Shelburne residents plan BLM march in stance against racism

Written By PAULA BROWN

While protests continue across Ontario, Canada and the U.S., in response to the death of George Floyd and the uprising of the Black Lives Matter movement, a peaceful march will take place in Shelburne this weekend in a stand against racism. 

 “It's important to show the people of Shelburne that it's something that is wrong, we should acknowledge it and we should all stick together as a community to help others feel supported and fight racism,” says Shyanne Ricci, one of the organizers of the protest. 

The local protest is one of many similar events taking place across the province this week. Outraged by the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin back on May 25, and the death of 26-year-old EMT Breonna Taylor on March 13 in Louisville, Kentucky millions of people across the globe are stepping up and taking a stand against systematic racism. Organized by Shelburne residents Shyanne Ricci and Hailey McLarty, the demonstration is planned for June 14 at 1 p.m. with attendees marching from the Centre Dufferin Recreation Centre to Town Hall. 

“We think that having this peaceful demonstration will show that not only do we stand against racism, but we stand for the black community and we'll do whatever we can to make sure that our town doesn't put up with racism, and then hopefully that will carry on through other small towns as well,” says McLarty.

Protests have previously been held in Toronto on June 5, Guelph on June 6, where thousands walked the streets, and Collingwood on June 8 where a reported two thousand people walked in the peaceful demonstration. 

Both Shelburne Mayor Wade Mills and Deputy Mayor Steve Anderson will be in attendance at the march and will also address those in attendance.  

“The same collective response that we had to the COVID-19 crisis is, I believe, what we should have to this crisis because you have people who are losing their life, you have people who are being impacted mentally and, if left undealt with, then the consequences, in my view, are severe,” says Anderson. “What we saw the other day in Minneapolis is a clear example of what inaction could lead to.”

As the community's first black elected official, this is a cause close to Anderson's heart, but he also notes the importance of taking a universal stance against, racism and discrimination. 

“When it comes to combating racism and discrimination, black folks can't do it by themselves and you need an ally ship, you need people to care about the cause, care about justice and fairness,” says Anderson. “For all those who care about ending racism, you need individuals like that coming together to say ‘I may not object to this kind of stuff as much as you, but I'm there with you because I believe in the core principles'.” 

Anderson brought forth a motion during Shelburne Council's last meeting, to bring a task force to the community. The task force would be a committee of appointed members that would look specifically at issues of racism and discrimination bringing forth strategic plans to adopt into the community in tackling these issues. 

“We have to move beyond talk to action and accountability,” says Anderson. “The next step is to then take that outrage or that frustration, or the desire for change and turn that into some form of sustainable action – that is what's going to be done.” 

The peaceful demonstration will start at 1 p.m. on June 14 starting at the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex.