“This is a time of increased pain, fear, anger and exhaustion that too many Black people are feeling. We want to reach out and express our support and solidarity with the Black communities that are facing systemic anti-Black racism. We want to add our voices to the demands for police accountability. And we want to call out anti-Black racism among ourselves, and our own communities, families and friends.
”Our world feels terribly wrong when we see the injustices and tragedies that so many of our fellow human beings are facing. As Canadians who care for each other, we must all recognize how pervasive and damaging anti-Black racism is in Canada, not just in the U.S. where most of the attention is focused.
“We know that Chinese and other Asian Canadians are also facing increased racism due to the pandemic. We are trying to live with the reality of worrying about racism every time we step outside our homes. As sad as that is, we hope this can increase our empathy for how much worse it must be for Black Canadians, who have been living with the harms and tragedies of anti-Black racism for many generations. Even as one small aspect of this, let’s pause and think about how hard and gut-wrenching it must be for parents trying to explain to their Black son why he has to behave a certain way with the public or with authorities to avoid endangering his life.
”We stand in solidarity with those who are demanding justice, in the individual cases and across our whole society. Most urgently, our governments must ensure that police and law enforcement institutions are fully accountable for their actions, and implement the training and strategies needed to overcome racial bias, as well as to respond properly to persons living with mental illness.
“We urge our supporters to go beyond words – to donate their money and energy, to protest, to listen and learn, to help amplify the voices of others. As part of being allies, we must also develop a habit and expectation where we will call out anti-Black racism among our own communities, families and friends.
”As another racialized community, as Canadians, and simply as decent human beings – we must demand no less from ourselves, from others, and from those in positions of power and influence.
(Source: https://ccncsj.ca/) |