Community-led Anti-Racism Engagement Report

“Community reports showed that members want a criterion for the collection of data. Members want the collection to feel safe and secure, and suggested an outline for the data. These criteria include clear guidelines, a secure platform, an independent body to oversee the data, transparency, and culturally relevant training.”

Report summary

Almost 70 Indigenous and racialized community organizations were awarded grants from the Government of B.C. to host anti-racism data engagement sessions with community members across the province. From November 3, 2021 to January 31, 2022, these organizations conducted 425 sessions with nearly 10,000 participants.

Participants told us the following:

• Ways race-based data can advance racial equity: Participants indicated that race-based data could reduce racism, address gaps in services, resolve inequities, and identify barriers in four major areas: government services, education, employment, and law. Participants said that understanding the needs of the communities is critically important in this work.
   
• Conditions that need to be in place to provide race-based data: Participants reported that to feel safe and secure in providing their data, clear collection criteria and guidelines must be created. Additionally, they said that the following should be in place: a secure platform, an independent body to oversee the data, transparency, and culturally trained people.
   
• How participants prefer to identify: Participants expressed the importance of being able to represent all their identities – from gender, country of origin to religion. Overall, they preferred the specificity offered by country of origin and ethnic/cultural origin as opposed to broad race-based categories.  

Download the full report