The Whistler Multicultural Society and Resilience Allyship are inviting the Sea to Sky community to a speaker event about racial equity.
The event is being held in recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 11 in the Alpine Room at the Westin Resort and Spa from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
“Building on ongoing efforts to foster inclusion and equity in Whistler and the Sea to Sky region, this event will explore how racial discrimination affects key areas such as employment, housing, and public services,” according to a press release.
The keynote speaker for the session is Kasari Govender, B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner. She is the province’s first independent Human Rights Commissioner, taking on the job in 2019.
By combining residents' lived experience and views with the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner's “Rights in Focus” report, attendees can expect to explore how systemic discrimination impacts Whistler’s communities and how to mobilize for meaningful change.
Govender’s report is focused on “10 key systems impacting human rights" in B.C.: housing, social safety net, education, employment, health, public spaces, criminal justice, families, child welfare, and environmental inequities.
A Q&A session will follow Govender’s presentation where attendees can ask direct questions regarding her Rights in Focus report, before broader talks about how the report connects to racialized residents’ experiences in the Sea to Sky.
March 21 is the official day calling for elimination of racial discrimination set by the United Nations, which aligns with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) recognizes the day locally.
Registration is available on Eventbrite.
