Optimism and dread this Juneteenth
'Defund the police', painted outside Toronto police headquarters during peaceful protest. Photo by Nuzhat Jafri
This June 19, 2020, there is a strange mix of optimism and dread as I listen to the chants of “Black Lives Matter” and “I Can’t Breathe” outside my downtown Toronto window.The protesters are sitting on the street on a pink mural declaring, “Defund the Police.” They are practicing physical distancing and wearing facemasks to protect one another from COVID-19. They are peaceful, yet determined to see change.
Meanwhile, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, they are commemorating the massacre of over 300 African Americans 99 years ago. Along with their fellow Americans, they are also observing Juneteenth, a celebration of emancipation of African Americans from slavery. On this day in 1863, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform slaves they had been freed.
The dichotomy and contradiction of the moment are palpable.
The optimism comes from the thousands of people marching and protesting against anti-Black racism and police brutality in the US and around the world, including here in Canada. The dread comes from the provocation and threats coming from President Trump as he incites his cult followers to rally for him tomorrow in Tulsa. It is dreadful that the number of COVID-19 cases is surging in Oklahoma. Like elsewhere in the US, the majority of those contracting the illness and dying from it are Black and Brown people. They are also the most exposed to the virus because they are working in occupations with the greatest exposure to it.
In Canada we are not immune to police brutality towards Black and Indigenous people. According to an analysis by CTV News published this morning, Indigenous and Black individuals are overrepresented among the 100 most recent deaths due to police shootings in Canada. While Indigenous peoples make up 5% of the Canadian population, they represent 38% of deaths. Black individuals make up 3% of the Canadian population and represent 9% of the deaths.
The coronavirus has also been disproportionately cruel to Black people. According to a Global News report, the rate of COVID-19 infections is higher among Black people living in Toronto neighbourhoods with high populations of racialized individuals. According to data published by the City of Montreal, immigrants, refugees and lower-income people live in regions hardest hit by the virus. Health inequities are abundantly clear. Yes, systemic racism is alive and well in Canada.
Let’s get back to optimism. It’s heartening to see millennials and subsequent generations leading the current revolution. You just have to look at the multiracial make up of the protesters that have come together to demand justice for all. Peace will forever be elusive until their demand is met – there’s no turning back.