Reconciliation. Solidarity. What does it look like in Real-Time?

By: Shavayah Jackson-Downey

Recently it was announced that Sheridan’s 2023 Black History Month theme is “Reconciliation. Solidarity. Now.” At first glance, you may be wondering…what exactly does that mean, and what does that look like today?

I’ve decided to breakdown the Black History Month 2023 theme from my perspective, and showcase a collection of Black authors, creatives, philosophers and activists, who have shared their own ideas along the way.

Let’s start with 5 ways to understand reconciliation:

The first step to reconciliation, or repairing a relationship, is honesty. When it comes to repairing centuries of oppression, finding ways to seek out the true history of our country (and world) is key. Everything that happens is connected, and a lot of the stories found in school textbooks or social media posts are missing important parts of history. It’s our job to discover the truth for ourselves.

Seeking the truth is an ongoing practice, but the more you learn, the more empowered you feel. When it comes to having conversations about our history and it’s effects, specifically in terms of racism and it’s prevalence today, there’s still a large amount of dismissal and lack of engagement. Yet, just like Cecily Tyson once said, “turning a blind eye to our history has not saved us from it’s consequences.” The impact of injustice, racism and all other -isms, is felt on a collective level, even if it is denied or ignored.

As we start to reveal the harsh realities of this country’s past and present, we can start the process of repairing the broken system at it’s root. Reconciliation starts with having the courage to learn the truth.

Over the past few years, there have been more conversations about anti-racism, diversity and inclusion and a push for innovative ideas that support social change. Still, there is a lot of work to be done.

History is really just a collection of stories about you, me and our ancestry….and we all have a personal family history connected to larger historical moments. Truth-telling and truth-seeking will usually uncover some very traumatic things, so how can we reconcile the feelings that come up when we discover the truth?

As you learn more, you will build an awareness of just how diverse our stories really are. For example, a student whose family immigrated to Canada from Lagos has in many ways a complete different experience than a student, like me, whose family has a long Black Canadian experience. My cousin and filmmaker, Caz, made a great CBC documentary about what it feels like being 7th gen Black Canadian, check it out here. Understanding our nuances, and getting to know people as individuals, with unique experiences is also an important part of reconciliation.

Since a lot of our history is absent from textbooks, classrooms and mainstream media, it becomes our collective responsibility to reconnect with our roots, listen to our ancestors and empower ourselves. When Dr. Mary McLeod said “I am my mother’s daughter, and the drums of Africa still beat in my heart”, she reminds us that we are connected to the rhythms, the sounds and the callings of our people.

There are a lot of different Black experiences, and yet, we are still connected. Acknowledging our differences, and learning about those particular lives, while also celebrating our oneness as people from Africa or the African diaspora is an important piece too.

As we start to build our awareness about where our people come from and our relationship to one another, we can use our resilience, our intellect and our strengths to take action and create the life we want. James Baldwin once said “If you know whence you came from, there is really no limit to where you can go.” Awareness expands our ideas around what is possible, and reconciliation demands that we let go of the limiting self-beliefs and make the things that seem impossible, possible.

As we expand our awareness of diverse Black experiences and identities, we then have to decide to commit to changing our problematic patterns, behaviours, thoughts, beliefs and actions. We have to be committed (and if it’s not something that we are already actively committed to), it has to be OUR decision to start today.

Here are two ways we can challenge our thought -patterns :

• Learn about Racial Gaslighting: Jacquelyn Ogorchukwu is a liberatory designer who looks to educate people on how racism and colonialism affect the well-being of BIPOC communities through design.

• Learn about Stereotypes and Ideas around Black Exceptionalism: This Forbes article discusses how only celebrating Black exceptionalism encourages Black people to sacrifice their health, mental wellbeing and welfare on a daily.

Commitment through daily actions will have big long-term impact. Angela Davis’ quote “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change, I am changing the things I cannot accept” encourages us all to have a tunnel-vision has we advocate for justice.

Another question to ask ourselves is, what are we doing beyond the month of February? What are we doing today, and day-to-day to honour our commitment?

Freeing ourselves from the problematic imprints of colonization is necessary for our collective progress.

When we breakdown the theme, in it’s most basic form, it’s about “a commitment to caring for people…wanting to treat people right.”

I remember watching this speech from Cornel West were he simplified things. “We’re talking about what it means to be a person of honesty, integrity, decency, generosity and compassion, [a person] who believes that, in a world that seems to be so overwhelmed with greed, hatred, hypocrisy and fear, we still want to be on the love train. So justice is what love looks like in public.” - Cornel West. Watch the whole video of Cornel Wests' speech here.

If we are committed to caring for one other, and continue to do the work to know how to show up for each other, honouring our commitment and owning our decision doesn’t feel as laborious as they make it seem.

Reconciliation is an ongoing process and as we have mentioned, is bound to make you very uncomfortable at times. As you learn something new, read a book or watch a documentary, scroll through your feed or hear a story from an elder, and the information can impact you deeply.

Larissa Crawford, shared how her personal healing journey: from learning the traumatic history associated with her last name, to growing up with her Indigenous side of her family and connecting with her Jamaican heritage later in life, was a mixture of overcoming generational pain and celebrating ancestral strength.

In her article “ Time Is A Colonial Construct — Here’s How I Learned To Reclaim Mine”, Larissa shares how even our ideas around productivity, self-worth and boundary-setting are tied to reconciliation, solidarity and decolonization work. At one point, she wrote “Radically adjust your expectations of me”, which I saw as a powerful reminder that sometimes solidarity looks like supporting people’s boundaries. Sometimes, reconciliation is repairing your own relationship with time.

Taking a moment to prioritize healing while in pursuit of change is an unspoken but very important piece of the journey. Our theme for this year, “Reconciliation.Solidarity.Now”, may feel a little daunting (and raise a lot of questions) like… what does reconciliation mean and how can I show solidarity now?

I hope this list can inspire us all to take the small and big steps towards a better future, today.

This year, we invite you to share your reflections and show us what Reconciliation. Solidarity. Now’ means to you.

Enter the Creative Reflection Contest by February 28 for a chance to win.
Winners of the creative reflection contest are awarded up to $500. To learn more, visit thessu.ca/blackhistorymonth