OK, let's go do this.
[Reporter] With the keys handed over
Black Lives Matter Canada
is laying new roots.
The Wildseed Centre for Arts and Activism.
A first of its kind in North America
and this BLM team can't contain their excitement
Welcome.
Hello.
You're here.
[Reporter] Co-founder Rodney Diverlus is our tour guide.
When someone walks in here
how do you want them to feel?
I want them to feel welcomed above all.
I want them to feel like this can be their home too.
I want them to feel safe.
I want them to feel free to be themselves
To bring their full, authentic self
and nobody's going to police them
or judge them
or restrict their access here.
OK, where are we going to go?
Start from the top?
Let's start from the top.
OK.
Let's go.
We've been engaged in this specific project
for two years now, really.
This is a beautiful space.
Yes.
When you look at this
what do you envision?
One of the things that we love about this movement
is that it's not just talking about Black pain
but providing space for us to celebrate.
And so we really imagined that
this could be a space
in which activists and artists can come together
and celebrate.
This is where we anticipate
the laughter and the joy
and the fullness of Blackness to be here
and we searched all year
all over the city.
[Reporter] Black Canadian history
is all around this 10,000 square foot property.
It's close to Toronto's historically Black neighbourhoods.
Minutes away from the iconic Black bookstore
A Different Booklist.
And just down the block
the old Toronto office of civil rights activist Marcus Garvey.
We know that we are
building on a lineage
of strong Black organizing
and we know that there's many people
that have come before us.
And part of that is looking at our past
as a way of shaping our future.
I'm obsessed with this space.
So this will be where the work happens?
Absolutely.
So much of activism is meeting.
It's the not sexy part of it
where groups have to come together
and figure out what is the strategy.
Argue and debate it out.
Going for a larger space
is to be able to share it out
and so we've already committed to free space
for all BLM chapters.
And so this very much belongs
to the Black Lives Matter movement in Canada.
We also really want to invite those
who are organizing
but don't have space.
[Reporter] BLM's new home is Black-owned.
They purchased it outright for $8.1 million.
Donations paid for the majority of it.
Locally and through the BLM Global Network Fund
and the City of Toronto is expected
to contribute $250,000 toward upgrades.
Those upgrades will be led by Black architects
and interior designers.
And how will you hold yourselves accountable
to the community?
Because you know you're coming from this
radical, you know, grassroots group
into this amazing, beautiful building
and you're going to have to deal with a lot more
financial responsibilities
and you're going to have to make a lot of hard decisions.
Absolutely.
I mean that's such a good question.
One of the things we'd have to grapple with
was the evolution of this work.
And so, as a charity
we have many requirements
of how we have to report.
How, you know, we
our relationships with donors.
Ensuring that we're transparent with folks
about um
about where their money's going
and ensuring that we're not hoarding resources
and that when people donate
they have something that they can reference
and utilize back and forth
and the number one way that we want to do it
is right from the beginning.
Next month we're going to be doing
community consultations.
So before we even
touch
before we even like move a single thing
we want to know from people
what do you want?
How do you want this space to be responsive to you?
And I'm sure that that's going to be exciting.
I'm sure that's going to be contentious.
I'm sure it's going to be passionate
and we welcome that.
We welcome that passion.
There are so many spaces in this building.
Yes.
This is actually one of the spaces
where we hope to actually keep its intention.
It's an art room.
Yeah.
What kind of programs do you hope to offer here?
We have so many programs that are
have been in development
have been launched
and are waiting to be launched.
And we're anxiously needing space
to be able to make them happen.
We've been in development of
a family support program.
Which would be a comprehensive program
to support families of victims of police violence.
We also have an artist-in-residency program
that we're hoping to expand.
So it's a combination of both
internal BLM Canada programs and initiatives
but also making space for collectives
and external programs.
How will you measure success?
For me, I'm really interested in longevity
and so I'm really, I've seen
so many of our movements come and go.
We end up getting pushed out of these neighbourhoods
that we actually helped create.
And so it was really important for us
to actually have a space
in which uh it's Black-owned
and Black-operated
and that it's actually Black people at the table
that are a part of the conversation
and how to best service us.
Freedom is really the goal here
in many ways.
Good luck with all your work.
Thank you so much.
Congratulations to you and the whole team.
Thank you, thank you.
It's been a team effort.