Anti-racism

Anti-racism is "the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, and social life. Anti-racism tends to be an individualized approach, and set up in opposition to individual racist behaviors and impacts." -Center for Racial Justice Innovation

Examples of anti-racism

Learning about, and actively working to identify and challenge, racial inequities	Racism is a part of all of our systems, including for example health care, criminal justice, income and employment, education and housing. One must learn about the history, impacts and/or experiences of racism.
Seek out media which challenges notions of race and culture	See the following for a list of recommended media on anti-racism, which includes recommendations for taking steps beyond educating yourself.
Organizing against racism	Fighting for equity, often in the form of a complete overhaul of our current systems (see abolition) and challenging the ways certain groups are disadvantaged is anti-racist work. Abolishing systems that perpetuate racism and building transformative systems that centre care is anti-racist work. See transformative justice for more.

Understanding why addressing racism is necessary for climate justice

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour's) communities are targets for toxic, environmentally-hazardous industries	Land pollution from industrial development disproportionately impacts racialized communities. See our page on environmental racism for more. "The neighbourhoods of poor and racialized communities are most likely to be situated next to packaging depots, highways, power plants and refineries. These communities breathe toxic air and experience significantly higher rates of respiratory illnesses and cancers."-Amnesty International Canada
The carceral state targets BIPOC communities and their movements	The carceral state disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, while generating environmentally harmful infrastructure. For example, movements like Stop Cop City Atlanta highlight the links between environmental justice, racism and the carceral state (see our page How we Win! Summary of findings on successful climate justice campaigns in North America for more. The concept of incarceration is rooted in a settler construct linked to racial slavery. Today, it continues to disproportionately affect low-income communities, immigrants, and notably Indigenous and Black communities (see carceral state for more). In so-called Canada, police often target Indigenous and allied social movements through tactics of repression, surveillance, and criminalization. This is designed to exert control over these movements, rather than facilitating their expression and advocacy
Legal injunctions that target BIPOC activists pave the way for environmental destruction	Legal injunctions, such as those placed against TMX and Coastal Gas Link protestors, intentionally target Indigenous racialized peoples movements. The carceral system, therefore, facilitates access to resources and lands through the unjust imprisonment of activists.

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