KHSC has partnered with a group of municipal, institutional, educational, and business leaders to raise awareness about racism in Kingston. This partnership supports KHSC’s strategic direction to advance equity, inclusion and diversity and address racism to achieve better outcomes for patients, families, providers and staff.
The City of Kingston formed a city-wide Anti-Racism Working Group (ARTF) to address increasing racist incidents within the Kingston area. As part of its mandate, the Anti-racist Kingston campaign aims to raise awareness, encourage people to speak up about racist incidents, and use tools and resources to report and support victims.
“With the increasing numbers of new migrants and international students in Kingston, there has also been an increase in the number of hate and racist incidents,” said ARTF co-chair Aba Mortley. “We believe that many Kingston residents may not be aware of these occurrences. The fact is that they are happening, and if we all know better, we can all do better to make Kingston a better place.”
ARTF created an awareness campaign to allow victims of such incidents to be seen and supported using messaging to highlight the unfair challenges faced by racialized individuals. “There are multiple versions of the ads, each featuring different images that reflect Kingston's diversity and the unique challenges faced by various groups,” says Micki Mulima, Director, Inclusion, Leadership & Talent Development. “Different elements of the anti-racist campaign will be featured on Kingston Transit buses, on posters throughout the city, and shared on social media by ARTF partners, including on KHSC digital screens.
“A partnership is in place with Ontario 211 to track the prevalence of racist incidents in our community. However, many ARTF partners, including KHSC, have existing reporting channels. Patients or family members who experience racism while accessing care at KHSC should contact Patient Relations.
Everyone is encouraged to visit antiracismkingston.ca to learn more about advancing equity, inclusion, and diversity and addressing racism to achieve better outcomes for our community.
