Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee

Background

The Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee was established in 1988 as a means of promoting cooperation and understanding between the Native and non-Native poulation of Sioux Lookout. Currently, the Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee has several active sub-committees. The Anti-Racism Advocacy Group monitors incidents of racism and intervenes if necessary while the Youth Advisory Committee promotes healthy race relations between young people.

Mandate

The Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee is dedicated to helping all residents and visitors to our community learn to work and live together while respecting and celebrating our differences. The goal is to develop a just community where the future will be better for us all.

As an organization, our objectives are:

• to end all forms of racism and racist activity in the community
• to encourage appropriate representation of the First Nations population within town organizations, boards, and committees
• to organize discussions between individuals or organizations as a means of reducing tensions in order to promote harmony in the community
• to promote cultural awareness
• to identify, support and implement activities in the community in order to improve race relations and foster cooperation
• to inform community members, organizations, and government of the activities of our organization
• to advocate changes in policies and practices which are causes of racial conflict and tension

Activities

Each year, the Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee hosts several events:

• sponsors "Race Relations" week (e.g. Multicultural Feast, Art Contest)
• hosts several activities during the Sioux Lookout Blueberry Festival
• promotes education and prevention (e.g. mediation training)
• sponsors guest speakers (e.g. Ruby Slipperjack, Elijah Harper, Rebecca Belmore)
• sponsors regional conferences
• provide emloyment for a youth coordinator to run the Youth Centre
• coordinates Student Orientation in September for new students to Queen Elizabeth High School
• was active in the development of the Dryden Joint School Board's "Anti-Racism and Ethnoculture Equity" policy
• was active in the development of an integrated curriculum package for the school system which used "anti-racism" as the focus.

Location

There SLARC offices are located on the second floor of the Recreation Centre at 85 King Street (side entrance off 6th Avenue, across from Shibogama).