Our Commitment to Health Equity

Righting Relations is grounded in values of equity, justice, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, feminism, anti-ableism, and anti-oppression. We work to put those values into practice as a network, and when we have not done so, we take steps to challenge our internalized oppression or discrimination and implement the changes needed, no matter how long it takes or how rocky the road.

Righting Relations has not been consistent in living our disability justice principles when it comes to protecting those in our community who are vulnerable to the large number of respiratory viruses currently circulating. Like many other organizations, as restrictions and requirements were rolled back, we became more relaxed: one event might have clear protocols, while another might not. It was not always clear whether folks who are at high risk of harm from COVID and other viruses could safely join us at in-person events.

For that, we apologise, and we recommit to creating space for folks who otherwise might not be able to join such events, and who have been increasingly excluded, because of a lack of health equity measures. We have drafted and will be implementing Environmental Health and Safety Protocols for all national events, and urging each of our Hub and Circles to do the same for local or regional events.

Why Mask?

Not only is COVID-19 a continued presence in Canada and around the world, with a forecast of 10.2 (Very High, or 550-830 deaths per week) as of March 28th, we are also facing outbreaks of other viruses that can cause significant harm, such as measles and RSV. Research shows that up to 40%-50% of current COVID infections are asymptomatic, and that one-way masking is not enough to prevent infection. Much of this information has not been clearly or consistently shared, so many people have been misled to believe that COVID is a thing of the past.

We belong to and work with the communities who are most at risk of being harmed by COVID and other respiratory viruses:

• Black communities, Indigenous communities, and other racialized communities are at higher risk;
• Low-income and houseless folks are at higher risk;
• Elders are at higher risk;
• Immunocompromised folks are at higher risk;
• 2SLGBTQIA people are at higher risk.

Sadly, health equity considerations have become less common when organizing in-person or hybrid events across the wider social justice movement. We therefore invite our partners, members, and followers to join us in bringing these considerations back into the heart of our work and our values.

Read More

There are several studies and articles linked above; if you want to know more, we recommend the following:

• Article: Does One-way masking work against Covid-19?
• Article: Racial minorities have greater long-term harms from COVID-19
• Article: Why Are Trans People at Higher Risk of Long COVID?
• Article: An intersectional analysis of long COVID prevalence
• Resources: a collection of research on the autoimmune impact of COVID-19