The Toronto & York Region Labour Council and its affiliates are still in shock and outrage over the most recent hate-motivated attack in London, Ontario this past Sunday, June 6th. We grieve deeply with the Muslim community over the loss of these four lives, leaving behind a nine-year old boy fighting for his life. We know that the trajectory of this boy’s life will be forever changed because of the hatred and bigotry of the driver who plowed down his family members.
And yet beyond the visceral emotional response of outrage and sadness, this Labour Council and its affiliates must take a moment to pause and reflect on what we, as a labour movement, can do to stop Islamophobia, anti-Black racism and other forms of racism and hate. Instead of blaming a few “bad apples” or “Americans” for the problem of racism, we must be willing to be deeply reflective about how we allow systemic or institutional racism to perpetuate, and what more we can do to stop it.
Since January 29, 2017, when a gunman opened fire inside a Quebec City mosque, killing six worshippers and injuring 19 more, anti-Muslim sentiment, rhetoric and violence has been on the rise. While we acknowledge that racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia have no place in our society, we must redouble our efforts to educate our members on anti-racism and converse with them about the principles of equity, solidarity, democracy and social justice that our labour movement holds dear. We will continue to do this, alongside our respected community partners.
Newly-elected Labour Council President Andria Babbington, who has made history as the first Black woman to be elected into this office, has vowed to work on challenging affiliates to eradicate racism and to have 220 000 conversations with members about the importance of equity and inclusion. “I feel for the Muslim families right now who are shocked and grieving over this. As a mother, I also can’t imagine what life’s going to be like for the surviving nine-year-old child. The only part I see for myself and the labour movement is to continue working to prevent such tragic events, so they never happen again. So I’m asking all of our affiliates to adopt the Charter of Inclusive Workplaces and Communities as part of this work.”
For more information about the Charter of Inclusive Workplaces and Communities, click here.
