Anti-Racism Statement

Britannia is located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and we hold the heritage of these lands close in our everyday work. We aim to embrace Indigenous values and practices and are committed to reflecting Indigenous protocols, beliefs, and ways of being in our work. We thank those who came before us and who have guided our learning.

Dear Britannia Community,

Racism has no place at Britannia, in our community, or outside our doors.

The anti-Indigenous, anti-Black, and anti-Asian racism that has been recently portrayed in the media is not new; it’s on our streets, in our neighbourhoods, and embedded in the way we live. We are saddened, pained, and outraged by the on-going racism and violence that Black, Indigenous, Asian and racialized communities face. We write this statement today in solidarity with these communities as well as anti-Indigenous racism, Black Lives Matter, and all anti-racism activists here and everywhere.

We write this statement as our re-commitment to combating systemic racism in and outside of Britannia Community Services Centre.

And we write this statement knowing that we still have much to learn. We have made mistakes. We have missed opportunities. We have left folks behind.

We strengthen our resolve to being a place for the community to gather and develop collaborative solutions to community issues. Britannia exists today because a group of youth and concerned citizens came together to address the needs of the community. We are a testament to the power a community wields when it comes together.

Join us to create an Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Committee. We ask all interested community members, advocates, and knowledge keepers to work together to reflect on the harm we have done and act to prevent harm in the future. We need to have a better understanding of the mistakes we have made and continue to make in order to make meaningful and lasting change. How can we transform into a community where no one is left behind?

We have much more work to do as we change who we are to become who we want to be. We invite you to grow as we grow and continue our work towards making our spaces safer and welcoming to all.

Sincerely,

Britannia Board of Management

Note:
The Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Committee now meet the 2nd Thu of every month at 6:00pm via Zoom. For the Zoom meeting links, please contact britanniacc@vancouver.ca.

Next meeting: Nov 18, 2021