On June 4th we participated in a “Take a Knee” rally in Bridgewater called by Mayor David Mitchell. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and our fellow Nova Scotians and people around the world sickened and outraged by police brutality against Black people and most recently the chilling and cavalier disregard for the life of George Floyd, senselessly snuffed out by a police knee on his neck, even as bystanders pleaded for his life.
We are heartened by the brave and righteous protests happening all over North America and the world by diverse groups of people who are fed up with the systemic inequities and everyday micro-aggressions that target people of colour. With the pandemic further revealing the stark social inequities, we hope we are approaching a tipping point for recognizing and no longer tolerating the anti-Black racism that has persisted for hundreds of years.
Since working with our generous colleagues at the NS Association of Black Social Workers for the past 3 years, we continue to be humbled and enraged by the extreme challenges African Nova Scotian women and families face as they grapple with gendered violence and its aftermath. It has deepened our commitment to listening, to learning, to mining our beliefs, values and privilege, to speaking out against anti-Black racism in our systems and communities, and to be allies with those already engaged in this work.
As we walk alongside our African Nova Scotian sisters and brothers for freedom, equity and justice, the Board and staff of Be the Peace Institute unequivocally assert that #BlackLivesMatter.
