FACL BC Statement for Black History Month 2022: February and Forever
February 28, 2022
The national theme for this year’s Black History Month is February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day. As February 2022 comes to an end, FACL BC reminds our membership to continue to honour Black history, celebrate the daily contributions of Black community members and colleagues.
FACL BC recognizes that anti-Black racism continues to exist in the legal profession and Canadian society at large. As Asian-Canadian legal professionals, we commit to acting in solidarity with our Black colleagues and acknowledge the contributions Black people have made to the profession. We encourage our readers to visit the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada’s Facebook page1 to see some of their Black History Month 2022 spotlights, which highlight influential Black-Canadian legal professionals such as Justice Corrine Sparks2 and Chief Justice Julius Alexander Isaac.3
Image Source: Government of Canada BHM2022 digital toolkit 4
This year, Black History Month and the Lunar New Year began on the same day, inspiring many to reflect on both the long history of Black and Asian solidarity and tensions in North America.5 Many also took this opportunity to honour the contributions of people of mixed Black and Asian heritage.
Against the backdrop of COVID-19 and its disproportionate impacts on Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC)7, both the Black Lives Matter8 movement and the Stop Asian Hate movement have gained significant momentum in the public eye.
We must work to ensure our pledges of solidarity are put into action. These actions must also include undoing the anti-Black racism and colourism that continue to exist within Asian communities. FACL BC commits to strengthening interracial solidarity toward the shared goals of ending racial injustice and white supremacy. To find resources on topics such as tackling anti-Black racism in Asian communities and allyship and action, visit FACL BC’s resource lists:
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1 https://www.facebook.com/blsacanada/photos
2 https://www.facebook.com/blsacanada/photos/2054135361430833
3 https://www.facebook.com/blsacanada/photos/2051760815001621
4https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month.html
5https://nondoc.com/2022/02/15/time-to-celebrate-black-asian-solidarity/
6 https://mixedasianmedia.com/celebrating-blasians-during-black-history-month-and-lunar-new-year
7https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/02/cpho-sunday-edition-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-racialized-communities.html
8 https://www.blacklivesmatter.ca/
9https://faclbc.ca/News/9013755
10 https://faclbc.ca/News/10111664
