A community discussion organized in the wake of the events in Charlottesville, Va. drew hundreds of people to the University of Winnipeg Wednesday night.
The event was called “Silence of Violence #WinnipegAgainstFascism,” and it was organized by Black Space Winnipeg, a local advocacy organization.
Black Space vice-president Adeline Bird told CTV News the evening began at 6 p.m. with a healing discussion open to the BIPOC community, which stands for Black, Indigenous, people of colour. At 7 p.m., White allies were invited to join in, “So that we can really try to figure out how to take steps to have our allies really understand our community, and how we feel about when certain things happen,” she said.
Bird said the event was held in response to recent events in Charlottesville, as well as hateful graffiti that has been spotted around Winnipeg.
“I think there’s a huge misconception that racism doesn’t happen in Canada, that this stuff only happens in the United States,” she said. “So, this dialogue, this discussion, is very important. It’s very key.”
Bird also said she has heard rumours of White nationalist groups forming in Winnipeg, and that it’s an important time for communities to come together.
“This is something our allies, White people, really need to take a hold of and really, this is not our, people of colour, this is not our fight,” she said. “We’ve been experiencing this for generations upon generations; it’s time for allies, non-people of colour, to really step up and say ‘No more. Enough is enough.’”
