Black Community Calls for Real Action on Addressing Anti-Black Racism |
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| On Saturday, June 13 from 12-1 p.m. at least 15 Black organizations will stand together at Old City Hall to demand action on dismantling anti-Black racism and discrimination in institutions and systems. |
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| George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police and subsequent outpouring of hurt demonstrated via protest rallies and marches has reinforced what Black communities over the globe, including here in Canada, have been saying for decades – systems continue to perpetuate and racism and discrimination, resulting in our pain, suffering and death. |
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| “The Black Community is calling on the Ontario Government , institutional leaders and systems of power to move beyond studies, convening committees and task forces to implement policies and reforms achieving real change,” said Adaoma Patterson, President, Jamaican Canadian Association. “The time for real action is now.” |
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| For the past 25 years, there have been numerous studies and reviews identifying concrete steps that government and systems must take to eliminate systemic discrimination and anti-Black racism, including: |
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- Toronto Police Services PACER Report
- Ministry of Education reviews of York Region District School Board and Peel District School Board
- Toronto District School Board’s Equity Framework
- Reg. 58/16, Independent Police Oversight Review
- Independent Street Checks Review by Justice Michael Tulloch
- Towards Race, Equity & Education by Carl James and Tana Turner
- One Vision One Voice by Kike Ojo
- Roots of Youth Violence by Roy McMurtry and Alvin Curling
- UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on Canada
- Stephen Lewis Report on Race Relations in Ontario
- Anti-Racism Strategy on Ontario
- Toronto Action Plan to confront Anti-Black Racism
- Action Plan: The Way Forward, Modernizing Community Safety in Toronto
- Province of Ontario Anti-Black Racism Strategy
- Building a Foundation for Change: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019/2022
- Race Relations and Policing Task force
- A Collective Impact: Interim Report on the Inquiry into Racial Profiling
- Racial Discrimination of Black Persons by the Toronto Police Service by the OHR
- Civil and Political Wrongs: The Growing Gap between International and Civil Rights and African Canadian Life by African Canadian Legal Clinic
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| The Black community continues to suffer due to lack of real action by systems, institutions and governments.The time has come to take accountability for the anti-Black racism, discrimination and oppression that has gone unchecked for far too long. |
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| Organizations and RepresentativesYvette Blackburn, Canadian Rep of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council Adaoma Patterson, President, Jamaican Canadian AssociationBishop Ransford Jones -Destiny Gospel CentreNadine Spencer - President, Black Business and Professional AssociationDelford Blythe - Managing Partner, G98.7 Natasha Henry - President, Ontario Black Historical Society Marie Clarke Walker- Secretary Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress CLCPaul Bailey - Black Health AllianceAndrew Vaughan- Criminal Lawyers AssociationJacqueline Edwards - President, Association of Black Law Enforcers (ABLE)Knia Singh - Principal lawyer, Ma'at Legal ServicesAudrey Campbell - Co-chair, Police and Community Engagement Review (PACER)Kathy MacDonald- Trustee, Peel District School Board Wards 3 & 4Bishop Lennox Walker - Praise Cathedral worship Centre |
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June 2, 2020
For Immediate Release: A Message of Solidarity and a Call to Action
Our collective hearts are saddened by the inhumane disregard for Black life as evidenced by the senseless killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Perry Floyd at the hands of disreputable police. We are all in mourning and we grieve as individuals, as parents, as grandparents, as brothers and as sisters.
History reveals that right here in what we now call Canada, state legislation, policies, and practices have long sanctioned the systemic exclusion and degradation of Black life since African people have been here, going back to the 1600s.
History also elucidates how leaders of institutions and public officials make statements in the heat of the moment, but do not make any substantial changes to remove systemic barriers in an effort to achieve racial equity once the rage has subsided. We have seen many Canadian leaders and media comment on what is happening in the United States, but are reticent to make connections to how these issues manifest in their own organizations and backyards.
History demonstrates that Black people have persistently mobilized and organized to demand accountability from the government and from institutions. Black communities have always created community spaces that nurture, heal and uplift. We have a history of strategically harnessing our collective strengths and power in our activism and we must continue to grow and evolve in solidarity. Canada is a better place because of the activism of our ancestors.
As a community organization in existence since 1978, the Ontario Black History Society continues our commitment to bring attention to and address systemic inequities. We denounce the persistent systemic anti-Black racism that for generations has stifled Black lives in a myriad of ways, including education, employment, health, and the judicial system. We demand justice for Black men and women in the GTA who have suffered immensely or lost their lives as a result of interactions with the police - Dafonte Miller, Jermaine Carby, and many others. Justice delayed is justice denied! Our hearts go out to the families of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Andrew Loku, D’Andre Campbell, and other families whose loved ones did not receive the mental health support they so desperately needed.
These conditions have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that, in addition to being a public health emergency, has exposed the ills of racism and social inequities that plague our nation for generations.
African Canadians and our allies expect organizational leaders and elected officials (MPs, MPPs, city councillors, school trustees, union representatives, etc.) to take immediate steps to address anti-Black racism in their sectors of responsibility. And, if they are unwilling or unable to do so, we need to use the power of our vote to put in place leaders who represent our ideals and values.
Organizations and various levels of government who have signed on to the International Decade for People of African Descent need to see this through. The Declaration was intended to spark meaningful, structural change which can be accomplished by restoring and adequately funding the Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate, fulfilling the directives of the new Anti-Racism Act, reforming policing, and mandating the teaching and learning of African Canadian histories in all provinces. This would ensure that all Canadians are better educated about the lived experiences and contributions of people of African descent. Additionally, it calls for sustained investments in the social and community infrastructure for the betterment of our Black citizens’ lives.
The Board of Directors of the OBHS stands in solidarity with individuals, communities, and organizations seeking justice and equity-based solutions. We will continue to advocate for substantial systemic changes that will honour our human rights. We will continue to extend our efforts to educate all Canadians about the historic and contemporary experiences, as well as the achievements of African Canadians because Black Lives Matter.
In Solidarity,
The OBHS Board of Directors
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