FACL BC Resource List for Black History Month

FACL BC honours the extensive legacy of Black people in Canada. Despite facing systemic racism and countless barriers, they have contributed untold amounts to our society and the legal profession in particular.

FACL BC recognizes that anti-Black racism continues to exist in the legal profession and our society. This year, we have recommitted ourselves towards strengthening interracial solidarity with Black communities, including the Black legal community in Canada.

The FACL BC Advocacy Committee has compiled this Black History Month resource list to highlight and amplify Black voices and histories. We recognize that this is not a comprehensive, exhaustive list.

We encourage our membership to use these resources to better inform themselves of the pivotal contributions of Black communities and how to be better allies in the struggle against anti-Black discrimination. We also encourage our members to engage in continuous learning and action beyond the month of February.

Black History

Learn about Black history and recent news through the informative resources below.

• Black Lives Matter: Resources on Social & Legal Issues by Courthouse Libraries BC

• Learning Centre by BC Black History Awareness Society

• Black History by The Canadian Encyclopedia

• Give Them Their Flowers: Celebrating Vancouver's Hometown Heroes by the City of Vancouver

• Black Strathcona 

Organizations and groups:

Support Black organizations and groups by learning about their work and what actions they want allies to take, sharing their content, and contributing money and time.

• Black Organizations And Anti-Racist Groups Canadians Can Support Now 

• Hogan’s Alley Society

• Black Lives Matter Vancouver 

• BC Black History Awareness Society 

• BC Community Alliance 

• Black Women Connect Vancouver  

• Black Arts Vancouver 

• Black Health Alliance 

• Black Youth Helpline 

Legal organizations:

• Canadian Association of Black Lawyers 

• Black Law Students Association of Canada 

• Black Female Lawyers Network 

• Black Legal Action Centre 

Businesses:

Support Black-owned businesses in BC.

• Support Black-Owned Businesses Across BC 

Media:

Watch, read, and/or listen to media content made by Black people.

• The Politics of Black Queer Liberation by Cicely Blain (Centre for Feminist Legal Studies Lecture Series at Allard Law)

• These Podcasts Will Expand Your Understanding of Racism by Sandy Hudson

• Black History Month Book List by Massy Books and Founder and Director of BlackArt Gastown, Nya Lewis

• 25 books about being Black in Canada by CBC Books

• Black Communities in Canada by the National Film Board of Canada (free collection of films by award-winning Black filmmakers, creators, and allies of the Black community)

Anti-Racism Resources:

Learn about anti-Black racism and how it manifests in Asian communities.

• 30+ Ways Asians Perpetuate Anti-Black Racism Everyday 

• 7 Ways Non-Black People of Color Perpetuate Anti-Blackness   

• 'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks 

Allyship and Action Resources:

Take action against anti-Black racism.

• 20 + Allyship Actions for Asians to Show up for the Black Community Right Now 

• Letters for Black Lives Canada
  Translations available in: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Cantonese, Simplified, and Traditional), Farsi, French (Asian Focus), Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish (Asian Focus and General Latinx Focus), Tagalog, Turkish, and Vietnamese.