The Future of Canada is in Good Hands; UARR at the forefront of anti-racism work

BY PAUL JUNOR

For over 46 years now, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) has been at the forefront of anti-racism work. As a charitable organization it, “Works primarily and proactively with the community public and private sectors to provide educational programs and research, which are critical in addressing racism in society” (urbanalliance.ca).

On February 24th, 2021, it launched the Black Youth Fellowship (BYF) as part of its Black History Month Celebration at City Hall in Toronto.

The UARR has been involved in several projects over the years such as the Racial Equity and Education Project, which hosted the Youth Racial Justice Summit on Education from November 14th to 15th, 2020. It involved over 400 participants virtually. It also conducts the: Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Institute, Museum of Anti-Racism, Reclaiming our Narrative, Racial Equity Awards, Access to Justice, REbuild Initiative and the Racial Justice Policy Hub.

In addition, it has been involved in advocacy and activism through several initiatives. The Volunteer Equity Program (VEP) offers a community-based diversity-training program. It is part of the Anti-Racism Response Network (ARRN) FAX Advisory, which offers a community connection with respect to related human right issues. It publishes Currents, which is a journal that is engaged in research and dialogue on race relations. According to its website, “With the challenges presented by the current social climate, we recognize the lasting contributions that UARR has made in raising awareness about racism while simultaneously developing proactive and empowering solutions to these obstacles and the sobering reminder of the work that remains.”

The Black Youth Fellowship Initiative (BYFI) is intended to empower young Black Torontonians to pursue political careers through civic engagement. It has the support of Toronto City Council and is an “Intense program that includes training sessions, mentorship and a paid internship working for the Mayor and Councillors.”

On Jun 14th, 2020. UARR posted on its website that Jared A. Walker – who was added to its board of directors – would be the Chair of the BYFI. In an article he wrote for the Toronto Star on Monday, June 8th, 2020 titled, “Empowering Black youth to change the world,” he discussed the importance of Blacks participating in the political life of Toronto. He discussed the purpose of the BYFI, “In 2021, we will provide 10 to 15 highly motivated, passionate and hard-working Black youth to get hands-on experience working with elected government representatives. The goal is to put these young people on a fast track to success and build bridges between community and government. If we do this right, we will create a platform to empower the next generation of Black civil servants- not just here in Toronto, but in City Halls, legislatures and public institutions all across Canada.”

At the February 24th, 2021 launch of the BYFI, Jared presented ten individuals who will be part of this initiative. They include: Daniella Costello, Dr.Anita Ewan, Aicha Yasmine Toure, Issaq Hussein, Finda James, Princess Owusu,Wahi Mohamed,Sameer Khalil, Adam Luke and Warsam Hagi-Yusuf. The launch of this mentorship and leadership initiative is timely and necessary. It is important that leaders from within the Black community develop, nurture and expand their leadership skills. Leaders are often forged in crisis and given the challenges related to the COVID-pandemic and its disproportionate impact on BIPOC communities , they have important roles to play. The future of Canada is in good hands as these leaders lead the way.