On March 8, CUPE joins the world in celebrating International Women’s Day.

Across the globe and in Canada, women continue to face gender-based violence and barriers to decent work, resulting in lower incomes. They also continue to bear an unequally large share of unpaid caregiving responsibilities. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified these problems. For marginalized women, the impact of the pandemic has been even more disproportionate. Women who experience racism, homophobia, classism, ableism, transphobia and other forms of discrimination face particular challenges that must be addressed.

As we fight for women’s rights, we must recognize that all struggles for human rights and justice are interconnected. To achieve justice for all women, we must dismantle all forms of oppression faced by women.

This International Women’s Day, CUPE invites members to take action in the following ways:

Check out:

Week 4-Being An Ally

Week 4-Being An Ally

What does it mean to be an ally to Black communities? It’s educating yourself on historical and systemic oppression faced by Black communities, as well as the needs of these communities. It’s being curious- listening more than speaking. Walking with not leading or saving. Be ready to be proven wrong and challenged. Take a stand against prejudices that seek to identify Black communities as things to be pitied upon, suspicious of and promotes “those people ” mentality. Ask yourself, “Am I ready to confront my biases, have difficult and uncomfortable conversations that may change my perspective on the systems of power in which I live in? Am I able to be an ally and not a saviour?”

Being an ally is hard work and mistakes will happen- as long as you keep learning and make efforts, change will happen.  Every action counts no matter how big or how small. Make every month Black history month by becoming an ally.

 Click on the links below to learn more on how you can support Black communities in Ottawa and beyond.

Source: https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/06/03/how-be-ally-black-community-and-communities-color

Want to support Black people? Stop talking, start listening – National | Globalnews.ca

How to be an Ally – Anti-Racism Resources – Subject Guides at Nova Scotia Community College (nscc.ca)

Quiz: What are 2 ways (not identified in the article) a person can be an ally to Black communities?  Email Answers Here

Racial Justice Committee Film Screening: Sòl

Join the CUPE Ontario Racial Justice Committee at 6pm next Wednesday, March 3, for a special screening of Sòl: a short film that examines the experiences of Black, racialized, and immigrant women as healthcare providers before, during, and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

The screening will take place on Zoom and will be followed by a live discussion with directors Valérie Bah & Tatiana Zinga Botao.

La traduction simultanée en français sera disponible.

Click here to register.