MCC pulls out of city's anti-racism initiative
After being subject to criticism, the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County has decided it won't lead the City of Windsor's much-discussed anti-racism initiative.
MCC leadership announced “with regret” on Thursday that the agency “now feels the project has become political and divisive, no longer reflecting the spirit, intent and purpose of the initiative.”
“As an apolitical organization, we feel it is in our best interest to remove ourselves from this process and proceed on our own,” stated Kathleen Thomas, executive director of the MCC.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said he considers it “truly sad” that the MCC felt it had to withdraw.
“In recent weeks, the comments made to denigrate the work of the MCC and their staff crossed the line and took on an increasingly personal and nasty tone,” the mayor said in a public statement.
Earlier this year, city council agreed to budget $200,000 for an anti-racism initiative, first discussed by the mayor in response to the Black Lives Matter movement of June 2020. After a community survey on the subject, the mayor's office asked the MCC to come up with a proposal.
The agency's campaign was presented to council on July 19.
Although the proposal passed with a strong majority of council's approval, it was the target of three hours of pointed debate.
Leslie Mccurdy, acting chair of the Black Council of Windsor-essex, argued that the initiative was developed without meaningful consultation with the region's Black community.
Rino Bortolin, one of two councillors who voted against the proposal, criticized it as “$200,000 of PR” — arguing that it fails to address current issues such as systemic anti-black racism and violent Islamophobia.
Bortolin pointed to what he believes were flaws and omissions in the community survey behind the initiative, and questioned why the MCC was tasked with leading the project.
Fellow city councillor Chris Holt also felt the proposal doesn't meet what council set out to do following the protests last summer.
But Dilkens said Thursday that the MCC'S proposal “reflected dozens of conversations with diverse stakeholder groups in Windsor, and proposed meaningful steps, suggested by local individuals and grassroots organizations.”
According to the mayor, “efforts to undermine the anti-racism initiative” have forced the MCC to decline additional funding, which means a delay in the bursaries, scholarships, mentorships and development grants that were to be dispersed with the project.
Nevertheless, Princess Small, an activist and member of the Black Council of Windsor-essex, welcomed the MCC'S decision to withdraw.
“I think it's a really good move,” Small said.
“Firstly, nobody has tried to denigrate the MCC. We understand and recognize the work they do for multiculturalism in the community.”
But Small believes promoting multiculturalism is different from addressing anti-black racism.
“This all came about because of what happened to George Floyd and Black Lives Matter coming together to say, `we need inclusion.'”
Like Mccurdy, Small feels the Windsor-essex Black community did not have real input on the proposal.
“There needs to be clarity between what is collaboration and what is just conversation,” she said.
“That's where we were with the city: We were having a conversation — that was discontinued by the city.”
Small believes the municipality has a history of conceiving programs without talking to the people to whom those programs apply.
“For too long,” Small said. “We weren't at the table when these decisions were being made on our behalf. We need to be at the table at the initial stage, not the end.”
Irene Moore Davis, a founding member of the Black Council of Windsor-essex and co-founder of Black Women of Forward Action, said she hasn't seen or heard the comments that Dilkens described as “personal and nasty.”
“I don't think that anyone who understands the workings of this city would denigrate the efforts of the MCC, and I'm not aware of any personal attacks or anything `nasty' that was said,” Davis said.
“I think it's perfectly appropriate for individuals in the community to ask reasonable, valid questions.
“It's unfortunate when leaders feel that citizens asking questions about their processes or decisions are being inappropriate.”
The next steps for the City of Windsor's anti-racism initiative are uncertain.
Dilkens said council will need to come to a decision on how to administer the resources allocated for the project — “but it is clear that additional work will be required prior to deciding how to proceed.”
The MCC said it will “continue to combat racism, prejudice and discrimination in all forms in Windsor-essex,” and will work alongside community partners.
“The MCC remains dedicated to its mission of creating a welcoming community for all and wishes to thank the City of Windsor for their support and trust,” the agency stated.
I think it's perfectly appropriate for individuals in the community to ask reasonable, valid questions.