'I've faced a lot of discrimination': Being queer and Black has shut doors, renter says
New series reveals the housing struggles and solutions of young Canadians
Tamika Krush is a Black queer social justice advocate with hidden mental and physical disabilities and a service dog.
All stacked up, that has made the 25-year-old Winnipegger a target of housing discrimination over the years, they said.
"I was actually evicted from my previous space for posters in my windows stating 'Justice for Eisha Hudson,'" said Krush, who uses they instead of gender-specific pronouns she or he. "And I definitely didn't have the resources or energy to challenge it because [the eviction] wasn't right."
(In April 2020, Eisha Hudson, 16, was shot and killed by a Winnipeg Police officer following a pursuit. Hudson's father and Indigenous leaders later criticized the Independent Investigation Unit report that recommended no charges be laid against police in connection with her death, calling it biased.)
That is just one story of bias and discrimination Krush tells in Part 1 of Unsafe Spaces, a new three-part video series for CBC Manitoba Creator Network. The series, by filmmakers Sidney Phommarath and Melvin Daligdig, explores housing challenges faced by three young Winnipeggers and the advice they have for their peers.
In Krush's case, their history of eviction and other housing discrimination has led to a deep-seated fear that is hard to shake.
"I have a pretty deep fear of being houseless," Krush said.
Parts 2 and 3 of Unsafe Spaces will be released in the coming weeks. Check out more Creator Network stories here.
This film is part of Unlocked: Housing stories by young Canadians, a national storytelling series by the CBC Creator Network. These personal stories, produced primarily by gen Zers and millennials, reveal the challenges young Canadians face finding affordable housing, their creative solutions and their hopes for the future. You can read more stories here.
