Pledges need ‘actions that follow’
Black organizations call on governments to make good on Hogan’s Alley promises
Two levels of government now say they’re committed to atoning for the destruction done to Vancouver’s once-thriving Black neighbourhood decades ago. The non-profit society leading the work in the community wants to see action before it starts celebrating.
During the 1960s, Hogan’s Alley, a hub for Black citizens in the Strathcona neighbourhood, was razed to make way for on-ramps to the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, displacing the community across the city. The Hogan’s Alley Society has worked in recent years to bring back a version of that cultural centre.
On Wednesday, city manager Sadhu Johnston sent out an open letter to the Black and African diaspora communities in which he committed to a “virtual town hall,” and acknowledged that anti-Black racism was a part of the city’s present and past. He said the city had a moral and civic duty to take action against it, and said work on redress with the Hogan’s Alley Society was of “high importance.”
Last Friday, staff and board members of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. released a public statement condemning racism and pledging to do more to eliminate it. The federal agency said it would start that work with eight commitments, including one involving
Hogan’s Alley.
“We reject racism, white supremacy and wish to atone for our past racism and insensitivity, including our role in funding the forced resettlement of Black people, most notably from Halifax’s historic Africville and Hogan’s Alley in Vancouver,” the CMHC wrote.
Both statements came after weeks of global protests in response to the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis, Minn., police officer who knelt on his neck for close to nine minutes.
Floyd’s death May 25 has drawn widespread attention to racism, including in Vancouver, where protesters symbolically occupied the viaducts from Saturday to Monday. Seven people were arrested.
The protesters called on the city to act on recent demands from Black Lives Matter Vancouver, including a demand that the city approve a community land trust proposed by the Hogan’s Alley Society and led by Black citizens.
Johnston’s open letter made no mention of the land trust and the city didn’t answer emailed questions about the land trust Wednesday.
But Johnston’s letter said addressing the historic displacement and erasure at Hogan’s Alley was a key priority, and said staff are committed to working with the society and community.
“Work with Hogan’s Alley
Society (HAS) and the Black and African diaspora communities on Hogan’s Alley has been persistent, although not as rapid as the community had hoped for and/or expected,” Johnston wrote.
“Now that staff are able to focus again on regular operations, this work has been identified as high-importance and we will reach out to HAS in the very near future to discuss next steps and an MOU (memorandum of understanding).”
Stephanie Allen, a founder and board member of the Hogan’s Alley Society, said the society didn’t hear from the
CMHC after its June 12 commitment but said she was taken aback by how “bold” its statement was.
“I think it holds promise, but it will only be as good as the actions that follow,” she said.