Dear Narwhals,

You’re used to hearing from us about all the threats to Canada’s natural world — logging, mining, fracking, you name it — but today I’m writing about a different kind of challenge. And that challenge is the startling lack of diversity in Canadian newsrooms.

The storytellers in any society hold tremendous power, which makes the question of who does the storytelling all the more important. At The Narwhal, we recognize that this power represents both a privilege and a responsibility and we aim to use this power for the public good. We also recognize that we have much work to do to help create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive media environment.

That’s why we’ve committed to the seven calls to action from Canadian Journalists of Colour and Canadian Association of Black Journalists. One of those calls is to create mentorship opportunities for aspiring journalists of colour — and today I’m thrilled to announce that The Narwhal is offering three paid fellowships for photographers who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour (BIPOC).

We’ve partnered with Room Up Front — a mentorship program for racialized photographers run by BIPOC industry professionals and allies — to make three fellowships available to this year’s cohort of mentees. Each recipient will get the opportunity to work with their mentor on a unique photojournalism project for publication in The Narwhal. Each mentee will be paid $3,000 and each mentor will be paid $1,000 for their time.

In great news, we’ve already raised half of the money to make these fellowships possible and today we’re asking you — our most loyal readers — to give what you can to support these opportunities.

We need to raise $6,000 for these fellowships by next week. Can you give $50 or $100 today? Every dollar you give will go straight to supporting BIPOC photojournalists.

Thanks for giving what you can,

Emma Gilchrist Editor-in-chief

This week in The Narwhal

Biden has hit the ground running on climate and environmental justice. How will Canada respond?

By Ainslie Cruickshank

Renewed U.S. focus on emissions reductions, clean energy and environmental racism offers a prime opportunity for Canada that experts say Ottawa can’t afford to ignore. Read more.

Decades of cuts to salmon monitoring leave B.C. scientists uncertain of fish populations

By Matt Simmons

Less than 10 per cent of spawning habitat on B.C.’s central and north coast is being monitored by creekwalkers, the people who count salmon one by one. Critics say this leaves a critical gap in knowledge that could further imperil the species. Read more.

9 things that haven’t changed since Alberta’s about-face on coal mining policy

By Sharon J. Riley

The United Conservative Party was backed into a corner on its decision to open up the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to open-pit mines. But it hasn’t completely abandoned its push to allow more coal projects in the province. Read more.

When you’re excited about our photojournalism fellowship. Tell your friends they can stay on top of The Narwhal’s latest, greatest photography by signing up for our newsletter.

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