In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer, the #UnitedForAll coalition, representing 40 Ottawa organizations committed to action against racism, bigotry and hate, expressed its solidarity with Black communities across Canada and North America, and support for these communities as they call for justice, and an end to the killing and brutalization of Black people.
Speaking on behalf of United For All on #Blackout Tuesday, Ottawa City Councillor Rawlson King said:
“We are committed to ensuring that our communities are safe and inclusive for everyone, which includes ensuring that our institutions are transparent, accountable, and have the required training to address anti-Black racism, as well as racism against other people of colour and Indigenous Canadians, and discriminatory attitudes within their structures.”
“Ottawa residents must have full confidence in their institutions and be assured that they will be treated fairly and without discrimination due to race, ethnicity, creed, sexual orientation, gender, identity or any other characteristic,” Councillor King added.
The partner organizations of United For All acknowledge that the death of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of police is a symptom of the systemic anti-Black racism to be found in our society, and that it is not unique to American police organizations. Anti-Black racism, which is rooted in the days of slavery in Canada, continues to persist because it benefits certain privileged groups over others. Consequently, we are committed to challenging ourselves to examine our own privilege, and to helping others to examine theirs. We are also committed to working with all racialized communities to make the necessary changes and put in place the mechanisms to prevent all forms of discrimination.
As a coalition of public, community and activist organizations we will continue working to build social resilience, support education, advocacy and research, and work to ultimately overcome violence originating from the ideologies of hate, bigotry and racism. We are resolved to mobilize individually and collectively to ensure that hate in all its forms is eradicated. #BlackLivesMatter
Rawlson King
Ottawa City Councillor, Ward 13 Rideau-Rockcliffe
Sophia Jacob
Founder, Canadian Women of Colour Leadership Network
Michael Allen
President, United Way East Ontario
About United for All:
United for All is comprised of a growing partnership of organizations in the Ottawa region that have come together to address the issues of hate-based violence and extremism in Ottawa. The group has a table of champions representing the leadership of our city, as well as member organizations that represent the diversity of our community. In this first year, the coalition will build a city-wide approach to tackling hate and violence with the goal of securing public and private funding to bolster its work. United for All has a long-term goal to build social resilience, to support education, advocacy, research, and ultimately, to overcome hate, bigotry and racism in Ottawa.
For more information on United for All visit unitedforall.ca.
