Five groups across Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam have received a combined $35,000 in grants from the province to tackle racism in their communities.
The money is part of a pot of funds known as the Multiculturalism Grant Program handed out to more than 190 organizations across the province Thursday.
"Racism is pervasive and it reaches into every corner of our province. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made the situation worse," said Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives Rachna Singh in a written statement.
"That's why these grants prioritize projects addressing anti-Indigenous, anti-Asian and anti-Black racism.”
The grants, added, Singh, are meant to help groups address systemic racism and encourage intercultural conversations.
Four Coquitlam groups and one Port Coquitlam group were awarded between $5,000 and $10,000 to help them meet those goals.
The grants will fund:
- A $5,000 mentorship program at the Coquitlam Heritage Society, so BIPOC and queer youth can learn how to create an exhibit titled ‘Your Heritage.’
- A $5,000 three-part theatre project at the Coquitlam Place des Arts Society to reimagine the Grimm Fairy Tales so BIPOC/LGBT2SQ+ youth can make it their own.
- A $5,000 speaker series hosted at the Coquitlam Public Library titled ‘BC 150+ inquiry Race Relations, Past and Present: Conversations about Race in BC.’
- A $10,000 series of public events run by re:Naissance Opera to “lift up the voices of East Asian artists” and creatively start conversations on race, gender and sexuality as well as their impacts.
- A $10,000 boost to Port Coquitlam’s Diwali Celebration Society as it plans its 2021 festival to contribute to breaking down cultural barriers through song, dance, visual arts and crafts.
