My vision is to contribute to the dismantling of systemic racism. One organization, one group, and one person at a time. Helping clients to become more conscious allies and anti-racist.

THE SHORT STORY

My name is Jennifer Drummond. Creator and founder of Racial Lens. In July 2020, in response to the execution of George Floyd, I was invited to take part in several panels and workshops to help people understand what was going on and the role that racism plays in our world. As a mixed raced woman, I wanted to use my lived experience and expertise to help people understand systemic racism and learn how they can make lasting changes to create a better and more equitable world. As a former Psychotherapist, I was called to find a way to use my extensive experience working with individuals from different backgrounds in non-formal settings, to develop interactive curriculums aimed at creating understanding, empathy, and communication tools. From this, Racial Lens was born.

If you'd like to learn more about my background please read on.  Contact me for a consultation if you are interested in my services for yourself, your organization, or your group. I'm excited to get to work with you to change the hearts of minds of our communities. Improving the world's vision for racial equity is my passion and my mission. Please join me on this important journey.

THE LONG STORY

I have been an activist since high school. My mother would say I started to stick up for people in daycare, but I digress. Needless to say, I have a very strong sense of justice and have worked with non-profit and social justice organizations most of my life. As a mixed-race woman in Canada, I was ALWAYS aware that I was different than most people and would often be treated as "other" and had a hard time belonging.  Luckily I was raised by my loving, kind, and strong Black mother and grandmother. I was blessed to have daily examples of the woman I wanted to become and contribute to the improvement of the world.

My calling and passion have always been about positively contributing to making my community, country, and world a better place. I feel this drive was developed by the injustices I experienced in my formative years. several of these events occurred before I understood it was racism, but I knew it was wrong. I can even recall incidents from the age of four and five, as you can imagine, I’ve experienced continued racist acts throughout my life. 

 In high school, I was very active in extracurricular activities related to social justice - United Way Chair, a representative in the student government, Parent/ Teacher/Student Association, Drama Club President, etc. That doesn’t include the regular protests I would attend on the weekends and my part-time job as the first female vendor at sporting events in the city or as a front-of-house staff person at many of the city’s theatres.  You get it, I was active, stood up against bullies, and liked to break down barriers that I felt were exclusionary!

As I got older I became involved with Canada World Youth and Katimavik, programs for youth. Both organizations have non-formal educational structures with an anti-oppression focus. This allowed participants to learn through experience and interactive workshops. As a participant and later employee, I developed skills in communication, facilitation, curriculum development, etc. 

I later became the Bellydancing Psychotherapist, where I would incorporate spirituality, movement, and therapy to assist my clients to discover their feelings and move through their blocks faster. I loved helping people to reach and live their best lives. But then the recession hit and I needed to find more stable work.