Re-Imagining the Centre: Indigenous and Black Futures in Peel

• Main Authors: Akasha, Esrah, Berantuo, Shamas, Hansen, Alex, Hashi, Yasmin, Mark, Michella, Melander, Fallon, Salole, Abigail
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: SOURCE: Sheridan Institutional Repository 2023
• Subjects: peel region; community organizations; community; non-profit organizations; social services; Indigenous; First Nations; Metis; Inuit; Black; African; Caribbean; Indigenous sovereignty; Black liberation; inuit
• Online Access: https://source.sheridancollege.ca/hearts_minds/2; https://source.sheridancollege.ca/context/hearts_minds/article/1001/viewcontent/Hearts_and_Minds_Reimagining_the_Centre_wACC.pdf

We believe in a future where Black (African and Caribbean) and Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) lives not only matter but thrive. One of the founding principles of the Hearts + Minds project is that Indigenous and Black peoples have deep roots that are sometimes glossed over, denied, and suppressed. We believe flourishing Indigenous and Black futures are entangled and inevitable and that community organizations (sometimes called non-profit organizations and social services) can play a special role in making space for Black and Indigenous connections and solidarities. We captured some of this thinking in our knowledge round-up. By fortifying and building connections between the many vibrant Indigenous and Black communities, we can expand community infrastructure and radical relationalities rooted in decolonial ways of knowing, being, and doing. New practices -and even new worlds -can emerge by reimagining who is at the centre of our work. In a world of hustle culture and unbridled individualism, we believe if Black and Indigenous connections are more nourished and more visible, Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation will be made more possible. We appreciate how Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation are big ideas that often don’t appear in community organizations’ strategic plans and that they are often strapped and stretched. We also know that big transformative ideas often get traction in community organizations because of their ability to harness human connection. Amidst this enthusiasm for more intentional Indigenous and Black connections in community organizations, it also feels important to observe the many important benefits of separating Indigenous and Black-specific programming in non-profit spaces; we also want these necessary programs to thrive and be well-funded.