Anti-racism committee promises to address systemic racism on P.E.I.

The province has established a new committee to address racism on P.E.I. and is calling it the Anti-Racism Table. 

It begins its work Sept. 20 and is led by P.E.I.'s anti-racism policy advisor, Danté Bazard. He'll be working directly with Islanders who face systemic discrimination, with the goal to make changes in education, justice, health care, employment, legislation and more.

Bazard said the Anti-Racism Table, which will act like a board, will inform government about "what's happening in our communities."

"Anti-racism work has been going on in other provinces and it's about time that we catch up on P.E.I. to do this work," Bazard said. 

Bazard was an international student from the Bahamas, graduating from UPEI in 2016, and said he's always pushed for more anti-racism work. He said he's hoping the anti-racism policy advisor position and Anti-Racism Table, together with local organizations like BIPOC USHR and the Black Cultural Society of P.E.I. can "push the dial forward" to make a difference on the Island.

Anti-Racism Table accepting applications from public

One of the goals is to see more Black, Indigenous and people of colour in executive positions in Prince Edward Island.

"We need a lot of community support, we need outreach, we need mentorship programs, we need to connect with the community," he said. "We also need to remove barriers to immigration on P.E.I."

The province is asking Islanders who are interested in taking part to submit an application to the Anti-Racism Table through the Engage P.E.I. process.

It will be accepting applications for membership to the Anti-Racism Table until Sept. 10.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.