Work stoppage in support of Juneteenth idles ports
Ports along the west coast of Canada and the U.S. were quiet Friday as workers with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union stopped operations to support racial equality and social justice.
A statement from the union said the eight-hour action was to honour Juneteenth, the celebration of the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. on June 19, 1865.
The union has 60,000 members who work in ports in Alaska, B.C., south to California and Hawaii.
A statement posted by the Canadian union, which is autonomous from its U.S. counterpart, said the groups have “a proud history of defending the rights and dignity of people.”
Rob Ashton, president of the Canadian union, said systemic racism is built into all levels of life in the U.S., but this country shares the blame, in the past and the present.
“We also had slavery, there was the internment of Japanese Canadians, the incident of the Komagata Maru and the residential schools,” Ashton said in a statement. “In present day, we have the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and we see systemic racism in Canadian society.”
In the U.S., the traditional day of celebration turned into one of protest Friday as Americans marked Juneteenth after widespread demonstrations against police brutality and racism. In addition to the traditional cookouts and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation — the Civil War-era order that declared all slaves free in Confederate territory — Americans were marching and holding sit-ins or car-caravan protests.
In Vancouver, protesters marched through the downtown late Friday afternoon before a scheduled rally at Sunset Beach in the West End.
The work stoppage affected the Port of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Stewart and Chemainus.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, which manages the Port of Vancouver, didn’t respond to the union action, but the Prince Rupert Port Authority said it supports the temporary halt of operations to commemorate Juneteenth.
“Now more than ever, it is important to take time to learn from the past, recognize that discrimination and hate has no place in our communities or workplaces and declare that we are strongest when we work together to build a better future,” the authority said in a statement.
In Toronto, hundreds of protesters staged a peaceful sit-in where they blocked two major downtown roads. There was a festive atmosphere with songs playing from loudspeakers, protesters dancing and people shouting anti-racism slogans in front of Toronto police headquarters.
Police officers were at the protest directing traffic and blocking entrances to the building.
The Port of Tacoma in Washington state issued a statement recognizing Juneteenth.