‘It’s about decolonizing your mind’: Systemic racism the focus of Metro Vancouver symposium

The first-ever anti-racism symposium held by the West Coast Coalition Against Racism (WC-CAR) takes place this weekend.

The symposium, according to the event’s Facebook page, is meant to “bring together activists and artists organizing against racism and related forms of oppression.”

Robert Hornsey, co-founder of WC-CAR, says this symposium aims to show how systemic racism operates in many ways. Some topics listed for panels at the event are food sovereignty, labour justice, racism in health care, and housing justice.

The WC-CAR has been operating for two years. It is based on a Vancouver group from back in the 1980s, of which Hornsey was a member. That group worked to confront Ku Klux Klan members in the city.

With what he calls a recent “resurgence of white supremacy,” he says it felt like the right time to bring back a group like this. WC-CAR, according to Hornsey, provides support and education — and also takes action. He believes teens are key players for anti-racism movements and it’s important to support their efforts.

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Self-identifying as a “recovering white privileged occupier of unceded lands,” Hornsey thinks people should learn more about these issues and know about where their privilege comes from. The coalition wants to use the symposium to shed light on systemic racism, with Hornsey adding “reconciliation requires truth.”

The “Roots Rhythm and Resistance, Anti-Racism Symposium” will be a three-day event from May 21 to 23. Each day has a new venue, starting at the Pitt Meadows Heritage Hall on Saturday. Sunday and Monday’s activities will be at venues in Vancouver.

It’s free to attend, though donations will be accepted. There will be free food and performances by local artists.

The West Coast Coalition Against Racism is holding a symposium highlighting systemic racism in May, 2022.
(Credit: wc-cars.org)

Hornsey hopes attendees leave the symposium with a better understanding of systemic racism, which could help them make changes in their own lives.

“It’s about de-colonizing your mind,” he explained. “If what we’re talking about does not make you uncomfortable, then it’s not reconciliation.”

Event planners are expecting up to 100 people in-person. For those who can’t make it, the whole symposium will be live-streamed. For educational use, it will also be filmed and made available to libraries and schools.

With planning for next year already underway, Hornsey hopes the coalition can continue hosting this event for years to come.