The J.E.D.I. Journey with Alka: Welcome!

Welcome to this new blog series

I bring with me greetings and good wishes for the best year ever! May 2023 be rich with promise, purpose and passion for you, so that, with your help, our team at CMCCF, is fuelled with the vibrant energy we need to implement all our big ideas and ambitious plans…

This CMCCF monthly blog series is one of our first brand new ideas to be implemented in 2023; and this is the first ever post in the series on our new website! This means that some introductions are perhaps in order. The words on this website have already provided a note on our organization, the Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families (or CMCCF, also known as the Coalition), and the two-year J.E.D.I Initiative engagement project that was officially launched in October 2022.

This descriptor tells our readers a little about who we are, and what they might expect from the Coalition as the year rolls on. I guess then it’s my turn to share a few words about this blog series and about myself as I will be the voice navigating this particular blog space. The views expressed here will be mine, and I take full responsibility for them.

We will meet every month in this space; let’s call it The J.E.D.I Journey with Alka. Yes, that’s my name – Alka Kumar – and I am an immigrant to Canada too – who isn’t! As you may have heard said, if you’re not indigenous to Canada, either you or your parents, or other ancestors from your previous generations, migrated here from elsewhere and created a life in this country.

A word about J.E.D.I. and what it means to me

A word about J.E.D.I now: the cornerstone of J.E.D.I (Social Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) is social justice; without attention paid to the social justice aspect, EDI (also known as DEI) cannot be holistic and often remains tokenistic or performative, as in being a process where organizations are more interested in checking inclusion boxes instead of creating systemic transformative change that can be sustained or measured.

You may ask, why me and this blog, and what makes me so interested in social justice issues, particularly in J.E.D.I? Maybe this blog series can be an exploratory forum for us all to reflect on why it matters to us. Perhaps, at an unconscious level, my interest in exploring and understanding J.E.D.I stems from my lived experience – of being born, raised, and having worked in India, as an educator and an academic; India, located in the global south, and being part of the less developed world, is a country where social and economic disparities (and inequalities) are so visible – almost a norm – that they are hardly noticed or questioned. So, when requested to take up the task of writing this monthly blog, it seemed like an opportunity for peeling the inequity onion, one layer at a time.

Another fun fact about me is that I have pursued my professional work in the migration field both as a researcher and a practitioner for the last fifteen years. My overall objective is to learn from interdisciplinary research insights, and apply them in my practice, with the objective of enhancing the capacity of immigrants and newcomers while supporting them in their career transition. Collaborating in an organizational setting, with an entity like CMCCF, means a lot to me as it is a way to provide input to the strategic direction to programing and educational training that has potential to impact settlement and integration practices and policies.

What this blog series will highlight

Through my blog series, I will highlight relevant topics, shining a light on emergent issues within family and community settings, including sharing my reflections on concerns raised by our members and partners. Important issues may surface during community engagement sessions, and when we conduct training workshops and learning events in upcoming months; and this forum will be our safe space to have additional conversations.

The objective of such an initiative is also to create a safe space where conversations on difficult topics – often seen as complex and taboo issues – may be initiated. Perhaps, based on the response we receive from you, if a need is identified, a comment section may be added where two-way conversations can be had that might not be so easy, but they would be definitely be important.

While we believe that all voices are important and inclusion means that it must be actualized for each and every one of us, it is even more urgent that we follow the principles of mutual respect, turn taking, and active listening to ensure that all voices get the opportunity to be heard. CMCCF operates using a values-based framework, and you can read more on our website about the values that drive the work we do.

Additionally, through my blog, I hope to share with you not only details about the community engagement process we wish to employ as a team to achieve the goals you help us to set, but also my reflections about the dilemmas that will be an integral part of our complex and ongoing journey together over the next two years. Together we will confront, talk about, and address challenging issues different cultural communities encounter as they live their everyday lives in Winnipeg, and in other parts of Manitoba.

These concerns may emerge from within their family and community settings, like cross-cultural (mis)understandings rooted in languages and cultures of diverse cultural communities; or intergenerational differences of opinion that lead to conflict scenarios between first-generation immigrants and their children, the 1.5 generation (those who migrated to Canada with their parents as children or youth) or those belonging to the second generation, born and raised in the spaces in-between two simultaneous cultures. These conflictual family situations can often have a detrimental long-term effect on close personal relationships, leading to a negative impact on the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.

Further, it is no secret that racialized communities, (especially, and including) refugees, asylum seekers and non-status individuals, immigrant women, individuals living with disabilities, and LGBTQ populations, face overt racism and prejudice during their interactions with external stakeholders, based on systemic power imbalances.

Racialized individuals and groups are often marginalized, and they encounter structural violence in the form of racist behaviours and discriminatory attitudes during their interactions with those in power, like service providers, healthcare professionals, in higher education and often in other settings too; for instance, during the job search process or when coming into contact with law enforcement personnel.

There is ample proof – based on media stories, research and anecdotal evidence – that supports the above view; and especially in the last few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, such issues have been exacerbated and spotlighted. Ethnic and cultural communities are highly resilient too, and I hope that we can use this blog as a space where individual and community-level successes and accomplishments can be highlighted and shared more widely.

It is through stories we hear and data we gather during engagement sessions and learning events, using multi-pronged approaches, like dialogue, facilitation, and storytelling, that can help us focus on various facets of lived experience. This is where the voices of community members will further help us learn from specific shared narratives so the small and big picture – of where we are at and where we wish to go – can be better understood.

At CMCCF, we value the gifts, qualifications, and expertise, as well as the diverse knowledges, that cultural communities carry with them to the new homes they create in Canada. This space is an open invitation to all our readers, our partners, allies, and friends, especially members of cultural communities, to listen to each other and to participate. By doing so, you will help us create a safe space where you can collaborate with us to raise questions, discuss issues, and contribute to making improvements both in your communities and at the systems-level, that you believe can make a positive impact on your well-being, and that of your friends, families, and communities.

Do follow our social media and check our website on a regular basis as it will carry information about our multiple projects and our plans, our activities, and our aspirations.

The views expressed in this blog post are mine, and I take full responsibility for them. We are always wanting to hear from you – please share your thoughts and feedback by completing our contact form here or by emailing hello@cmccfamilies.ca.

To learn more about our Intercultural and Intergenerational Diversity and Inclusion Engagement Project, go to our J.E.D.I. Initiative landing page here.

About the Author:

Alka Kumar, Ph.D., is a Project Advisor and Web Content Creator for the CMCCF. Read her full bio here.

Comments are closed.