“CUPE has always led the way in the fight against racism and discrimination in our workplaces, our communities, and across the country. At every level of our union, training and education on how to identify and fight back against racism and discrimination is essential.” – Mark Hancock, CUPE National President
Racism and discrimination hurt and therefore divide us and leave long-lasting effects that harm us all. Often, we don’t realize how it affects us, or the roles we play in it. That’s why developing and engaging anti-racist education is the third goal of CUPE’s new Anti-Racism Strategy.
We can’t fight systemic racism and discrimination unless we acknowledge they exist, understand how they work, and how they have evolved over time.
From the rank-and-file all the way to the National Executive level, CUPE’s new Anti-Racism Strategy commits our union to fully participate in anti-racism training and education.
Moving forward, we’re committing to involving Black, Indigenous and racialized members in the development and delivery of CUPE’s anti-racism education.
We’re committing to telling the difficult parts of Canada’s history of racism, such as the impact of Black enslavement in Canada, racist immigration policies, the residential school system, and the Sixties Scoop.
We’re committing to facilitating anti-racism education beyond the usual venues – for example, in local executive training and training for new servicing representatives.
CUPE members and locals will continue to have opportunities to engage in anti-racism education. Some CUPE locals already have anti-racism training in their bylaws – and we encourage other locals to follow their lead!
Between now and our National Convention in November, ask what actions you and your Local can take to listen, learn, and educate more about racism and our role in fighting back.
This is the third in a series of ten features profiling the goals of CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy. Read the full series here.