CARE - Citizen Action for Racial Equality
Welcome to C.A.R.E. Want to be involved? Message us!
Our aim is to abolish racism through community workshops, individual actions, collective initiatives, self-discovery, discussion, support, education & peaceful ‘Marches for Racial Equality’.
What an empowering, beautiful, effective ACTION for creating more racial equality in our world! ❤️ 😀
A message from a healthcare worker in Portland Oregon about the recent peaceful protests.
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This was a peaceful demonstration. Healthcare workers in scrubs, taking a stand against systemic racism that disproportionately affects access to care. We carried signs that said "Racism is a health care crisis." "Healthcare workers for justice." One of the nurses carried a sign that said, "What if nurses ignored patients that said 'I can't breathe'?" Some walked through the crowd with sage.
We were joined by social workers and other therapists; handing out flyers with resources for mental health, and one carrying a sign that simply said "I am here to listen." We breathed it in. We sang. We listened. We chanted. There was a group of 25-30 drummers in a circle. We started the march with a dance-off. We thanked the volunteers that directed traffic. The Line of Veterans, stood tall, once again serving their country. Behind them, the Line of Moms. Our eyes misted.
The park across the street from the Justice Center was abuzz. There was music, more drummers, food. Tents of free food to feed the homeless that were sharing their neighborhood with us, as well as the protesters. Ribs, salads, fruit, water. Nurses came through the crowd to offer hand sanitizer, spraying hands, making sure everyone had masks. Artists painted. Vendors vended. Beach balls floated above the crowd. Portland can throw a party. We danced.
The gas took us by surprise.
There was no warning. Clouds of white smoke drifted over the crowd. The volunteers rushed to cover the food. We coughed, we wheezed. We wondered why this came with no provocation. These were not Portland police. These were outsiders, federal agents, sent here to break up the party. We heard more bangs, then more, then more. We retreated. We hugged the young ones that had strength to continue to make a stand. We made them promise to be safe.
A few blocks away, one of the Moms noticed a group of kids punching the window of a store. She went full-on-Mom and chastised them away. We cheered.
is a public health crisis
24/07/2020
Troubling data showing how black and Indigenous people are disproportionately represented amongst the fatalities compared to their share of the overall population.
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Deadly Force CBC’s Deadly Force database shows it has already been a particularly deadly year in terms of people killed in encounters with police in Canada.
24/07/2020
C.A.R.E.
The world appears under siege on several fronts, including the tragedy of George Floyd’s torture and death. Like millions around the world, we have felt a range of emotions from disbelief to outrage, to deep grief for humanity.
The global community is responding. But our hope is that when the media attention dies down, through our C.A.R.E. workshops, this issue will not be forgotten.
C.A.R.E. AIMS: