Elghawaby: Ottawa is working to address racism – and must do more
On International Human Rights Day, let's acknowledge what has been accomplished in this city so to make it more inclusive. Then let's tackle what we still must do.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly has promised to work on police attitudes toward racialized people.
Today is International Human Rights Day, an opportunity to acknowledge what has been accomplished so far towards making our communities more inclusive. It’s also a chance to look ahead.
At the top of Ottawa’s list of achievements is the recent commitment by City Hall to create an anti-racism secretariat. Proposed by Rideau-Rockliffe Coun. Rawlson King, Ottawa’s first black municipal representative, the secretariat would focus on addressing the lack of diversity in our municipal workforce. Currently, visible minorities represent only 9.5 per cent of middle and senior managers at the City of Ottawa, despite making up 20 per cent of the population.
The new office would also examine how various communities are able to access city services and examine potential barriers.
Among the initiatives it could explore is a youth fellowship program that provides recent graduates from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds an opportunity to work at city hall. In Toronto, the Muslim Youth Fellowship has helped dozens of young leaders develop valuable skills and pursue civic careers.
At the top of Ottawa’s list of achievements is the recent commitment by City Hall to create an anti-racism secretariat, proposed by Rideau-Rockliffe Coun. Rawlson King.
Then there’s the pledge made a few weeks ago by Ottawa’s first black police chief, Peter Sloly. He promised to do more to make sure his officers aren’t discriminating against residents. Like all of us, he’s seen the dismal numbers: recent analysis shows that Middle Eastern and black drivers were more likely to be stopped by police than other drivers in this city. “We want to get to zero instances of racism and discrimination in policing, in any aspect of public life,” said the Jamaican-born Sloly.
There are also concerns around how the force addresses hate crimes in this city, particularly when it emerged that Ottawa’s hate crimes unit had been quietly disbanded, even as incidents continued to climb. Community advocates are still waiting for the details on how the force plans to tackle hate and whether plans will include anti-bias training for all personnel and annual reporting on what’s going on in our neighbourhoods.
Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be lost on anyone that some of the most impactful steps to address racism in our city were prompted or led by people of colour. This is why representation is important.
Those who do not face racism themselves must make space for racialized leaders and community members to lead the way towards collective action.
Coun. Rawlson King has moved to set up an anti-racism secretariat at City Hall.
As Robin diAngelo, the author of White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism, wrote earlier this year, “We can attempt to understand the racial realities of people of colour through authentic interaction rather than through the media or through unequal relationships. We can insist that racism be discussed in our workplaces and a professed commitment to racial equity be demonstrated by actual outcomes. This takes courage, and niceness without strategic and intentional anti-racist action is not courageous.”
It is the kind of courage that led the University of Ottawa to hold a forum on anti-Black racism this past November to hear from students. This was part of the university’s response to two cases in which black students were singled out for identification by campus security officers between June and September.
“The trauma coming back to school on my first day of classes for my special topics course and being locked out of the classroom — and seeing none other than the guard that put me in handcuffsand made me sit there for hours be the one to come unlock the door — was more than horrible,” Jamal Koulmiye-Boyce told the forum. An investigation determined that Koulmiye-Boyce’s treatment amounted to racial discrimination.
With more and more people rightfully demanding change, the political will to respond is growing.
Led by the United Way, a group of community organizations, municipal leaders and representatives from key city institutions have now formed United For All. It’s a coalition that aims to strategize ways to make our communities safer for everyone. It was launched last month, and time will tell if it will make meaningful change in the lives of Ottawa residents.
Those of us committed to this work are hopeful.
Amira Elghawaby is a human rights advocate and a member of the United for All campaign. See her TedxOttawa Talk here. Twitter: @AmiraElghawab
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