Thunder Bay Museum announces its hosting of Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think

THUNDER BAY (June 8, 2023) — The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society is pleased to announce our hosting of a travelling exhibition titled Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think. Designed and fabricated by the Ontario Science Centre in partnership with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), the exhibit shows how the mental processes that help us think and act quickly can lead to racism and discrimination. This compelling exhibition examines racism in Canada and encourages visitors to recognize bias, challenge discrimination, and appreciate our differences. The exhibition will open on July 8, 2023, thanks in part to the generous support of the City of Thunder Bay’s Anti-Racism & Equity Advisory Committee and Matawa First Nations. The exhibit will be open to the public at a pay what you can admission until September 25, 2023.

“The Ontario Science Centre is committed to creating and amplifying work that champions inclusion and anti-racism, which is why we’re proud to partner with Canadian Race Relations Foundation on the development of this powerful and thought-provoking exhibition,” said Paul Kortenaar, CEO, of the Ontario Science Centre. “We believe Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think will spark important conversations that can result in meaningful change.”

Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think examines the real-life effects of bias, discrimination, and exclusion in Canada through individual accounts of lived experiences of racism, and powerful statistics that demonstrate how systemic racism continues to harm racialized people.

“Racial biases, labels, and prejudices exist in the form of learned thoughts and actions that come from within,” said Mohammed Hashim, Executive Director of CRRF. “This exhibit serves as a means for individuals to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, how their everyday interactions, behaviours, and decisions can impact others, and how to work towards dismantling and dispelling harmful racial stereotypes wherever and whenever they arise in society.”

Visitors will also learn about cognition and perception, including how interference, bias, blind spots, and other mental processes shape how we see the world around us.

“Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think encourages critical, honest introspection from its visitors – raising awareness of how bias and racism come about and their harmful effects,” said Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries.

“We encourage everyone to visit the Thunder Bay Museum to immerse themselves in this important exhibition and learn about ways we can take steps in our daily lives to combat bias and racism,” said Scott Bradley, Executive Director, Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society.

Behind Racism: Challenging the Way We Think has travelled to other venues across Canada including Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, and Halifax. The exhibition and its tour are presented by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation with the generous support of the Government of Canada and in partnership with Mosaic Institute, the Ontario Science Centre, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

For more information about the Thunder Bay Museum and its programs, please visit: https://www.thunderbaymuseum.com/

About Canadian Race Relations Foundation

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation was created in 1996 to reaffirm the principles of justice and equality for all in Canada. The mandate of the Foundation is to facilitate throughout Canada the development, sharing, and application of knowledge and expertise to contribute to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society.

About the Ontario Science Centre

Guided by our mission to inspire passion for the human adventure of discovery, the Ontario Science Centre strives to be a global leader in lifelong learning, a vital link in Ontario’s education and innovation ecosystems and a convener of public dialogue about technology, science and society. The Centre has welcomed more than 54 million visitors since opening as a Centennial project in 1969, pioneering an interactive approach now adopted by science centres around the world. An agency of the Government of Ontario, the Centre relies on funding from the province, as well as donations from generous individuals, corporations and foundations that share the Centre’s vision to contribute to a more curious, creative and resilient world. Learn more at OntarioScienceCentre.ca.

Media Contacts:

Scott Bradley
Executive Director
E: director@thunderbaymuseum.com
Tel: 807-623-0801 x113

Laila Malik
Acting Director of Communications and Marketing | Canadian Race Relations Foundation
647-403-1916
LMalik@crrf-fcrr.ca