‘The stereotype is that Black is less’
About 1,000 people march for change in downtown St. Catharines
It was a sea of fists pumping the air as people chanted Black Lives Matter and called for justice as close to 1,000 people turned up at St. Catharines city hall Sunday.
It was the third such demonstration in Niagara since the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in Minneapolis when a police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.
Sunday’s demonstration began shortly after 1 p.m. at the BME Church on Geneva Street long known as the stop for the Underground Railroad and
Harriet Tubman.
Police blocked off intersections and several officers joined the march as people walked to the steps of city hall.
St. Catharines resident Erica Williams used strong words asking that Niagara Regional Police respect their space because they were protesting against police brutality.
“I’ve seen some of you taking a knee at previous protests but I don’t give a damn about you taking a knee,” said Williams.
“What is the point in taking a knee with us today then trying to use that same knee to drive into the back or neck of my people (George Floyd).
“What is the point of taking a knee if you’re going to turn around the next day and racially profile our sons and daughters.”
She said racialized people do not feel safe around police.
St. Catharines residents Dienye Waboso-Amajor and Ellie Mutombo, who stood front and centre during most of the demonstration, were startled at first that there weren’t as many Black people participating as they thought would.
“There are now, but it’s interesting to see we’re not alone in this struggle,” said WabosoAmajor.
“There are people who believe in the cause and they’re fighting for it in greater numbers than we are at this moment.”
Weeks after protests first began, Mutombo feels it’s important to keep them going.
“If we don’t there would be no change.
“Slavery was abolished but there still is underground slavery. Seeing people of every colour just lets me know that people have had enough.”
She said today’s events are historical.
“To see statues going down around the world goes to show it’s not just Black people that are tired — white people, Asian people, Native people around the world we are looking for equality.
“We understand that God created all the human race and it’s important that we all come together as one,” she added.
Speaking in generalities, she said:
“People are saying the same way I am treated as a white person, that is the same way I want my husband who is Black to be treated. My son who is mixed (race), I want him to be treated equally.”
“This is just the beginning of a change.”
Personally, Mutombo said she knows events such as these are going to impact her daughter and also grandchildren.
“As a Black woman, I’ve always had to be at work 15 minutes before my shift. I’ve had to leave my lunch 15 minutes before everyone else because I stand out.
“My dream, why I came today, is to say my daughter will not go through what I went through.” Waboso-Amajor said the demonstrations are important to spread awareness.
“A lot of what is going on is due to ignorance and ignorance perpetuated from things we learn at school, the things we learn from our parents and grandparents.
“The stereotype is that Black is less,” said Waboso-Amajor. “And that’s a lie.
“We are of African descent, the confidence that nurtures in us, who we are, what our ancestors were, how great they were imbues us with strength and a power. And we want to share that.
“The change for Black people will come when history is rewritten accurately.”