First off: what exactly is white privilege? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is the inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice. In simpler terms, it refers to the benefits an individual is granted—just for being born with white-coloured skin.…
Rosa Parks. Martin Luther King jr. Nelson Mandela. These are just a few of the figures involved in our history for the abolishment of racism and undoubtedly figures that continue to inspire us today. However, our textbooks only feature a paragraph or less about their honorable commitments. How can we raise more awareness of them? …
As BLM protests rage across the United States, many Canadians have a thought on their minds: Thank god police aren’t racist or violent in Canada. However, it may be true this thought only stems from a place of collective ignorance. When treating members of the First Nation community, Canadian police have historically been as brutal…
An original free verse poem composed in a stream-of-consciousness style of writing. ________ Fantasy a faraway, unfathomable dream, endless in distant, clouded visions hoping to piece together Fragments of a past unsatisfied, longing to spontaneously create realities of apparent glory, perceived prosperity False landscapes of ostensible fulfillment, imagining ends unbeknownst to our inaction, trying…
George Floyd’s violent death was a breaking point — an all too familiar reminder that, for Black people, law enforcement doesn’t protect or save our lives. They often threaten and take them. This quote is taken directly from the Black Lives Matter website, specifically under the call to defund the police. The attempt to redistribute wealth…
6,926 positive COVID-19 cases in Alberta. 141 families grieving for the loss of their loved ones from this deadly virus in our province. 77 days since I last opened my locker and sat in a classroom. 12 weeks since I last hugged my grandma. The list goes on…
Reopening, returning, recovering: this is what we have all been wishing for as we wait isolated in our homes. Everyone is talking about adapting to a “new normal”, but deep down, all we want is the old “normal” back. But how? How will we return to a situation before all this? …
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an entirely new set of challenges to collectives and individuals internationally. Many of us are only able to peak into the lives of others via one dimensional social media posts or what they feel comfortable telling us on calls. And while seeing others can be uplifting the worry that you’re…
With the transition to working from home and continuing school through various online platforms, this can be a difficult time for many students. Finding the motivation to continue schoolwork and do homework from the comforts of our own homes is surprisingly challenging. Although you should practise self-care and take care of yourself by giving yourself…
In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a series of guidelines on disease naming. They included useful practices to summarize symptoms and reduce fear. They also explicitly mentioned that diseases must not be named after locations, people, animals, or cultures. This was all done in an effort to reduce the stigma and insult related…
Free Your Mind Mental Health Society is a youth-led grassroots not-for-profit organization based in Calgary. Free Your Mind was founded by four youth who are passionate about mental health awareness and advocacy. One in five Canadian youths will experience a serious mental health struggle in any given year, and only a quarter of them will…
Cultural pluralism is a term used when smaller groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities, and their values and practices are accepted by the wider culture provided they are consistent with the laws and values of the wider society. Over the years, Canada has become more and more open to the idea…
We’ve all heard at least one complaint about the “unfairness” of our most recent federal election. But when we compare the voting process today to the voting process fifty years ago in racially segregated America, our democracy suddenly seems much more free and equal. But how exactly was this old voting process “unfair”? Look no…
Sicko. A documentary that investigates health care in the United States by focusing on the pharmaceutical industry and it’s health insurance. Michael Moore is famous for his works concerning globalism and capitalism. It compares the for profit/private care system to the public health care system. This 2007 documentary focused on several different countries during it’s…
In the fragmented world that we are living in today, it is more important now than ever that we are able to get to know and support our fellow neighbours. One way the community of Edgemont aims to promote this type of community building is through its One World Celebration. One of the greatest ways…