RESO Responds to Knowledge Network’s Change in Leadership
After the events of 2020, when corporations, broadcasters and media companies one by one acknowledged their complicity and harm they have inflicted on the Indigenous, Black and racialized communities, Knowledge Network remained conspicuously silent.
This led to the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, the Racial Equity Screen Office, and the Documentary Organization of Canada BC I YT I NT chapter’s first letter to advocate for an independent racial equity audit of Knowledge Network’s commissioning and acquisitions practices and funding recipients. Knowledge eventually chose their own independent auditing company without our input to complete this work.
In November of 2021, after 8 months of advocacy, we were made aware of the massive racial inequities that had been uncovered by the audit and already shared with the President and the Board of Knowledge. Then, in February of 2022 this report was made public along with a mandate from the Government of British Columbia to move forward in reforming the crown corporation’s systemic racism in its commissioning, acquisition and the organization itself.
Since the report’s release the board led by its Chair has continued its silence and Rudy Buttignol, the President of the Knowledge Network, has even called into question the very veracity of the independent report they themselves commissioned. This disregard and obfuscation has erased all confidence for us at the Racial Equity Screen Office and the greater racialized film community that the rampant racial inequity would be taken seriously and that any attempts to implement the mandates would be woefully inadequate and the harm inflicted on our communities by this agency would continue.
Although the news of the recent resignation of Mr. Buttignol was inevitable, we had hoped in this moment of transformational change, he would have lent his guidance, experience and relationships in our insular industry to do this important work. However, we do understand that this complex and nuanced work is difficult and not for everyone and we thank him and those that recognize their own limitations for stepping aside so as to allow space for others that can answer this call to action for sustained and equitable transformation.
We hope the board of KN will commit to working closely with the community at the ground level of decision making to ensure that systemic racist practices both conscious and unconscious that have prevailed in the past are not continued into the future.
Broadcasters across the country are watching Knowledge Network’s next steps and we in British Columbia have an incredible opportunity to be BOLD and show the rest of Canada how racial equity and inclusion can benefit the entire broadcast and media ecosystem for all and not just a few..
As always we are here to support a more equitable future.