Anti-Racism activists take their message to Carbonear

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A small group of immigrants and activists concerned about racism and trying to raise awareness for their cause held a presentation in Carbonear last month.
The Anti-Racism Coalition Newfoundland and Labrador (ARC-NL) gave a presentation at the CBN Regional Community Centre in Carbonear.
The ARC-NL presenters included program manager Dome Lombeida, co-chair Sobia Shaikh, and indigenous youth coordinator Jude Benoit.
They said ARC-NL was started in 2017 after a shooting at a mosque in Quebec.
“We were really concerned, some of us who had been dealing with racism in the city (St. John’s), that there was no organization that was taking up this work,” said Shaikh. “We were worried. We were scared, frankly, because a place of worship is supposed to have sanctity, have trust, and you’re supposed to be able to go there without having worries about being harmed in any way… We realized that there were people, organizations, doing little bits of work, but there was no specific bigger organization.”
Shaikh said the organization is comprised of volunteers and has only been funded for two years —by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation in 2024 and, this year, by Heritage NL. It also recently received a grant from the Government of Canada.
Shaikh said there are different kinds of hatred, including racism, homophobia, and transphobia. “It’s in the air we breathe,” she said. “It begins on this land from people’s land being taken over by colonial folks. It’s a long history of it here on this land, and a longer history across the world.”
The trio maintain that racist hate and discrimination is on the rise in Canada, including in Newfoundland.
Lombeida said there have been false accusations of predatory behaviour against a young Indian man volunteering at a youth organization in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, racial insults and death threats against a group of Indian students at Rotary Park in St. John’s, and racial bullying and harassment of a Lewisporte high school student and her father when he spoke out about it.
“We know about these incidents because they were publicized,” Lombeida said. “But a lot of the time a lot of things don’t get reported. A lot of the time people don’t feel comfortable talking about their experiences.”
Lombeida said people often do not receive support or help when they are victims of less explicit but very real forms of racism, of which there are many.
ARC-NL is engaged in several campaigns, including ‘Migrant Rights and Healthcare for All,’ electoral reform, and ‘Addressing Islamophobia and Racialized Hate in Newfoundland and Labrador.’
Lombeida, who is originally from Ecuador, said some immigrants do not have access to the medical care plan in the same way regular citizens do. Depending on the type of visa, there are different requirements in order to receive the plan.
Lombeida the requirements are always ridiculous. “I’m living here,” said Lombeida. “I should be able to go to the hospital without paying $500.”
Lombeida claimed the concept of some people having legal status while others do not is an example of systemic violence.
ARC-NL has been asking government officials, especially in the provincial government, about migrant health, anti-racist policies, and other issues, under the umbrella of electoral reform.
The ARC-NL presenters said a conference they held on Islamophobia netted three big boxes of recommendations, though they have not been implemented yet.
ARC-NL’s current project is ‘Countering Hate and Advancing Anti-Racism Literacy in Newfoundland and Labrador Municipalities. The project is being funded by the Government of Canada, and includes an anti-hate social media campaign, outreach to municipalities in four regions, facilitator recruitment and training, delivering pilot projects; and building an anti-racism facilitator network.
ARC-NL is looking for facilitators for the project. Facilitators will receive virtual training in “anti-racism literacy curriculum” and will have paid opportunities to facilitate. Indigenous and racialized individuals will be prioritized, but “allies” are also encouraged and welcome to apply. Benoit said the purpose of the project is to train people to know how to identify racism.