Desirée Zagbai – LJI
The death of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old Black man who police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot, sparked protests and riots in Ferguson Missouri. The demonstrations became an essential part of the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) in America and around the world.
In 2014, hundreds of Montrealers gathered outside McGill University for a candlelight vigil, in solidarity with the U.S. protesters who had taken to the streets after a grand jury decided not to charge the police officer involved in Brown’s death.
Ten years later, systemic racism is still happening in Canada. A Quebec court recently ruled that systemic racial profiling exists within the Service de police de la Ville de Montreal (SPVM).
Earlier this year, the Montreal Police banned the controversial thin blue line on its uniforms which had been linked to white supremacists and other racist groups. Many police forces in North America wore the thin blue line patch at the height of the BLM movement.
Emma Ansah is a journalist reporting on the injustices Black Canadians face. After 13 years in the media industry, her activism for the Black community continues.
“What keeps me motivated is that the news never stops; it’s constant. Every time you turn on the news, you hear about something that’s going on with Black people. There’s a lot you don’t hear,” Ansah said.
Ansah expressed how she believes the anti-Black racism in Canada is getting more covert. She believes that all types of anti-Black racism have always existed and that protesting and rallying is not enough for a systemic change; she maintains that the creating of councils, summits and fundraisers with experienced Black people would be more effective.
“I think the first thing is to make sure that you have certified Black people teaching this, and it could be a consultation firm that’s been sort of tasked to go to all of the school boards and all the institutions and training,” Ansah said.
Ansah added that after BLM leaders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah bought a $6 million house that allegedly was from donations they received, she stopped subscribing to the BLM movement. She thinks all efforts should go to support the Black community.
“In that regard, it sort of taints the whole purpose of the BLM movement. Do I think that it’s a great organization? Absolutely, all of the things that we should be doing as a community are to help eradicate all the things that continue to go on within our community,” Ansah said. “So, I think the movement is a great concept. I just don’t subscribe to it right now because there are just far too many discrepancies going on.”
Ansah expressed that she hopes the BLM movement will be remembered as an organization that made a change.
Mykeisha Marie, 28, thinks the BLM movement has significantly changed today’s society.
“I can definitely say it’s been a revolutionary as a movement,” Marie said. “I believe there have been a lot of people who have been aware of what’s been going on, especially with police brutality and just how Black and brown people are mistreated in society, so I’m very glad that this type of movement does exist.”
Marie explained that she wished the movement had received a better approach. She added that she thought the BLM movement was aimed at uniting Black communities but found that some Black people did not show solidarity with each other.
“Like, even with certain Black people, they will look at other Black people and say, no, I don’t associate with that type of thing. So, to me, I don’t understand. If we’re all supposed to be uniting and trying to work together, I feel like you can’t just simply pick and choose because it’s a trend,” Marie said.
Despite the ongoing issues Black Canadians face, Marie is not giving up hope on the BLM movement.
“So, to me, it’s something (BLM) that will be written down in history, and hopefully, in years to come, it will be taught in schools, especially in grade five and six history classes,” Marie said.
According to the charity organization Black Health Alliance, to fight anti-Black racism, people need to acknowledge that anti-Black racism exists and that it affects the well-being of Black Canadians.
A study in the National Library of Medicine investigated the connection between Canadians’ race, discrimination, and risk for chronic disease. It found that Black Canadians were most likely to experience discrimination.
The Black Health Alliance also emphasizes that support from all government levels is required to fight anti-Black racism. Recognition from businesses, schools, healthcare, social service, and community agencies would be helpful.
