff, our board, and, in fact, our community to move forward and make significant change.

The third part of that statement is the most important. Listening and learning mean nothing without action.

The vision of the Victoria Foundation is a vibrant, caring community for all, and we have a history of working with organizations devoted to increasing a sense of safety and belonging in our community.

For instance, over the past few years we have been engaged with The Inclusion Project, an initiative to support and further equity, diversity and inclusion in our region.

That said, there is always more that can and should be done. We will continue to listen. We will continue to look for ways to address issues of racism and discrimination in our community, by supporting those disproportionately affected by them.

As Zaman says in his statement, “This moment calls on us to challenge ourselves to face hard truths and foster the change needed for our community to live up to the pride we take in it.”

With the fire this movement has lit, we will put even greater focus on our vision of making our community stronger, and our shared quality of life better now, and for the long term.

I encourage each of us in our region, at organizational and individual levels, to engage in this work, to listen, to learn and to act. I would also encourage all to read Zaman’s statement, which can be found at our website, victoriafoundation.ca.