The Board of Urban Alliance on Race Relations released the following statement, launching a legal defence fund for parents and community members fighting racism in the PDSB:
“Over the course of the past few months, communities in Peel have witnessed a complete failure of the Peel District School Board (PDSB) to instill trust and confidence in its capability and willingness to address anti-Black racism and Islamophobia in Peel Schools.
Urban Alliance on Race Relations is pleased to welcome Jared A. Walker to our board of directors. Jared also recently became the chair of the Black Youth Fellowship Initiative at UARR.
Say her name… Regis Korchinski-Paquet died in the presence of police officers in her Toronto home last week, her family barred from observing the circumstances.
The Urban Alliance on Race Relations calls for an immediate public inquest into the events that led to Regis Korchinski’s untimely death, in the aftermath of the family’s call for help to the Toronto Police Service. According to media reports, the family met Toronto Police officers outside the door to her apartment. When Ms. Korckhinski-Paquet requested use of the bathroom, the police allowed her, but not her family, to re-enter the home. Her mother and her brother heard her calling for help, but the police continued to bar them from the apartment.
The Ford government’s removal of 1.4 billion from Ontario’s budget for public education has forced public school boards to cut public services in order to deliver the required balanced budget. We believe that the TDSB should refuse to cut public education on behalf of the Ford government. The explanations and justifications are false and mask the true impacts of the cuts. The reality is that the cuts to deliver a balanced budget are devastating for our public schools and the students who rely on public school support the most. We call on Trustees to vote NO.
United Against Islamophobia is calling on the Government of Ontario to designate January 29 as a Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
On January 29, 2017, six worshippers were killed and many others injured during evening prayer at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City. In that year, hate crimes against Muslims in Ontario rose by 207%. Most recently, a horrific attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, has left us all shaken.
This isn’t about optics, or even representation for its own sake. Making sure that people with deep roots in Black community are in decision-making spaces is how we ensure that the substance, shape and details of what government does reflects Black experiences. It also builds connections between Black communities and institutions — the kind that let Black people know there is someone they can trust and call who will have their back in rooms they might not get to be in.
"This is just putting more deadly weapons in the hands of police," said Nigel Barriffe, chair of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, adding that he believes money spent on Tasers — about $1 million to date — could be better used elsewhere.
"Brittany Andrew-Amofah, of the Toronto-based Urban Alliance on Race Relations, said the increase in hate crimes is making communities feel less safe.
"It's time for political leaders to unequivocally speak out against hate and intolerance and in support of a multicultural society where everyone feels safe to participate and contribute," she said in a news release."
