Researcher aims to combat racism by highlighting stories of discrimination in Manitoba

A researcher from Brandon University is hoping to spark conversations around racism by turning real-world stories of racial discrimination into shareable videos, thanks to a grant from the government of Canada.

Michelle Lam, the head of the southwestern Manitoba university'sCentre for Aboriginal and Rural Education Studies,is using an anonymous survey to collect stories about experiences with racism. She'll use those stories to create shareable videos that explore different perceptionsand start discussions about how everyone can improve.

"You might think, 'Well, racism was a huge thing in the past, but we don't really experience it now.' [But] that's actually not really true, because even though it may be subtle or insidious, the effects are cumulative and deeply impactful," Lam said in an interview Wednesday.

"We're trying to kind of expand the way we think about unconscious bias or discrimination or racism."

Anyone in Manitoba over 18 who has experienced or witnessed racism in any context over the past 12 months is being asked to share their stories through thesurvey.

Lam will use the stories sent in through the survey as a basis for video scripts, which will be tested with a diverse group of cultural representatives.

She then plans towork with a videographer to create the videos, andcollaborate with a marketing and social media team to promote the videos online through targeted campaigns.

Lam hopes the videos will represent experiences within minority groups in Manitoba, including Black andIndigenous people, as well as people of colour andreligious minorities.

She also plans to expand the project, funded through a $100,000 grant from Canada Heritage,throughout the country in the future.

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