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align="center"><u><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Honouring Black Leadership: The Equity Committee
at the
Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University Thanks
Black Lives Matter
Toronto</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">The Equity
Committee at the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York
University expresses
gratitude to BLMTO for their leadership in revitalizing social
movements across
the city. On 3 July 2016, their successful action at Pride
Toronto won
increased spaces and resources for queer and trans Black,
Indigenous and people
of colour, including Black Queer Youth, Blockorama/Blackness
Yes!, as well as
increased ASL interpreting. It also won the promise to remove
armed and uniformed
police from the parade in order to make Pride events safer for
all LGBTQ2S
people, including those from communities that are frequently
profiled and
criminalized.</span></p>
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style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">We are
disappointed by Pride director Mathieu Chantelois’ apparent
back-pedalling on
these promises, and the ensuing harmful backlash against BLM
activists in the
press, social media and among Toronto city councillors, who are
currently
attempting to legislate Toronto Police Service’s participation
in the Toronto
Pride parade. This active withdrawal of solidarity from the
Black Lives Matter
movement comes at a time when Black communities are mourning
massive loss of
Black lives and are fearful for their safety. In the week after
Pride alone,
there have been at least seven killings at the hands of police
and civilians.
We urge politicians, police and opinion makers to respect the
autonomy of
sexual and social justice movements, which are not up for state
control and
legislation. We urge Pride Toronto to respect their honoured
guests, remember their
commitments, show public accountability to their members and
communities, and
honour the histories that have brought us Pride. </span></p>
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style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">These
histories, like those of so many social movements, are shaped by
Black
leadership. As the Equity Committee at the Faculty of
Environmental Studies, we
owe our existence and success to the work of many generations of
Black students
and colleagues at York, who have fearlessly drawn attention to
racial profiling
and anti-Black racism on campus, the failures in recruiting and
retaining
Black, Indigenous and people of colour students, the
inaccessibility of many of
our programmes and facilities, the underrepresentation of Black
and Indigenous
faculty at York and at FES, and the problematic role of the
University in the
Jane and Finch neighbourhood. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Like Pride
Toronto, the Equity Committee is indebted to our Black leaders,
who have
undertaken countless actions for equity under the most
life-negating
circumstances, often without receiving much support or
reciprocity from
non-Black people and communities, who are the beneficiaries of
affirmative
action and other gains. We affirm here and now that this
leadership keeps all
of us vigilant to the haunting presence and ugly consequences of
injustice and
inspires us to do the hard work that is needed to overcome it.
We therefore
support the courage and strength of students at York and
elsewhere, and all
those who work alongside them in BLM.</span></p>
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style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
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lang="EN-IN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Now BLM are
modelling to us what an accessible, accountable and
transformative community
that equitably distributes resources and power along
intersectional lines looks
like. In March and April 2016, this took the shape of the hugely
successful
two-week Tent City Occupation, which drew Torontonians’
attention to the police
killings of Andrew Loku and Jermaine Carby, the erasure of Black
spaces in the
city, and the ongoing practice of racial profiling. In addition
to being an
effective site of intervention, Tent City was a queer-positive
site of
education, healing and community building, which showcased the
best of racial,
sexual, economic and healing justice. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">We endorse
all of BLMTO’s demands. We remind everyone that all of us
benefit from their
commitment to make our world just and safe for all. We also call
attention to
their demands for sexual and social justice spaces that affirm
Black people’s
lives and safety, and which are free of armed and uniformed
police. We appeal
to Pride Toronto and others in the city to acknowledge these
lessons from
BLMTO, and to treat this crucial movement with the respect that
it deserves.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Black Lives
Matter, Blockorama/Blackness Yes! and BQY’s Demands of Pride:</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Continued
space, including stage and tents, funding and logistical support
for Black
Queer Youth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Self-determination
for all community spaces at Pride, allowing community groups
full control over
hiring, content and structure of their stages.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Full
and adequate funding for community stages, including logistical,
technical and
personnel support.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Doubling
of funding for Blockorama to $13,000.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Reinstatement
of the South Asian stage.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Prioritizing
of the hiring of Black transwomen, Indigenous people and others
from vulnerable
communities at Pride Toronto.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">More
Black deaf and hearing sign language interpreters for the
festival.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">Removal
of police floats in the Pride marches and parades.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt
0.75in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:Symbol"
lang="EN-IN"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span
style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span
style="font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-IN">A
town hall organized in conjunction with groups from marginalized
communities,
including but not limited to Black Lives Matter – Toronto,
Blackness Yes and
Black Queer Youth, in six months, where Pride Toronto will
present an update
and action plan on BLM-TO’s demands.</span></p>
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