
Media toolkit on Black and Indigenous racism in Canada
We cannot deny that racism has always been — and continues to be — prevalent in Canada.
What we can do is act on it. Educating ourselves is a good starting point.
Here are forms of media (books, podcasts, social media accounts, websites) that highlight racism’s impact on Black and Indigenous communities in Canada.
Books:
The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by Desmond Cole
Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present by Robyn Maynard
Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada by Rodney Diverlus, Sandy Hudson and Syrus Marcus Ware
BlackLife: Post-BLM and the Struggle for Freedom by Rinaldo Walcott and Idil Abdillahi
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King
My Conversations With Canadians by Lee Maracle
Podcasts:
Notable episodes:
Season 1:
The Secret Life of Birchtown
The Secret Life of the North
Shout Out: Rosemary Brown
Season 2:
Bay Blanket
Water
The province of Jamaica
The Indian Act
The Nanny
Season 3:
Crash Course on “Uncle Tom”
Crash Course on Black Nurses
What’s the deal with blackface?
Kanesatake 300 Years Later (Part 1)
Kanesatake 300 Years Later (Part 2)
Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo
Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams?
Colour Code: A podcasts about race in Canada
Notable episodes:
Episode 4: police, Pride and protecting their own
Episode 67 – Canada’s genocise denial complex
Episode 103 – Abolish the police
Episode 75 – #BlackFaceTrudeau and Canadian White Supremacy
Websites and Social Media Accounts:
A Different Booklist: an independent bookstore specializing in Black literature and literature from the Global South diaspora
Another Story Bookshop: an independent bookstore specializing in literature on social justice, equity and diversity
Sandy Hudson: founder of Black Lives Matter – Toronto, political strategist, communications expert, host of Sandy and Nora, co-editor of Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada
Syrus Marcus Ware: community activist, youth-advocate and educator, visual artist, core-team member of Black Lives Matter – Toronto
Robyn Maynard: author of Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present
Desmond Cole: author of The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power, activist, journalist
Duncan McCue: award-winning CBC journalist who created a guide for journalists called Reporting in Indigenous Communities
The Festival of Literary Diversity (The FOLD): a festival in Canada for diverse authors and storytellers
The Anti-Racism Community Collective: Educational toolkit for BIPoC and allies
About the author
Ramona Leitao is a former managing editor of Youth Mind. When not writing, or taking photos, you’ll find her baking her signature baguettes while crying to Studio Ghibli soundtracks.

