Members of Winnipeg’s Black community say it’s time for people to educate themselves on the issues facing people of colour and to take action when they see injustices.
Five different organizations came together Thursday to push for a larger focus on issues surrounding justice and recognition of people in the Black community in Manitoba.
The African Communities of Manitoba Inc. (ACOMI) in partnership with Black History Month Celebration Committee (BHMCC), Black Space Winnipeg, Congress of Black Women of Manitoba (COBW), and Caribbean Council Organization of Manitoba (CCOM) said the recent surge of protests in the United States after the death of George Floyd, come after decades of “ongoing oppression and violence that is inflicted on Black people.”
“Recent and ongoing events have proven that one of these areas — justice — is not, and has not been on the minds of individuals and governments around the world,” Titi Tijani, board president for African Communities of Manitoba Inc., said during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
“As we continue to see the ongoing oppression and violence that is inflicted on Black people internationally, we grow wearier and more restless for honest change in our communities.”
Floyd was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota after pleading for air as a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck during an arrest.
Chauvin was fired from the police force and has been charged with second-degree murder in Floyd’s death.
Three other officers who were involved in Floyd’s arrest, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao, were fired and have now been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Rhonda Thompson Wilson, board member with the Black History Month Celebration Committee and the Congress of Black Women of Manitoba, said while this issue may be ‘trending’ in the news right now, it is not new.
“This is a call out to community on a whole, we want to understand that this issue is trending today but this is not new to our community,” Thompson said. “We want to ensure that the severity of the cases involved are relayed and relayed to everyone.”
The group said Canada is not immune to similar situations, pointing to the death of Machuar Madut in Winnipeg last year.
“It is not just a news story,” Black History Month Chairperson Nadia Thompson said. “It reflects our lives as black people and we have fathers, we have sons, we have brothers, we have uncles, that that could have been them.”
The 43-year-old was allegedly armed with a hammer when he was shot and killed by a Winnipeg police officer in an apartment on Colony Street on Feb. 23, 2019.
The shooting was investigated by the Independent Investigation Unit, a civilian police watchdog organization.
The IIU’s final report found the use of lethal force by the officer who shot Madut was necessary in order to prevent injury or death to him and other police officers, and he should not be criminally charged.
“That is the call to action today — make your voice heard,” Thompson Wilson said.
The group says it’s time the police and government look towards the Black community to help move forward and make impactful change.
“We want to be a part of the training and the conversation on creating the solutions with our city and police service,” Thompson said.
Comments