The Regional Municipality of Durham in Southern Ontario launched a Black History Month "Rise to the Challenge" scavenger hunt for its employees. Some of the "challenges" included: "Dance to a Reggae song" and "Have a conversation with a Black employee." They have since released a passive voice apology:
"Through engaging with the community and Regional staff we acknowledge that mistakes will be made when addressing anti-Black racism," the Region of Durham wrote in a statement.
From Global News:
When asked about the activity, Celina Caesar-Chavannes, an author and the former M.P. for the riding of Whitby, said it is "the definition" of anti-Black racism.
"(It's) a very poignant example of systemic racism and what happens when you do not have enough Black employees around the table to vet these kinds of things before they go public," she told Global News Wednesday evening[…]
Caesar-Chavannes said the matter has raised many questions while also noting there were other proposals made to better educate residents on Black history such as featuring prominently pieces by local artists.
"Dancing to Reggae or cooking an African meal — not a South African, east African, west African, north African, African as a whole as if it's a country — how does that celebrate or educate about Black history? How does talking to a Black employee educate about Black history?" she said.
