By Cecilia Nasmith
Just prior to Thursday's Black Lives Matter demonstration in Cobourg's Victoria Park by the Northumberland Coalition for Social Justice, attended by an estimated 700 people, Cobourg's Mayor and the Northumberland County Warden issued their own statements.
From Cobourg Mayor John Henderson:
“Like many in our community, I was deeply saddened to learn of the senseless death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th. This is a tragic reminder to myself of the many others who have also lost their lives under similar circumstances.
“As your Mayor I have spent my last few days reflecting and speaking to members within our community who have shared their stories, fears and hopes with me. I have asked for guidance on how our community can support anyone who experiences discrimination and oppression within their lives. This will simply not be accepted within our Town.
“I am calling on all citizens to confront the racism that exists within our community. What we may widely see is overt racism, like messages of hate tagged onto public property, but the subtle and systemic racism that affects the little things we say and do, what we teach our children, and the assumptions we make about others is where we should focus our energy.
“The time is now to reflect, to ask ourselves if we are indeed doing enough to ensure that every member of our community is being treated with the same humanity, respect, and compassion we all deserve.
“Now, and moving forward is a time to listen, reflect and learn…after all our motto has always been Our Strength is our Unanimity.”
From Northumberland County Warden Bob Sanderson:
“People in our community, across Canada and around the world are expressing hurt and outrage at the senseless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. This preventable tragedy is another trauma in a long history of violence and oppression perpetrated against the Black community and other racial minorities.
Such injustice is a reminder that each of us is called upon to take action against prejudice and discrimination. We do this by listening to the experiences of People of Colour, educating ourselves, and contributing to solutions through words, funds and actions. This starts with acknowledging that racism persists in our community and our country, including anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, and racism against other People of Colour. From this starting point, our efforts must demonstrate a genuine determination to root out and eliminate discrimination of all forms from our institutions and our neighbourhoods.
“A priority for Northumberland County is to foster a thriving and inclusive community. Essential to this pursuit is amplifying voices that are often marginalized. Through the work of our Settlement Services team, Northumberland County has worked closely with newcomer and minority communities to build more inclusive, equitable and respectful services, to nurture understanding and cohesion through story-telling and the sharing of experiences, and to celebrate local diversity. We recognize that that there is still more work to do, in particular to directly address the harmful impacts of racism and hate.
Prior to COVID-19, County staff had begun work on the formation of an anti-racism coalition to proactively “address these issues in our community through collective response. I have asked staff to expedite these efforts, engage in collaboration with the community, and report back to County Council about the timelines, structure and mandate for the launch of this coalition.
“Today, residents of Cobourg and the surrounding area will channel their frustration and pain into a peaceful demonstration of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and for protesters in the United States. Northumberland stands in solidarity with those exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest, and with the Black community, the Indigenous community and with other People of Colour, and reaffirms a commitment to breaking through silence, confronting racism, protecting human rights and removing barriers to equality. Together, we are united around a common purpose of building a more welcoming, resilient and inclusive community, and ensuring a strong and vibrant Northumberland for future generations.”
