Around 80 people braved the cold outside City Hall Tuesday night for an anti-racism rally.
Speaking to the crowd, organizer Scott Hobbs pointed out that as a white man, he hasn’t been the target of racism in his life, but emphasizes the fight against racism “belongs to all of us.”
He adds he also wants all levels of government to take action, calling for the federal government to outline what it will do to address racism across Canada.
Hobbs says he wants the new members of City Council to think about what they can do to stand up against discrimination.
Organizer Julie Harmer says it’s important to take action in the community instead of only speaking against racism through social media.
“We’ve had enough, but we also have enough,” Harmer notes. “We have enough love between us, we have enough people who really want to make changes. We have enough ideas, and actions, and things that we can all do on a personal level.”
She acknowledged Hobbs’ call for government to fight racism, but notes “I’m more interested in what we can do here, each of us.”
Sam Achneepineskum attended the rally, and says it was good to see people from a variety of backgrounds come out.
“It affects us all, even though we might stay at home this evening or [during] any other events that happen.”
“The way that you make change is you get involved,” he adds.
Current River Councillor Andrew Foulds and McKellar Councillor Brian Hamilton stopped by the rally before City Council, and former Councillor Paul Pugh also attended.