EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, ANTI-RACISM, INDIGENOUS & SOCIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVES
The Summer of 2020 saw The Land Back Camp take place in Victoria Park and Waterloo Park to draw attention to and action on injustices on our Indigenous People. In the United States, tragic events showed how racism's grip was so very strong and so very wrong. Canadians and Americans wanted change. This following report from National Public Radio summarizes what's been called The Summer Of Reckoning.
It was Memorial Day, May 25th, 2020. The coronavirus had locked down the country for weeks. Tens of thousands had died. Millions were out of work. And in Minneapolis, a 46-year-old Black man named George Floyd went to buy a pack of cigarettes.
Floyd's stop ended with a police officer's knee dug into his neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd begged for his life, called for his mother and repeatedly told the police, "I can't breathe." His cries went unanswered and he died in police custody.
A few weeks earlier, a 26-year-old Black woman named Breonna Taylor was working grueling shifts as an EMT in Louisville, Ky. as fears and cases of the coronavirus were spreading. On March 13th, Taylor went to sleep in her home. Late in the night, police burst into her apartment serving a no-knock warrant. Lawyers said the couple thought someone was breaking in to rob them, so her boyfriend shot at the police. They fired back, hitting Taylor eight times and killing her.
Less than three weeks before Taylor's death, a 25-year old Black man named Ahmaud Arbery laced up his sneakers and went for a run in his Brunswick, Ga. neighborhood. He was a high school football star and dreamed of becoming an electrician.
Two white men, who said they thought he was a burglar, started to chase Arbery in a pick-up truck. Another white man followed and filmed the incident. When the video later surfaced, it showed a struggle outside the truck, then one man shooting Arbery dead in the middle of the suburban neighborhood. It would be three more months, after the video leaked, until the men were arrested and charged.
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery all became part of a rallying cry in cities and towns across the country, forcing the United States to confront the racism of its past and present.
Floyd's friends remembered how he volunteered for his church, lugging huge tubs for baptisms out to the basketball court in the housing project where he lived. Stephanie Square said while Floyd had seen his fair share of trouble earlier in life growing up in Houston, he had turned things around. "All he did was encourage everyone and tell you words like, 'I'm so proud of you; you're going to make it; you're going to be an example to a lot of others,'" she said.
Taylor's family spoke about how she loved singing, playing games and cooking. "She always said that she would be a legend. I just never imagined it would be like this," remembered her friend Erinicka Hunter.
Arbery's friends and family said he cared deeply for those around him. "His mother said he was the life of the party. But then also, his coach says that he had this real ability to sense when his coach wasn't having a great day."
It was Memorial Day, May 25th, 2020. The coronavirus had locked down the country for weeks. Tens of thousands had died. Millions were out of work. And in Minneapolis, a 46-year-old Black man named George Floyd went to buy a pack of cigarettes.
Floyd's stop ended with a police officer's knee dug into his neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd begged for his life, called for his mother and repeatedly told the police, "I can't breathe." His cries went unanswered and he died in police custody.
A few weeks earlier, a 26-year-old Black woman named Breonna Taylor was working grueling shifts as an EMT in Louisville, Ky. as fears and cases of the coronavirus were spreading. On March 13th, Taylor went to sleep in her home. Late in the night, police burst into her apartment serving a no-knock warrant. Lawyers said the couple thought someone was breaking in to rob them, so her boyfriend shot at the police. They fired back, hitting Taylor eight times and killing her.
Less than three weeks before Taylor's death, a 25-year old Black man named Ahmaud Arbery laced up his sneakers and went for a run in his Brunswick, Ga. neighborhood. He was a high school football star and dreamed of becoming an electrician.
Two white men, who said they thought he was a burglar, started to chase Arbery in a pick-up truck. Another white man followed and filmed the incident. When the video later surfaced, it showed a struggle outside the truck, then one man shooting Arbery dead in the middle of the suburban neighborhood. It would be three more months, after the video leaked, until the men were arrested and charged.
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery all became part of a rallying cry in cities and towns across the country, forcing the United States to confront the racism of its past and present.
Floyd's friends remembered how he volunteered for his church, lugging huge tubs for baptisms out to the basketball court in the housing project where he lived. Stephanie Square said while Floyd had seen his fair share of trouble earlier in life growing up in Houston, he had turned things around. "All he did was encourage everyone and tell you words like, 'I'm so proud of you; you're going to make it; you're going to be an example to a lot of others,'" she said.
Taylor's family spoke about how she loved singing, playing games and cooking. "She always said that she would be a legend. I just never imagined it would be like this," remembered her friend Erinicka Hunter.
Arbery's friends and family said he cared deeply for those around him. "His mother said he was the life of the party. But then also, his coach says that he had this real ability to sense when his coach wasn't having a great day."
KITCHENER'S RESPONSE
Racism is not just an American thing. It exists in Canada. It exists in Kitchener. It was clear that things had to change and change now. Everyone should have the same opportunities. More voices need to be heard. Systemic Racism needs to be removed. Kitchener Council voted to Advance Kitchener's Work on Equity, Anti-Racism, Indigenous Initiatives & Social Justice Issues. It includes the the creation of a dedicated staff team, to provide senior level leadership and internal staff expertise in those areas. On June 7, 2021, Suzanne Charles Watson will join the City of Kitchener as Director, Equity, Anti-Racism and Indigenous Initiatives.
To view how we are responding, click HERE
To view how we are responding, click HERE
Kitchener Council and City Staff have and continue to receive training on Anti Racism and Indigenous Issues. There is much work to do and it will be ongoing. Inspired by the training we have received, I searched for more information on Anti-Racism, I'd like to share a Podcast that I have found very helpful. It's called Silence Is Not An Option, hosted by Don Lemon of CNN. You can find it HERE
I've also found a book called How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi very enlightening.
I've also found a book called How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi very enlightening.