Exploring everyday racist symbolism in community recreation spaces: a critical race content analysis

There has been a palpable shift in the public’s collective consciousness about the realities of racism in recent years. Community recreation organizations, like all other institutions, are not exempt from promoting racial inequity through taken for granted policies and practices. The purpose of this study was to explore some of the racist symbolism found within everyday artifacts at local community centres in a sub-urban area of Ontario, Canada. A Critical Race Content Analysis methodology was used to analyze bandages, promotional materials, and sunscreen. This study found that bandages in first aid supplies were exclusively for White skin tones, images in promotional materials featured mostly White people, and the sunscreen products stocked were not made for dark skinned folx. A discussion on the implications of each finding is provided followed by limitations and recommendations for research and practice.