PSAC – Toronto Racism and Our Labour Movement Course
Written by
Khalid Usman
Local 541 Steward
PSAC Toronto on July 12th and 13th 2024 held a full two-day course – Toronto Racism and Our Labour Movement. These two days covered racism and labour movement, and were facilitated by Rohit Revi and Joan-Ann Gravesande.
On Friday, July 12, 2024, we started with introductions and various statements. The first statement was – how does racism impact me? How do I fit into the conversation on racism? While the answers varied, one in particular was random stop/search at the airport, crossing the borders, at the park. The different statements, along with understanding historical legacies, systemic racism and immigration racial oppression, and the discussions around addressing the challenges, impact of these challenges (i.e., intent vs. impact) and ways to advance racial justice are important to the cause. The diverse and personal experiences shared by the participants are a testament to the unity of those in attendance.
On Saturday, July 13, 2024, members further reviewed anti-Black racism and racism in the labour market through case studies and reflected on the multiple scenarios. The case studies included Bows and Arrows, The Face of the Rails: Black Porters in Canada, Chinese Canadian Shingle Workers’ Historic Organizing, Anti-Indigenous Racism at Indigenous Services, Anti-Black Racism at Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), and White Workers and Racism. While, us the participants went through all emotions in the training, a common theme was solidarity through learning, reflecting and becoming allies to improve racial justice. These factors are crucial to build trust in the union, workplace and communities. For instance, the notion of building trust is evident in the Black Porters case study, where the Black workers organized to protect and advance their rights. As such, it is important to provide support to racialized members to get involved in the union, speak out against racism and attend rallies in support of struggles for Racial Justice, Truth and Reconciliation and Immigrant rights.
In short, this training encouraged me to attend more union events.
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