By Ivan Byard, YCL-LJC member in Toronto
On July 25th, around 300 people gathered in front of Hamilton City Hall for the third March for Black Lives in two months. Participants marched down Main Street, turning past a massive BLACK LIVES MATTER banner hanging from the United Vision New Church, and onto James Street.
After a spirited chant-fuelled march, the organizers brought the crowd back to City Hall for a rally. There were powerful performances from local artists and rousing speeches from community leaders. Testimonies were heard from Black Hamiltonians describing acts of racism by institutions and individuals as well as accounts of police violence.
The 23-year-old founder of March for Black Lives gave a speech with important lessons for youth in Canada. After the murder of George Floyd, she, like so many other young people, wanted to go beyond simply sharing memes on social media. Despite working Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, she took on the time to be an organizer and the responsibility to be a leader. She said that these marches will continue every few weeks to demonstrate that the movement is more than an online trend, and that there is a growing organized fight against injustice.
Moving from a protest to an organization, March for Black Lives is now a registered non profit. As an organization, March for Black Lives seeks to reform and rebuild Black community through policy reform and educating the public.
Two days prior, local activists painted a massive message of “DEFUND THE POLICE” on Main Street across from City Hall, only to have city officials wash it away mere hours later.
A petition calling for the city to defund the Hamilton Police Service now has thousands of signatures. The petition includes demands for reforms such as funding for housing and stopping tax revenue from being used to purchase weapons.
At a June 22nd meeting, the local school board trustees voted to end the police liaison program in elementary and high schools after years of campaigning from students, parents, and residents.
More and more people are ready to hit the streets and in Hamilton it is young people who are the ones making the call to action. The ability to build unity and take action is not found anywhere on the internet; to really learn we have to go out and do the work. For those looking to log off and step into mass organizing, my unsolicited advice is try to be humble as well as patient and be prepared to make some sort of commitment.
Now is the time to organize!
Banner photo by Ivan Byard