Anti-Racism and Oppression Statement
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
SEAN MCCANN (Ellis Arnesen) is a bonafide Canadian icon, with over 35 years of experience in film, television and theatre. Appearing in more than 150 feature films and countless projects for television, he has worked with Meryl Streep, Sarah Polley, Diane Ladd, Nick Nolte, Nicolas Cage, Kevin Bacon, Richard Gere, Peter Weller and the late Al Waxman … and with legendary directors Sidney Lumet, Ken Russell, Paul Schraeder and David Cronenberg. McCann has won a Gemini Award, a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in Night Heat, as well as the prestigious Earle Grey Award celebrating his entire body of work in television.
IAN KILBURN (Joe Clay) is grateful to have had the opportunity to work on such a marvelous play with such a stunning team. Ian is from Calgary, Alberta where he studied theatre at the University of Calgary. He then went on to work as a member of the Resident Company of Artists at Theatre Junction. There he was part of the team that created Little Red River, On the Side of the Road, and Lucy Lost Her Heart. During that time he also joined the cast of Reverie with Ghost River Theatre. Ian is very excited to be back working on the stage and can’t wait to begin collaborating with Jeff and the rest of the cast.
ANNE PAGE (Kirsten Clay) has studied, worked and taught in the entertainment industry throughtout Canada. She co-founded Toronto’s critically acclaimed Theatre Voce, which received 13 Dora Award nominations for its beautiful and courageous productions. Anne’s most recent theatre work includes Taking Liberties, Conservatives in Love, Medici Slot Machine, and Orchidelirium. Film and television credits include Murphy’s Law, a Canadian Film Centre pilot project; After Hours, a CTV late night comedy show; Our Great Lakes, a TVO documentary; and Due South, an Alliance prime time dramatic series.
DAVID LUDWIG (Jim Hungerford) has performed extensively in theatre, musicals, opera, film, and television throughout North America. Credits include: Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Canadian National Tour of Phantom of the Opera, US National Tour of Titanic the Musical, Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, King Arthur in Camelot, Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple, Juror #3 in 12 Angry Men, and Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. Originally from Michigan, David began his career in opera. Since his arrival in Canada, has performed in Calgary, Regina, Vancouver, Victoria, and numerous venues throughout Ontario.
This year Renascent’s own Dr. Vera Tarman hosted Addictions Unplugged, a live and interactive show that tackled questions on all matters relating to addiction and recovery, on Rogers TV. If you’d like to see this great program back for another season, let Rogers know:
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