Black Lives Matter vigils and protest demonstrations were held in Canmore on June 5, and in Banff on June 6, both were attended by hundreds of people from each community.
Last week all across Canada protests against the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black citizens were held, community organizers at the events reminded people that fighting anti-Black racism requires far more than attending one protest and posting on social media.
Both Mayors from Banff and Canmore were in attendance at each vigil.
People in attendance were asked to raise all ten fingers and lower each one by one if they related to the descriptions of racial abuse described by a speaker.
Canmore demonstration organizer Carrie Anne Suwal said a total of 500-600 people attended the Canmore vigil, with 500 at the beginning, and another 100 joined the march to Centennial Park.
“My intention with this event was to give people a call to action. Posting the black screen on their social media was a minor step. Marching, listening, and protesting injustice is another small step. I was surprised at the turn out of people, but also not surprised. Canmore is a conscious community full of compassionate people. It does feel like a success in that people are taking steps towards change,” said Suwal.
“We need to ask ourselves questions. Like, “why are there no people of color on our town council?” (quoting Adam Lindenburger from the protest). “If a person who is BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) arrives on my doorstep, do I react differently than it being a person of non-color?”
“Change needs to happen. And communication, education and community involvement is essential for that change to happen. It can no longer be only the oppressed (black, indigenous, and people of color) trying to create change. That has been ongoing for centuries, and we still have oppression present, we still have racism. It is time for everyone to get involved. Including, people of non-color, people who experience privilege everyday, even if they are struggling in their life. If you are a person of non-color, and you are struggling with Covid-19, poverty, with work, with stress, you are still a person of privilege. Because you are afforded the same benevolence as all people of non-color,” she said.
“The event had people of all races present, and this was a success. Because people of privilege (non-color) can become aware of their privilege by learning how people of non-privilege (color) are experiencing greater difficulties and injustices.”
Both demonstrations were decorated with signs that stated clear messages “end white silence here in the Bow Valley” “I can’t breathe” and “enough is enough” before marches proceeded down main street from Riverside Park to Centennial Park, and down Banff Avenue.
“We need to educate ourselves. For non-colored people, privilege is not easily seen. It is something that is silent and unnoticed. Through educating ourselves and watching documentaries like 13th and When They See Us. Reading books like White Fragility: Why it’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. Through reading and learning about privilege and racism we can understand that it does exist, even if it is not something we personally believe in. It is a system in place. And to dismantle the system, we need to be able to recognize it,” said Suwal, who spent four days planning the event in advance.