We Stand with IBPOC Communities

The reality of continued police and state violence against Black and Indigenous people is not news to us, nor is it shocking or unexpected. Violence against Black and Indigenous people is long-standing and on-going. 

We see this in the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department; in the death of Regis Korchinski Paquet as a result of the Toronto Police Department’s intervention; in this week’s announcement that the action plan for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls will be delayed.

We acknowledge the grief and rage that must go unprocessed in Black and Indigenous communities who are not currently able to safely gather due to COVID-19, particularly for those who are immunocompromised and/or disabled. 

We acknowledge the lives, joy, and love of those who have had their lives taken from them, both those whose names we know, and those whose names have been erased.We defend the rights of every individual to gather in protest and express their dissent. 

Today CALTAC reiterates our commitment to:

• Work in solidarity with Black and Indigenous-led movements, following the leadership of those whose communities are disproportionately affected by violent racism and state-sanctioned violence in North America.

• Actively combat racism, within the Latinx community and beyond. Racism, including Anti-Black and Anti-Indigenous racism are a lasting byproduct of colonization in the region known as Latin America, and we are responsible for ending it within our families and greater Latinx communities.

• Continue to use CALTAC’s platform to uplift, showcase, and affirm Black and Indigenous Latinx artists, whose marginalization within the region known as Latin America causes their contributions to often go overlooked or sidelined.

To our wider community – the time for shock and surprise is over. Resources for education and mobilization are widely available. Your labour, money, and action are needed now, as they have been for decades. Join us in supporting the movements for our Black and Indigenous siblings to live in freedom, safety, and dignity.  

El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!