We do to start meetings. In the past, I've seen them as equivalent to the national anthem for the First Nations whose lands we live on & to acknowledge that we' re all treaty people. Now, after the LA, I ask everyone to reflect on what it means to be a treaty person & our roles in Reconciliation.

Suppressive algorithms or not, racism harms everyone. Even those with privilege are trapped when they are taught to believe they’re entitled or talented, even when the system rewards mediocrity. Amplify at your own risk, I suppose. newsletter.economics.utoronto.ca/talking-abou... 8/8

These policies were designed to extract labor, grant selective privileges, and prevent solidarity. The divide-and-conquer strategy persists today. Systems still incentivize people to act against their own interests, reinforcing hierarchies that benefit those in power. 7/8

Examples of how racial categories are just political strategies abound:

Homer Plessy legally “Black” in Louisiana, but not in Brazil.

Mixed-race elites in Haiti petitioned for “legal whiteness.”

Apartheid South Africa avoided strict ancestry rules to keep more people classified as white. 6/8

Exploitation Through Racialization shows how census data from Brazil and the U.S. reveal shifting racial boundaries. Mixed-race people were advantaged in some contexts, disadvantaged in others—depending on what served elites. 5/8

Consider Bacon’s Rebellion (1676–77) in Virginia: Black slaves, white indentured servants, and free laborers rose up together. Elites responded by hardening racial lines, privileging poor whites over Black people. Divide and conquer became policy. 4/8

Race is not biology. It’s a social construct, but it’s not even consistent across time or place. McGee’s work demonstrates how colonial elites defined & redefined racial categories to divide workers and prevent collective resistance. 3/8

It's understood that for the past 11.5 months or so, social media algorithms (except here) suppress important scholarship like Dan McGee’s. The research shows how definitions of race were deliberately created by elites to maintain power. I want to make sure people see this. 2/8

Bills C-2 and C-5 violate human rights, Indigenous rights, and the environment. Rescinding the digital services tax was bad for our economy. Removing counter-tariffs weakened our position. Investing heavily in the military takes money from social programs.

You made my day!

Thank you! It meant so much to me to be there and have the opportunity to speak at my old school, in my own neighbourhood, to families like mine and to kids (well, not kids anymore) whom I've seen grow up. Thank you for the opportunity!

Make lists of the people, places and things you love right now & will love still when all the results are in. It is the antidote to stress.