Black Lives Matter
It is imperative to declare that we at Ruthless Images stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. We are against racism in all forms, be it through explicit instances of police brutality or the compounding microaggressions that Black and Indigenous people of colour live with daily.
The most recent murders of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black people at the hands of the police or white supremacists — the very same people that were hired and took an oath to serve and protect them, or who reside in their neighbourhoods — has really brought to light the glaringly obvious problem we have in our society: racism, oppression, and white supremacy. With these challenges brought more clearly to light, they should be impossible to ignore –it is time to act, it is time to mobilize, it is time to choose to be on the right side of history and to demand justice, it is time to call for police reform and to really truly listen to the Black voices that are asking and pleading for change.. demanding the same rights as me and as many of us… to live without the fear of being murdered or carded or profiled or harassed or pulled over for nothing or followed in a store because they “look guilty” or because some people have to drive around with a baby seat in their car because it makes them look more family orientated and could potentially save their life… all of this, on a daily basis.
I think the media and many Canadians think this is strictly an American problem.
Plot spoiler… it isn’t.
As Canadians, it’s our history too, and we have also built our nation on the backs of Black people and continue to do so. Our country was founded on genocide and colonialism, and we must not ignore this part of our nation’s legacy.
So, no Canada is not immune. I think we hide it better and sweep it under the rug in our “polite nature” but it is still prevalent, it is still unjust, and it is wrong.
And truthfully, I believe if you have not experienced racism in Canada, that is because, like me, you are most likely a white person. As white folks, we don’t experience systemic and structural racism, we do not experience “reverse racism” either, and we will never truly understand what it is like to live outside of our privilege. We need to try as best we can. As allies. As community members. As humans. We need to do and be better.
To make change we need action. Direct, intentional, real action. Led by the very people that have experienced oppression — we need to listen to voices of color.
It is not enough to be declare yourself “not racist.”
The work of anti-racism is challenging, its breaking down everything we were taught and being dedicated to learn the real, ugly truth (history is often “white washed”). It is often uncomfortable. It involves listening, and being called out, and accepting that we have made mistakes and owning them, it involves declaring that we are open to doing better, and willing to invest our energy and our time and work to change. It is up to us to do that work, to uncover the truths of our history, to learn about allyship and to do this on our own accord. BIPOC have seriously done enough emotional labour for us. It is our time to do the work.
At Ruthless Images, we stand against oppression, systemic racism, violence, discrimination, police brutality, and murder committed by police officers. We stand alongside of the Black Lives Matter movement. We are committed to doing the work to learn, to grow, and to continuously be aware of the privilege we carry.
We will strive to work for a future of shared power, of justice, and of healing for Black and Indigenous People of Colour in everything we do.
We will be aware of the social reach, and responsibility of that social platform to call out hatred and racism, as silence is violence and that shit needs to be called our every single time. We will amplify the voices of Black and Indigenous People of Colour, and use our voice for good.
We are committed to being better humans, to learning and growing. We are committed to constantly evolving.
We strongly affirm, BLACK LIVES MATTER.
In solidarity,
