Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association chair Jerisha Grant-Hall said it is a challenge to describe anti-Black racism.
Speaking to a crowd gathered at Peace Park on Cane Parkway this morning to mark the start of Black History Month, she recalled coming to a nearby park one afternoon years ago with her family, and seeing other families suddenly leave.
“Whenever I try to explain anti-Black racism, I feel like it's always difficult for people to really understand. It’s a visceral feeling that attacks mostly the body … You get anxiety. You get panic attacks. It’s a very visceral and physical feeling.
“It’s the racial trauma.”
The town and community gathered to raise the Pan-African flag Feb. 1. It is the first event in a month-long celebration of Black history in Newmarket.
Grant-Hall said the event represents progress, but there is still more work to do. For instance, she spoke about the need for police culture to improve.
“We want them to see our humanity. There needs to be healing,” she said. “We need to become more comfortable with each other. We will remain in the hamster wheel, going around in circles, as long as we remain uncomfortable with each other.”
This year’s local Black History Month theme is the resilience of family. Newmarket Mayor John Taylor spoke about how the oppression of racialized groups has targeted families, but families endured.
He said this is a moment “where you’re feeling a certain degree of, frankly, shame. Shame at the history of our country, the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and that that we haven’t really done even as much as we should today.”
But he added that he can stand today with a certain degree of pride.
“We’re together. We’re making progress,” he said. “Really strong relationships and bonds and understanding and learning that’s taking palace, that’s starting to move us forward in the way we should be.”
NACCA Black History Month chair Pauline Jones spoke about localized Black history.
She recounted the history of early Black settlers in Newmarket, such as Henri Hisson, who established a charcoal-making enterprise.
“The significance of these facts should not be lost on any of us as we reclaim the history,” she said.
Taylor expressed appreciation for NACCA pulling the community forward in addressing anti-Black racism.
Grant-Hall said people of African heritage have still been able to excel in the face of significant inequity and oppression.
“Our gathering here today is one example of us standing together in determination and purpose to build better communities for all of us,” she said.
The full schedule of local Black History Month events is available on NACCA's website.
