Canadian Women & Sport’s Commitment to Anti-Racism

Canadian Women & Sport is working to develop a new Equity and Inclusion Strategy and Implementation Plan as well as a specific Anti-Black Racism Action Plan and will be sharing this plan with the sport sector for accountability and transparency.
We believe in human rights and dignity for all. We believe in equity, inclusion, and respect. These values are not meaningful unless enjoyed by all people, regardless of race, ability, socio-economic status, gender or sexual orientation. Systemic anti-black racism and injustice have been the lived experience of the Black community for generations, and our shared responsibility to act is clear.

Canadian Women & Sport’s vision is to achieve equity for all girls and women, within and through sport. The goals of the anti-racist and gender equity movements are linked and, in many ways, cannot be achieved separately. This is a moment of reckoning. We must examine and address the biases that exist within our work at Canadian Women & Sport and in the sport system.
We will ensure continued and expanded representation by Black women in the organization and its work. We will listen to Black women and girls and use our platform to amplify their perspectives and ideas. We will partner and collaborate. We will learn. We will invest in solutions. We will be accountable.
We are courageous in taking on big challenges and we will be part of the solution.
As we keep this lens on our work in the present moment and beyond, we also encourage non-Black people involved in sport to think about where and when you can have conversations about racism and what you can do to ensure that sport is safe and inclusive for everyone, particularly Black women and girls.
To support this dialogue, here are some resources about white privilege and anti-black racism in society and in sport:
- Kimberlé Crenshaw – The Urgency of Intersectionality (video)
- Akim Aliu – Hockey is Not For Everyone
- Anthony Morgan – Doing Justice By Black Canadians
- Peggy McIntosh – White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
- Robin Di’Angelo – Deconstructing White Privilege (video)
- Tim Wise – White Privilege (video)
- Canadian Women’s Foundation – Q&A: Author Robyn Maynard on Anti-Black Racism, Misogyny, and Policing in Canada
- Government of Canada – Anti-racism Resources
- Collection of anti-racism resources
In solidarity,
Canadian Women & Sport