Call for Action - Get Involved!

On March 30, 2016, we sent out a letter to all the city councillors, urging them to vote in favour of the motion to ensure that police services and investigation are fair and transparent. The co-signatories, among others, include the African Canadian Legal Clinic, Metro Toronto Chinese & South East Asian Legal Clinic, The South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, Hispanic Development Council, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Workers Action Centre, Colour of Poverty Campaign – Colour of Change, and Accessibility, Community & Equity Committee (ACE) at York University. As discussed with some of the organizers who signed the letter, a signature is, truly, the very least we could offer as allies to Black people. We wrote and signed the letter because we know that racism, particularly anti-Black racism and racism against Indigenous Peoples, continues to exist in Canada. Unfortunately, conversations about racism do not happen enough in every community who experiences it.

Premier Kathleen Wynne finally showed up on April 4, 2016 after 15 days since Black Lives Matter Toronto Coalition (BLMTO) made their demands of justice. 15 days is a long time for anyone to be sleeping in the freezing cold while experiencing police brutality and surveillance. We are thankful for BLMTO’s resilience, leadership and capacity, and for carrying out this challenging and history-making anti-racist work that benefits every Canadian and beyond. Premier Wynne agreed to publicly meet with members of Black Lives Matter Toronto Coalition; but she has not given a time line.

From here, we ask how we may continue to support Black Lives Matter Toronto Coalition to ensure that our government is accountable to its peoples. We ask how we, as advocacy organizations, may continue to recognize and remember that anti-Black racism is at the core of social justice work. We ask how we could address anti-Black racism in our own community. Can we begin by discussing about our own experience of racism as racialized people? Or acknowledging anti-Black racism in the Chinese communities and unlearning that? All of these questions will guide the direction of our future work at the Advocacy Committee, and this work can only be productive through ongoing conversations with our members, partners, allies, and communities.

We therefore invite you to get involved. If you want to share with us your experience of racism, drop us an email (info@ccnctoronto.ca). If you are interested in discussing, helping with organizing around anti-racism, or participating, let us know. If you want to learn more about what we do at the Advocacy Committee, get in touch and I look forward to meeting you. We welcome members of the Chinese communities from all walks of life to join us, because we believe that it is all of our responsibility to fight for a more just society. As part of this work, I encourage you to send your feedback on police, police services and community safety to the Government of Ontario before April 29, 2016.

CCNCTO will continue to stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter Toronto Coalition and support the demands that they’ve made so far.

In solidarity,

Alvis Choi

Chairperson and Head of Advocacy Committee

请行动起来， 加入我们吧！

2016年3月30号，我们向全体市议员发出了一封敦促他们为确保警察局服务和调查公正和透明的议案投赞成票的信函，签署这封信函的机构有很多如：African Canadian Legal Clinic, Metro Toronto Chinese & South East Asian Legal Clinic, The South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, Hispanic Development Council, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Workers Action Centre, Colour of Poverty Campaign – Colour of Change, and Accessibility, Community & Equity Committee (ACE) at York University。正如和一些签署信函的机构所讨论的，签名真的是我们能支持黑人社区的很小很小的支持，我们写信并集体签署这封信是因为我们知道种族主义尤其是对抗反黑人的种族主义和 原住民的种族主义在加拿大仍然存在，很不幸的是，关于种族主义的讨论和会话却在每个受影响的社区中进行得远远不够多。

省长凯斯琳·韦恩（Kathleen Wynne）在黑人的命也是命联盟（BLMTO) 发出对公义的要求后的第15日即四月六日前天终于出现。15天里， 天天都只能在刺骨的寒冬里还经受警方残酷对待和监控中入睡，对所有人来说 这15天是何等的漫长. 我们感谢 黑人的命也是命联盟（BLMTO)在如此严峻的反对种族主义工作中，有历史意义的紧要关头所展现的应变和领袖能力，黑人的命也是命联盟（BLMTO)的努力让每一个加拿大人以及后来者都受益。韦恩省长同意与黑人的命也是命联盟（BLMTO)公开会面，但是她没有给出会面时间。  

基此，我们问自己：我们将如何继续声援黑人的命也是命联盟（BLMTO)以确保政府能为民众负责？作为倡权机构，我们将如何牢记对抗反黑人的种族主义是社会公义工作的核心？我们将如何在我们自己的社区开展对抗反黑人的种族主义？华裔社区可以作为一群被种族化的人开始讨论我们自己被种族歧视的经历吗？ 或者认识和辨别在华裔社区的反黑人的种族主义的存在？上面这些问题都将指引我们倡权委员会今后的工作， 这些工作只有在和我们的会员，合作伙伴，支持者和社区成员一起持续不断地进行才能有结果。

因此，我们将邀请您的加入。  如果您想要和我们分享你被种族歧视的经历，请给我们发邮件（邮件地址： info@ccnctoronto.ca)。 如果您有兴趣参与讨论或协助组织或参加反对种族歧视的活动， 请告诉我们。 如果您想要知道更多平权会多伦多分会倡权委员会在做的事情， 请跟我们联络。 我们呼吁各行各业的华裔社区百姓加入我们的行动。我们坚信， 天下公义， 匹夫有责。 作为维护社会公义工作的一部分，我鼓励大家把对警察，警局服务和社区安全的建议在2016年4月29号前发送到安省政府， 链接为： 您的建议。 .

平权会多伦多分会（CCNCTO）将继续声援黑人的命也是命联盟（BLMTO)，支持他们至今为止提出的所有要求。  

                                                                                                                                 此致

敬礼！

                                                                                     蔡海盈

                      平权会多伦多分会董事会和倡权委员会主席