Protests to continue in Sioux Lookout in support of people of colour

Tim Brody - Editor

Inspired by the Corridor of Love initiative which took place in Sioux Lookout on June 4, Sioux Lookout resident Jessica Crawford and Kieran Davis, a Lac Seul band member, have asked community members to continue to show their support for people of colour, who experience racism and discrimination.
“We were happy to see how many people in Sioux Lookout came out and supported the Black Lives Matter Movement, but with this protest we also saw people starting to show their true colours and their negative feelings about the movement. We want to change this, we want to raise awareness that racism exists, including here in Sioux Lookout and many, many people of colour still face it today. For being a small town Sioux Lookout is very diverse with different cultures and races, and we want to do more for our minority groups, we want their voices to be heard,” Crawford shared, adding, “We want to encourage everyone to continue coming out to the protests every Friday (now from 6pm-8pm) from downtown Sioux (Lookout) to the Travel Centre. Bring chairs, bring signs and bring friends to continue raising awareness.”
Community members were spotted at the Travel Information Centre, on parts of Wellington Street, as well as on Front Street taking part in peaceful protest action last Friday evening.
A Black Lives Matter - Sioux Lookout page has been created, “to again raise awareness to the issue that people of colour to this day are not being treated fairly in our society, and have not been seen as equals.”
“For those who say they don’t know where to start, all I can say is start by educating yourself, you can do this by listening to those of colour. Start amplifying black voices, support black artists, support black owned businesses (we have one in Sioux Lookout), donate to good causes, sign petitions and like and share informative posts when you see them,” Crawford said.
She is asking people to speak up when they hear racism, “Speak up on injustices you see and hear of, speak up for those whose voices were taken from them. Most importantly, keep continuing to educate yourself and others on this topic, I can’t stress this enough. Change starts with you, it has to start in the home, only then can it spread to the community, and eventually the world. The Black Lives Matter Movement is not a political debate, this is about human lives being taken, it is humanitarian. We are fighting for basic human rights for all people of colour.”