One by one, speakers stood and spoke about Dan Philip.
A Quebec leader, the 87-year-old is well-known for advocating for the rights of the Black community and has often spoken out against racism and discrimination.
But on Wednesday, in a small, intimate ceremony, he was honoured for other work he’s done — his willingness to stand up against antisemitism.
“Beyond being the person who fought for desegregation of the taxi industry, or laws against discrimination in housing, he also worked to combat antisemitism and build good relations between the Black and Jewish communities,” said Marvin Rotrand, the national director of the League for Human Rights, B’nai Brith Canada.
For that, on behalf of B’nai Brith, Philip was honoured and given a certificate of recognition.
It was also an opportunity for friends, leaders in the Black community and other groups representing visible minorities to gather and salute him for the work he’s done.
“I remember the relationship between the Montreal police and our community was at its worst point, and (Philip) stood there, the marches, the meeting with the police force and it made a great change in the policies and the way that the police is operated,” said Mark Henry, the president of the Montreal Jamaican Association.
Though Philip himself recognizes that his work has made changes, he admits more is needed.
On Wednesday, he spoke softly but sternly about the need to acknowledge and address systemic racism in Quebec.
He also stressed the importance of people standing up for human rights.
“When it happens to somebody else, we have to stand,” Philip said. “So that when it happens to us, somebody else will stand.”