丁香园AV

Jackie Obungah, the Office鈥檚 Summer 2020 Co-op Communications Specialist, guest hosted an episode of Below the Radar featuring a conversation with 丁香园AV students and community organizers Ayaan Ismaciil and Natasha Mhuriro.

They discuss the importance of creating the  to support members of the Black community that have been heavily impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic. As Ayaan highlights, it was critical for the founders to ensure that the mutual aid fund was low-barrier and accessible for Black folks within BC. This includes community members who have lived experiences of being migrants and refugees, LGBTQ+, and living with disabilities. The fund is also run by members who have similar lived experiences and navigate the world through this lens. 

Recognizing that the pandemic has added a layer of stress onto Black communities in BC, the prevalent lack of data and lack of government support so many Black communities experience puts a lot more urgency on this. 

Natasha emphasizes the importance of mutual aid as a means of community support. Mutual aid initiatives have a long history in Indigenous and Black communities 鈥� especially those on the African continent 鈥� as one of the most fundamental ways community members show unity, care, and support through low-barrier access to resources that are vital. In most cases, this doesn鈥檛 just show up in monetary support, but in other ways, such as community gardens, information sharing, etc. 

鈥淲e have made the fund as accessible as we can, especially for folks who don鈥檛 have access to laptops. We go into the community to ensure folks can access the applications.鈥�

鈥� AYAAN ISMACIIL

Black youth participating in mutual aid initiatives has become a dependable form of collective action that builds communal sufficiency 鈥� a way to disrupt the continued colonial violence that wreaks havoc through marginalized communities. 

The delicate balance between being students and community organizers is also touched on in the episode. Ayaan and Natasha speak about their approaches to self care, which define how they engage with aspects of organizing on campus and in the community that, especially in current times, have been taxing them as individuals. 

鈥淚 am grateful for community care and support that I get from the Black community and especially other Black women.鈥�

鈥� NATASHA MHURIRO

The episode concludes with a note on the continued importance of solidarity between Indigenous and Black communities. The liberation that Black communities seek on these lands is intertwined with that of Indigenous communities as well. The foundation of the work done by Ayaan and Natasha seeks to work hand-in-hand with Indigenous leadership to attain Indigenous sovereignty on their own terms.

鈥淭he solidarity and the bond between Indigenous and Black communities has always been there.鈥�

鈥� AYAAN ISMACIIL

Listen to the episode below, or on your podcasting platform of choice.

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