Speech at Demonstration In Support of Black Lives Matter as Chair of the City of St. Catharines Anti-Racism Advisory Committee

 I am Saleh Waziruddin, chair of the City of St. Catharines Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee territory under the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement.

The city government has a role in being part of the solution against racism, it's not just going to stand at the sidelines.

We are proud of our association with Harriet Tubman but we should remember that she was never afraid to be a pioneer in fighting against what was wrong around her. We in St. Catharines should never feel that we are too small or too immune from racism to be among the first to push for big solutions.

One of the steps in our anti-racism committee workplan is to advise the

City on employment equity, breaking down the barriers that keep racialized and other marginalized people out of the good jobs around us. The City adopting employment equity policies can lead the way for the private sector to follow.

We are also seeing how the City can fill in the gaps in federal and provincial anti-hate crime and anti-hate speech laws with bylaws at the municipal level. No level of government is too small to deal with racism.

We're also going to advise the city on how to setup a reporting mechanism for racist incidents so we can keep track of them and respond to them with a basic standard.

So we should keep on marching, and in between marching keep on demanding real changes that will make a difference in our lives!