Resources
The following is a collection of resources that we feel may be valuable to our collaborators. Many have been created by colleagues, while others have been developed or shared by people around the world. This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list. We encourage you to share resources that you have found valuable with our team.
STEPS joins with others across our world in the condemnation of all forms of racist violence against black, brown, Indigenous and people of colour. As an organization committed to supporting communities to activate public space by leveraging the power of arts to raise awareness about inequities in our cities, we must become better allies. This begins with examining our own blindspots and privilege as an organization that operates on stolen land in Tkaronto.
STEPS reaffirms our commitment to amplifying the work of Indigenous, Black, newcomer, LGBTQQIP2SAA+, disabled and artists of colour working across the region we now call Canada. We will continue to expand the ways we support equity-seeking artists through targeted residencies and equitably paid opportunities. We will continue to facilitate participatory arts programming in some of Canada’s most diverse communities and provide a platform for people to share their vision for our cities. Furthermore, we will continue to listen, learn, and identify ways we can actively address and dismantle racist and exclusionary systems through our work. We acknowledge that there is so much more we can do, and we welcome feedback on where we can do better. We encourage individuals to learn more about racism in Canada, and ways in which they can take action through allyship, beginning with some of the following resources, which members of our team have found helpful in our own learning.
Supporting Indigenous Communities
Amnesty International – Ten Ways to be a Genuine Ally to Indigenous Communities
Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society – “Decolonization is Not a Metaphor”
First Nations Child & Family Caring Society
First Nations Health Authority – Mental Health and Wellness Support
Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund
Indian Residential School Survivors Society – Counselling Services: Survivors crisis line is open 24 hours a day & 7 days a week: 1800-721-0066
Indigenous Awareness Resources – Curated by Lindsay (Swooping Hawk) Kretschmer, Executive Director of Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council
Indigenous Storytellers: Sylvia Maracle, Executive Director, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres; Kenn Richard, founder and former Executive Director of Native Child and Family Services of Toronto and now Director of the Indigenous Spirit Fund; Listen to Lindsay, Sylvia and Kenn discuss reciprocity here.
IndigiNews and The Discourse – “Non-Indigenous people – here’s what you can do, right now”
On Canada Project – Settlers Take Action, a list of resources
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation – Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports and its 94 Calls to Action; in particular Volume 4 which deals specifically with missing children and Unmarked Burials
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls – Reclaiming Power and Place Report
Native Land – Find out whose traditional territory you live on.
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Tkaronto Indigenous Peoples Portal
Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council (TASSC) Toronto Aboriginal Report
Toronto Star – “Beyond thoughts and prayers: Actions you can take to support residential school survivors in Canada”
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada – Calls to Action: 94 recommendations from the Committee
University of Alberta Faculty of Native Studies – Indigenous Canada Course (free)
University of Manitoba Press – A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
Woodland Cultural Centre – Save the Evidence Campaign
Yellowhead Institute – Calls to Action Accountability: A 2020 Status Update on Reconciliation
Supporting the Black Community
A Different Booklist – Featured Booklist
ByBlacks – Master Directory
Canadian Black Speakers – Canadian Black Hosts/Moderators/Speakers List
Loveland Foundation – Loveland Therapy Fund
Patreon – Unlearning: America’s Rebirth
The Most Nurtured – Community-based Holistic Wellness for Black Women
Further Allyship & Other Resources
AIGA & Google – Design Census 2019
Alesia Montgomery – “Reappearance of the Public: Placemaking, Minoritization, and Resistance in Detroit”
Authority Collective – Resources for Photographers and Beyond on Anti-Racism
Autumn Gupta and Bryanna Wallace – Justice in June
Black Lives Matter – Ways You Can Help
Canadian Urban Institute – A Call to Courage: Individual Learning Agenda
City of Toronto – Toronto For All: Confronting Anti-Black Racism Initiative
Courtney Ahn Design – An Illustrated Guide to White Privilege
Darin Buzon – Design Thinking is a Rebrand for White Supremacy
GoodGoodGoodCo – How to be Actively Antiracist
Medium – 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
Mireille Cassandra Harper – 10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship
Our Book Bag – Children’s Booklist (on Instagram @ourbookbag)
Peggy McIntosh – White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack
Pride At Work – LGBTQ2+ Workplace Inclusion Learning Modules
Rania El Mugammar – How to be An Ally: Islamophobia at the Intersections
Schessa Garbutt – Black Lives Matter is not a Design Challenge
Showing Up for Racial Justice – Toolkit on Calling People In About “Violence”
The Creative Independent – How to think differently about doing good as a creative person
Toronto Public Library – Black Lives Matter: A Booklist
Toronto Public Library – Read Indigenous
Toronto Star – Racism Exists in Canada
Type Books – Booklist