{"id":68801,"date":"2025-02-27T20:20:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T01:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=68801"},"modified":"2025-07-02T04:04:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:04:42","slug":"still-we-rise-woke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/68801\/still-we-rise-woke\/","title":{"rendered":"Still We Rise: A Reflection on Resistance, Racism, and the Politics of &#8220;Woke&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There are moments in history when we are called to pause, to reflect, and to ask ourselves: What does it mean to resist? What does it mean to rise? Maya Angelou\u2019s poem <em>Still I Rise<\/em> has long been a source of inspiration for those of us who refuse to be broken by oppression. It is more than just a poem\u2014it is a declaration, a shield, and a call to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Still I Rise | A Very Inspirational Poem by Maya Angelou | FailWise\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RrjNdYdbiwk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p>Lately, I\u2019ve found myself returning to Angelou\u2019s words as a way to reclaim and reconnect with my reasons to rise and resist. As an uninvited settler, immigrant, Latina, and Black woman, I am only here because I have resisted the narratives that tell me I am not good enough\u2014that I am taking advantage of the system or that I am to blame for the housing crisis and the strain on public services. In the face of growing political and social hostility toward people like me\u2014immigrants, Black people, women\u2014Angelou\u2019s words serve as an even more powerful reminder of the unyielding force that comes with embracing who I am.<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DGoO4--S2ME\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DGoO4--S2ME\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\"flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DGoO4--S2ME\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Greenpeace Canada (@greenpeace_canada)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n<script src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n<p>This growing hostility is not just personal\u2014it\u2019s part of a larger trend. We see governments restricting rights, corporations deepening inequality, and fascist ideologies creeping into the mainstream. The backlash against progress, from attacks on racial justice movements to the criminalization of protest, feels relentless. And yet, even in the face of such overwhelming resistance, Angelou\u2019s refrain, <em>\u201cBut still, like dust, I\u2019ll rise,\u201d<\/em> reminds me that resistance is inevitable\u2014and that, like her words, we will continue to rise, no matter the force pushing against us.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"544\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/114ebe44-gp0stqgod_low-res-with-credit-line-800px.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-68804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/114ebe44-gp0stqgod_low-res-with-credit-line-800px.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/114ebe44-gp0stqgod_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/114ebe44-gp0stqgod_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-768x522.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/114ebe44-gp0stqgod_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-500x340.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Activists hold up &#8216;Resist&#8217; sign during Inauguration ceremonies on the Mall in Washington, D.C. to protest against Donald Trump. \u00a9 Tim Aubry \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>Angelou\u2019s poem speaks directly to the historical and ongoing injustices faced by Black people. The repetition of <em>&#8220;I rise&#8221;<\/em> is more than just poetic\u2014it is an insistence, a refusal to be erased. She acknowledges the pain of history but refuses to be defined by it. Instead, she asserts power, joy, and defiance in the face of those who have tried to break her spirit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>When she declares, <em>\u201cI\u2019m a black ocean, leaping and wide,\u201d<\/em> it immediately strikes me as a symbol of boundless strength. The ocean is vast, unpredictable, and capable of immense force. In this context, it embodies the depth of Black identity\u2014rooted in generations of history, struggle, and triumph. Like the ocean, Black people have been forced to navigate oppressive tides, yet we continue to rise, unbroken. Our identity is ever-expanding, ever-adapting, and never confined by the narrow definitions imposed upon us to oppress us.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>Oppression thrives on exhaustion. It seeks to wear us down, to make us believe our voices don\u2019t matter, that the fight for justice is unwinnable. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/d30e32ce-gp1stztb_low-res-with-credit-line-800px.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-68807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/d30e32ce-gp1stztb_low-res-with-credit-line-800px.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/d30e32ce-gp1stztb_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/d30e32ce-gp1stztb_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-768x520.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/d30e32ce-gp1stztb_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-502x340.jpg 502w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crowds fill the streets of Washington DC as protests over the killing of George Floyd continue around the country.  \u00a9 Tim Aubry \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>But history tells a different story. Resistance isn\u2019t just found in grand moments of revolution; it lives in daily acts of courage, in communities that refuse to be erased, and in the unwavering determination to define our own futures.&nbsp; Together, these forms of resistance create a collective power that refuses to be extinguished,despite the ruling class&#8217;s systemic and continuous efforts to weaponize and reject our demands for justice.<\/p>\n\n<p>This is precisely why, in Canada, we are seeing political leaders like Pierre Poilievre weaponize the term \u201cwoke,\u201d using it as a tool to dismiss calls for justice, equity, and truth. But what is \u201cwokeness,\u201d if not the awareness of injustice? What does it mean when an entire political agenda is built around rejecting it?<\/p>\n\n<p>Canada often prides itself on being a beacon of multiculturalism and tolerance, but let\u2019s be honest\u2014contrary to what Poilievre and his far-right allies may claim, racism was not imported into Canada\u2014it was embedded in its very foundation. It didn\u2019t arise from Indigenous nations, nor did it emerge naturally within the diverse communities that call this land home. It was brought here by colonialism, through policies of enslavement, anti-Black and anti-Indigenous laws, and an education system that continues to erase the truth. Racism wasn\u2019t an accidental byproduct of Canada\u2019s creation; it was central to it. The nation was built on the exploitation, violence, and dehumanization of Black and Indigenous people, whose bodies, labor, and lives were foundational to its existence. Canada has never been innocent. Resistance has always been necessary.<\/p>\n\n<p>We see this resistance today in the streets, in the calls for liberation, freedom, and self-determination\u2014from Gaza, to Turtle Island, from the heart of Africa to the mountains of South America. We see it in Black joy, in Indigenous resurgence, in trans liberation, in the fight for workers\u2019 rights, in the demand for immigrant rights and dignity, and in the ongoing battle for reproductive justice. <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"464\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/f82123c9-gp1stzpm_low-res-with-credit-line-800px.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-68811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/f82123c9-gp1stzpm_low-res-with-credit-line-800px.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/f82123c9-gp1stzpm_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/f82123c9-gp1stzpm_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-768x445.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2025\/02\/f82123c9-gp1stzpm_low-res-with-credit-line-800px-510x296.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greenpeace US activists walk a large Black Lives Matter banner down 16th NW toward the White House.  \u00a9 Tim Aubry \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>Every act of love and solidarity, every insistence that another world is possible, is resistance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>From the Underground Railroad to the activism of Viola Desmond, from Indigenous land defenders to present-day movements for racial justice, resistance in Canada has always been met with backlash. But as Angelou reminds us, oppression has never been the final word. <em>&#8220;You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies,&#8221;<\/em> she writes, speaking directly to the distortions that seek to erase truth. But she does not end there. She reminds us that no matter how many times systems of power try to bury us, we rise.<\/p>\n\n<p>And so we must. Again and again. Because our resistance, our joy, and our dreams of liberation\u2014these are unstoppable.<\/p>\n\n<p>Still, we rise.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-grey-200-background-color has-background\">So today, I ask you: <strong><mark style=\"background-color:#ececec\" class=\"has-inline-color has-green-800-color\">What is your reason to rise? What small act of resistance will you commit to in disrupting the systems of power that seek to silence us?<\/mark><\/strong> Perhaps it\u2019s speaking out against injustice when you witness it, educating yourself and others about history, supporting marginalized communities, or creating spaces for healing and joy in the face of adversity. Maybe it\u2019s advocating for environmental justice, standing with Indigenous communities who are defending their land against exploitation, or pushing for policies that protect our planet and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. For in rising, we carry with us not only the dreams of those who came before but the promise of a better future for those who will come after.<br><br><strong><em>Share your thoughts in the comments below!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are moments in history when we are called to pause, to reflect, and to ask ourselves: What does it mean to resist? What does it mean to rise? 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