Residents stand up against racism
Hateful posters in East York prompts group to take action to promote multiculturalism
When Zahra Dhanani and a few other community members heard about the racist signs in East York last month, they decided to take a stand against hate.
The posters urged white people to join the so-called ‘alt-right,’ a movement that promotes white supremacy.
“It’s unfortunate that we had to see those gross posters, but it was really what mobilized people,” Dhanani said.
What started out as a Facebook group of a few dozen friends grew into nearly 1,000 members, ready to embrace multiculturalism and ensure people in the community felt welcome. The East Enders Against Racism group aims to counter hate speech and hate crimes while encouraging support through events, education and community-building.
The group has launched a book drive, asking people to donate books that represent diversity and a wide range of cultures, to be given to local schools.
They also organized a letter-writing initiative for Noah Rabbani, a 15-year-old boy who was robbed and beaten with a baseball bat in Hamil- ton earlier this month. Rabbani’s family believes the attack may have been motivated by hate because of his skin colour.
Dhanani said the various initiatives have been met with immense support.
“People decided that we’re not going to allow this to perpetuate in our neighbourhood,” Dhanani said.
“You should be caring, you should be compassionate and you should be accepting. It’s our responsibility to one another.” SHEILA CARY-MEAGHER TORONTO DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE FOR BEACHES-EAST YORK
On Friday, there will be an assembly at Parkside Elementary School, not far from Stanley Wadlow Park where the signs were spotted last month, to promote acceptance.
Ward 31Councillor Janet Davis will be speaking, along with Sheila CaryMeagher, the Toronto District School Board trustee for BeachesEast York and members from East Enders Against Racism.
Students will receive buttons that read: “East York, Everyone’s Welcome.” Similar assemblies are planned at other schools for the new year.
“This is such an important lesson for the kids, especially at a time when people seem to feel they have permission to say hateful things,” CaryMeagher said. “You should be caring, you should be compassionate and you should be accepting. It’s our responsibility to one another.”
Dhanani said the hateful posters have brought the community closer together.
“It’s an issue that people care about,” she said. “We have to be careful of these regressive, racist voices. With social media, they can send their message farther then ever before. In a time when there’s a lot of discontentment, it’s easy to blame each other.”