As the events of the last weeks in Georgia, Minnesota, Louisville, and Toronto and the protests now happening worldwide have brought the issue of anti-Black racism and oppression to the public attention, the Renascent Diversity Committee and Senior Leadership have been discussing the impact on our communities.
Personally, our hearts go out to the family and friends of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many more names we know, and those we don’t. We stand with the Black Community, Indigenous Community, and all other oppressed people against systemic racism, state-sanctioned violence, and oppression. We stand with these communities in demanding justice and equality.
It would be comfortable to say this is an American issue or perhaps an isolated incident, but we know that it is not. It would be comfortable to say this is a societal issue and is not relevant to Renascent, but we know this is not true.
At Renascent we help people every day engage in the journey of recovery. This is not a comfortable journey, and individually and collectively we are committed to addressing and confronting difficult, important, and uncomfortable challenges.
Racism, discrimination, and oppression have affected you, our staff, you, our clients, and you, our volunteers. As we work in our mission to help those suffering from addiction, we must understand that racism, discrimination, and oppression impact people’s health, and serves as a driver of addiction.
Renascent condemns racism, discrimination, and oppression, and is committed to continually improving inclusion and access, as well as looking unflinchingly in the mirror. Below this message is a link to an excellent CBC presentation featuring the author of the recently published book “The Skin We’re In”, that we urge you to view. Renascent, through our Diversity Steering Committee and Senior Leadership, will continue the journey of greater inclusion and diversity.
https://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/episodes/the-skin-were-in
Laura Bhoi, CEO, Renascent
Dennis James, Chair, Diversity Committee
