‘That’s our responsibility’
Rally organizer says white community has to end racism
Keeping the name Fort Amherst on a national historic site is a covert and subtle form of racism, says an organizer of the anti-white supremacy march held in Charlottetown on Saturday.
Brad Deighan also urged white Islanders to take responsibility in fighting against racism on P.E.I.
“That’s our responsibility, it falls largely on the shoulders of white communities. It’s not the job of people of colour to end white supremacy,” said Deighan, noting that most of the rally’s speakers were “not people of colour.” “Because we believe combatting racism and white supremacy is primarily the work of white people.”
The rally, which saw about 150 individuals march from the Coles Building down Queen Street to the waterfront, was organized in solidarity with Charlottesville, Va. after recent violent events in that city.
The Charlottesville rally began with a white nationalist protest over calls to remove Confederate soldier monuments. One white supremacist crashed his car into a group of counter-protesters, which resulted in one death and 19 injuries.
Deighan said while Charlottesville may seem far away, white supremacy and racism are present everywhere.
He said while hate can be expressed in “overt” forms of violence, he said it can also be exhibited in subtle forms like “daily micro-aggressions, casual racism and even the name of a street or national historic site that celebrates colonialism or a racist figure.”
“We here in Prince Edward Island have not been and simply are not immune to this and we need to be proactive,” he said.
“We see that Halifax has it’s own issues with Edward Cornwallis and P.E.I. has Fort Amherst.”
It is believed General Jeffery Amherst advocated for the use of smallpox-infected blankets against indigenous people. Keptin John Joe Sark has called for the removal of Amherst’s name while the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada has said it will not drop the name.
On Saturday, organizers handed out pre-written post cards to attendees lobbying government to change the name.
Jillian Kilfoil, of the P.E.I. Women’s Network, was also one of the event’s organizers.
She thanked participants for coming but said there are still people on P.E.I. who hold an opposing view.
“And for people who, when this rally got organized said ‘we don’t need that in P.E.I., what is going on?’
Your eyes are closed,” said Kilfoil.
“You’re not seeing the everyday racism and misogyny, homophobia and transphobia that exists on our gentle island.”
Scott Parsons, president of the Black Cultural Society on P.E.I., said he was glad to see so many people at the rally while also praising Islanders in general.
“It’s nice we live in a country where we can have a rally like this and not have to worry about violence,” he said. “I’ve grown up here on this Island and I do believe in the inherent goodness of most Islanders.”
Parsons also referenced Black Lives Matter, an activist group whose slogan was written on several placards held by those at the rally.
“I really think that it’s not just “Black Lives Matter,” all lives matter. Everyone’s life matters and there should be human rights for everyone,” said Parsons.