Anti-racist campaign focuses on individuals’ experiences with racism and how community members can respond

This message is sent to City of Kingston news email subscribers on behalf of the Anti-Racism Working Group.

A group of community members including municipal, institutional, educational, and business leaders has come together to raise awareness about racism in Kingston.

The Anti-Racism Working Group (ARTF) is a task force established to address increasing occurrences of racist incidents within the Kingston area. As part of its mandate, the Anti-racist Kingston campaign aims to raise awareness, encourage members to speak up about racist incidents, and use tools and resources to report and support victims.

Aba Mortley and Bhavana Varma are co-chairing the task force, with Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson. Aba Mortley is a local business owner and community volunteer. Bhavana Varma retired last year as head of the United Way KFL&A. Together, the three co-chairs have worked closely with task-force members and community partners over the past year.

“With the increasing numbers of new migrants and international students in Kingston, there has also been an increase in the number of hate and racist incidents,” said Aba Mortley. “We believe that many residents in Kingston and area may not be aware of these occurrences. The fact is that they are happening, and if we all know better, we can all do better to make Kingston a better place.”

An awareness campaign was created to allow victims of such incidents to be seen and supported. The campaign also aims to give bystanders the tools to assist in these situations. The campaign brings a general awareness to ensure that, as our communities grow, we all feel a sense of belonging,” Mortley said.

The campaign, designed by BmDodo Strategic Design, uses stickers to highlight the unfair challenges faced by racialized individuals. In the campaign’s video version, labels accumulate over a person's lifetime, adding extra burdens and creating additional barriers. The text on the stickers is based on experiences gathered from a community survey, illustrating examples of racism currently occurring in Kingston. There are multiple versions of the ads, each featuring different images that reflect Kingston's racial diversity and the unique challenges faced by various age groups.

The campaign was developed using a community survey which collected over 100 responses from individuals in Kingston. The survey found that racist incidents are prevalent in our area. In the community survey, 40.7% of people have personally experienced an incident and 19.8% have witnessed an incident.

“Kingston is a beautiful, increasingly diverse, and welcoming city with the best of our humanity on display every day. Experiences of racism have a direct impact on both, physical and mental health, as well as our overall wellbeing,” said Dr. Deji Ayonrinde, a psychiatrist at Queen’s University and Providence Care.  “Our collective awareness, actions and shared community spirit can greatly enhance our collective wellbeing.”

Different elements of the anti-racist campaign will be featured on Kingston Transit buses, on posters throughout the city, and shared on social media by partners of the Anti-Racism Task Force. Community members are encouraged to visit the website to learn more about what they can do to make the community safe for everyone.

Bhavana Varma said, “We hope that this campaign helps people understand what many racialized people experience regularly, and that it helps us work together to create a future that fosters a sense of inclusion and compassion for all.”

Visit AntiRacistKingston.ca

View awareness campaign materials

About the Anti-Racism Working Group and Task Force

In 2021, a founding volunteer group was formed to flesh out the mandate and terms of reference for the creation of an Anti-Racism Working Group (ARWG). This action was developed from a directive and Report 20-163, approved by Kingston City Council in July 2020. The ARWG is a working group made up of members of the Black Indigenous People of Colour (BIPOC) communities, and was established to address the increasing number of racist incidents within the Kingston area.

Additionally, an Anti-Racism Task Force (ARTF) was founded by Aba Mortley, Bhavana Varma, and Mayor Bryan Paterson to focus on large employers in the region.  The task force includes municipal, government, healthcare, educational, and business leaders. Administrative support is provided by the United Way Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington and the City of Kingston.

The task force has identified four key priorities:

• Awareness:  An Awareness Campaign be developed to help people understand that racism is a frequent local occurrence, and what to do about it.
• Support and Reporting Tools: A pilot project is underway to develop a centralized tool to report incidents, complementing existing institutional reporting tools.
• Training:  Anti-racism training programs be developed and made available to local workplaces.
• Leadership Support: Provide support for leaders in organizations who work on Equity Diversity Inclusion and Indigenization (EDII)

Participating Organizations

• Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board
• Association of Black Law Enforcers
• CFB Kingston
• City of Kingston
• Correctional Service of Canada
• County of Frontenac
• Family and Children’s Services Frontenac and Lennox & Addington
• KFL&A Public Health
• Kingston Health Sciences Centre
• Kingston Police
• Limestone District School Board
• Ongwanada
• Providence Care
• Queen’s University
• Royal Military College
• St. Lawrence College
• United Way Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington

Media Contacts:

To arrange interviews with representatives from the Anti-Racism Co-chairs, Mayor, Task Force partners, please contact:

• Aba Mortley: Tel: 613 531 6520, Email: Aba.Mortley@Gmail.com
• Bhavana Varma:  Tel: 613 929 4828, Email: Bhavana@BhavanaVarma.ca