Buffalo, N.Y., shooting reflects worsening racism, even in Canada, Winnipeg organizer says & More News Here

Winnipegger Florence Okwudili says information of the lethal mass shooting at a grocery retailer in a predominantly Black neighbourhood in Buffalo, N.Y., felt like a jolt.

“It’s like a big shake, a wake-up call to see that — or to know that — we are not safe,” stated Okwudili, chair of the Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families.

Immediately, she known as her youngsters, together with her son who lives in the U.S.

“To think that even when I go into a mall, that I can be a target simply because of my colour was really, really upsetting,” she stated.

Police in the U.S. are investigating the assault that left 10 individuals lifeless and three wounded, and say it was racially motivated. All however two of the victims are Black.

A white 18-year-old man pleaded not responsible to homicide costs throughout a courtroom look Saturday.

While individuals in the U.S. cope with the horror of one more mass killing — and one other that officers say was pushed by hate — members of Winnipeg’s Black neighborhood warn that one thing comparable may occur right here, as a result of it already has.

‘Deflection technique’

Delia Douglas pointed to the killing of 4 members of a Muslim household in London, Ont., in June 2021 as an excessive instance of the form of violence perpetrated in opposition to racialized individuals in Canada regularly, although on a smaller and fewer seen scale than some incidents in the U.S.

Schools in Canada repeatedly educate the historical past of the nation as a haven for Black individuals escaping slavery by means of the Underground Railroad, whereas ignoring the 2 centuries throughout which slavery was authorized, stated Douglas, an anti-racism observe lead on the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences on the University of Manitoba, .

“The prominence of that, both as narrative and in the teaching of history — it’s really easy to look south, which means you’re not looking at yourself,” she stated.

“It’s a deflection strategy. It’s a distraction. It protects and sustains white racial domination and white supremacy and heteropatriarchy in Canada.”

Okwudili, a member of Winnipeg’s Nigerian neighborhood and an organizer with the Africa pavilion of Folklorama, says Black individuals in this nation see the telltale indicators of worsening racism. 

“It’s like water boiling, you know? It starts being cold, and warm, and hot and hotter it gets.”

The form of racism that exists in Canada can typically come as a shock to newcomers, Okwudili stated.

“When they come from their countries, they have no idea that they are different,” she stated. 

“They have no idea that the colour of their skin makes a difference. So this is entirely new to them.” 

Education is vital: Chambers

Coun. Markus Chambers, Winnipeg’s first Black metropolis councillor and chair of the Winnipeg Police Board, says town is working proactively to handle hate crimes. 

“We’re working to educate people around race issues, recognizing that the differences that are between us are minimal, in terms of we’re more alike than we are different,” he stated.

Education, Chambers stated, is a key element of combating racism, and curricula ought to give attention to the contributions individuals from numerous backgrounds have made to our society.

While schooling is necessary, Douglas says there have to be a multi-pronged method to coping with systemic racism, which takes many types, equivalent to discrimination in well being care, housing and employment. 

“It’s about our communities, our relationships to ourselves and to each other. Are we taught and encouraged to see each other and relate to each other as equals?”

Part of that multi-pronged method consists of media representations of communities of color, she stated.

“If there were a balance of stories, you know, if we were invited to speak regularly and consistently about Black joy, Black love, Black excellence, Black flourishing, that would be one thing,” she stated.

“Right now, it seems that the burden of responsibility is on those who are experiencing the trauma to also speak about the trauma — which itself is a form of trauma — and then resolve the violence.”

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