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Posted By admin on June 7, 2021

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"If you believe in Black Lives Matter, you have to start at home."

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It was a small but passionate crowd that gathered at the Canadian Human Rights monument Sunday, a day after the one-year anniversary of thousands of people marching through Ottawa streets to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Black lives dont matter if they dont matter here, a string of speakers told people at the event organized by the Ottawa Black Diaspora Coalition, which said that the Black mans killing sparked global awareness to horrific injustices but the momentum from allied groups quickly disappeared.

The crowd then marched, chanting along Elgin and Laurier streets to the Marion Dewar Plaza next to city hall for a healing space of music, dance and poetry.

Were here today to remind folks that Black lives still matter, a year and a day later after the city of Ottawa took to the streets and marched en masse, they flooded the streets, in protest of the death of George Floyd in the United States, coalition co-chair Vanessa Dorimain said.

We are here also here to remind folks that these types of injustices also happen here in Ottawa, she said, while Black communities dont get the support they need.

Love starts at home, Dorimain added. If you believe in Black Lives Matter, you have to start at home. You cant say you care about Black people only somewhere else.

Solidarity is more than clicking share non-Black allies need to show up at meetings with city officials, join actions and help press politicians for change, like investing in social programs for Black, Indigenous and other marginalized people, Dorimain said.

She has advocated for divesting police of some funds to be reallocated to other forms of public safety and community support, including mental health services.

Ottawa resident Michele Penney, a member of a member of Saulteaux First Nation who acknowledged that she was a visitor on Algonquin territory, launched the event with a song and drumming while the smoke from a smudge stick wafted.

Black people and First Nations people have a history together, she said. Lets walk together.

See the rest here:

Rally marks year and a day since Black Lives Matter protest filled Ottawa streets - Ottawa Citizen

Category: Diaspora
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