What if talking about racism was as easy as baking a cake, frying plantains or cooking rice? The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes) is a celebration of food, family, activism and resistance in the face of racism. In this anthology featuring stories and recipes from 21 diverse and award-winning North American children's authors, the authors share the role of food in their lives and how it has helped fight discrimination, reclaim culture and celebrate people with different backgrounds. They bring personal and sometimes difficult experiences growing up as racialized people. Chopped, seared, marinated and stewed, The Antiracist Kitchen highlights the power of sitting down to share a meal and how that simple act can help bring us all together.

This unique collection is a critical resource for students studying food security and food sovereignty. This book highlights community-based case studies which demonstrate how Indigenous communities are leading the way to design and implement community-based initiatives in collaborative spirit

Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings—asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. In a rich braid of reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.

Chronicling just one year in the struggle against racism in this country, The Skin We're In reveals in stark detail the injustices faced by Black Canadians on a daily basis: the devastating effects of racist policing, the hopelessness produced by an education system that fails Black children, the heartbreak of those separated from their families by discriminatory immigration laws, and more. Cole draws on his own experiences as a Black man in Canada, and locates the deep cultural, historical, and political roots of each event. What emerges is a personal, painful, and comprehensive picture of entrenched, systemic inequality.

Truth Telling includes an expansion and update of Michelle Good’s popular Globe and Mail article about “pretendians," as well as “A History of Violence," an essay that appeared in a book about missing and murdered women. Other pieces deal with topics such as discrimination against Indigenous children; what is meant by meaningful reconciliation; and the importance of the Indigenous literary renaissance of the 1970s.

Flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and a bit of water. Beloved and delicious, this traditional fry bread is a staple in Indigenous kitchens, but its colonial roots come with serious health repercussions. This episode is a mouth-watering journey decolonizing the word BANNOCK.

In his academic article 'Administering Colonial Science,' published in 2013, Mosby revealed how nutritional studies and experiments were performed in Indigenous communities and residential schools in the 1940s and '50s. The tests were apparently done, explained Mosby, without the informed consent or knowledge of the Indigenous people involved. What isn't yet widely known, said Mosby, is how these experiments are directly connected to Canada's Food Guide.

Sara Trail from the Social Justice Sewing Academy joins the hosts of Love to Sew to talk about how SJSA’s workshops and programs support youth in their exploration of social justice issues through quilting as textile artivism.

“Encouraging the use of traditional foods is a growing movement across B.C., Canada, and throughout North America. While a thorough analysis of benefits was not the focus of this study, it is important to reiterate the widespread recognition among the participants in this review that providing greater access to traditional foods and foods based on Indigenous recipes offers a wide range of benefits. This finding was supported by the scan of the literature that is available regarding this issue.”

Style is not just the clothes on our backs—it is self-expression, representation, and transformation.

As a fashion-obsessed Ojibwe teen, Christian Allaire rarely saw anyone that looked like him in the magazines or movies he sought out for inspiration. Now the Fashion and Style Writer for Vogue, he is working to change that—because clothes are never just clothes. Men’s heels are a statement of pride in the face of LGTBQ+ discrimination, while ribbon shirts honor Indigenous ancestors and keep culture alive. Allaire takes the reader through boldly designed chapters to discuss additional topics like cosplay, make up, hijabs, and hair, probing the connections between fashion and history, culture, politics, and social justice.

“This cookbook is full of many more modern recipes than those of olden times, but some of them still have the essence of the old. They are also a testament to the Métis mothers of the past who always found a way to throw together a great meal. To the young parents who will be using this book, remember the good things of your childhood, and as you prepare this food, use the energy from those good memories to re-create those old traditions of sharing good food, stories and laughter. That, I know for sure, will build strong families and a strong people.”

Recent publications from BC home economics EDUCATORS:

Our THESA executive met on the morning of June 20, 2020 to address a variety of items looking towards the future of Home Economics in BC.

 In particular, we would like to share with you all our commitments around fighting racism towards people of colour, especially anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, and continuing our work as a THESA executive with an antiracist lens. We discussed, at length, our experiences and actions to combat systemic racism in our profession and the mistakes that THESA has made in the past by participating in oppressive practices and policies as an association. We acknowledge that the education system in BC (historically and presently) and our home economics classes are not neutral. As a key reminder from our 2018 Prince George conference keynote speaker, Michael Gomes, “Food is the most political act we make every single day.” We must think and act on the realization that classes involving food, family, and textiles are inherently political and biased. We have a responsibility as home economics teachers to examine our own worldviews and do the deep personal work it takes to develop anti-racist lenses and let go of practices that are rooted in white supremacy and colonization. Anti-racism is life-long work, and we are committed to doing this work. Our current executive is committing to supporting members in decolonizing and dismantling racist practices in the home economics classroom and encourage members to take steps on their own to address race issues in their own lives and teaching practices. Our 2020/2021 goals and objectives and beyond include the following:

THESA will: “Continue to advocate for inclusive practices and pedagogy including antiracism and decolonization“

We are currently approaching our activities and operations as an association with an anti-racist lens and doing personal work needed to dismantle white supremacy in our own practices and policies. We encourage all our members, especially colleagues that benefit from Whiteness to continue their own personal work in developing anti-racist worldviews, as we inevitably teach who we are. We acknowledge that the best steps to address systemic racism in our practices are to do personal work first without burdening BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) colleagues. We welcome THESA members interested in delving into anti-racism further to contact Joe Tong (THESA VP) to get involved with next steps in developing anti-racist resources for home economics teachers. In the meantime, we encourage all members to start or continue the personal journeys towards antiracism. A highly-recommended workbook for Anti-Racism is “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla F Saad. This book is presented as a 28-day Challenge to “Combat Racism, Change the World and Become a Good Ancestor” and involves deep reflective personal work that will benefit all aspects of our teaching practice. It is currently available as an e-book from most public libraries with no wait list. As well, please visit the BCTF’s Antiracism page.