Edmontonians on sidelines in city’s battle against racism want in

Efforts to get rid of racism in the city are being met with some skepticism, because the very groups that see it on a daily basis say they’re not involved enough. They want to be included in the city’s effort to create an anti-racism framework.

“We are looking for a bottom-up approach, not top down,” Ahmed Abdullkardir, from the Ogaden Somali Community of Alberta, said on Monday. “When somebody gets fired because of their race or someone at work calls them the N-word or somebody experiences hate incidents when they’re catching the bus, we’re the first to hear it. We’re the first to listen.”

Yet he said they’re being shut out of the process at this point.

“The youth, they express their frustrations within the school system and we’re the front line for this. We should be part of any solution that is looking for a comprehensive solution for all Edmontonians.

“All of us are really saying, ‘Let’s develop the framework collectively and then agree on it and then move the process that way.'”

Last year, city councillors asked for work to be done on reducing examples of racism in Edmonton. The process is still in the early stages, according to Rob Smyth, deputy city manager for community services. He told reporters it’s a complex issue, even within individual groups.

READ MORE: Racial slur captured on video in Edmonton spurs #MakeItAwkward social media campaign

Watch below: In September 2016, Jennifer Crosby filed this report after a man who was the target of racial slurs in downtown Edmonton met with Mayor Don Iveson. The two used their time together to come up with a concept to fight racism.

2:32 Racial slur caught on video in Edmonton spurs #MakeItAwkward social media campaign

“There’s different communities and even within some communities, there’s elements of that same community that have different points of view.”

Mayor Don Iveson said even within the city’s administration, more needs to be done.

“That should be our default: to have more active engagement and to test whether what the city is working on is resonating for communities that are experiencing racism.”

Still to do in the coming year are surveys and public meetings and by early 2018, a proposed framework on ending racism will be before city council.