PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Doreen Simpson
Email: contact@rememberthe400.com
Tele: 647.313.6956
Website: www.rememberthe400.com
TORONTO, Ontario (June 13, 2020) – #rememberthe400, an organization dedicated to creating a positive impact of healing the racial divide, will host a peaceful rally at Christie Pits Park on Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 1 pm. This rally is to present a solution to the social inequalities which continue to suppress black people!
The issues of police brutality in America has traumatized black Americans for years. Just recently the world witnessed another black person dying at the hands of the police. As George Floyd lay dying, the words, “I can’t breathe,” tore at the cords of onlookers while the man also cried out for a mother that had long passed away. To the world this was a haunting reminder of the constant injustices experienced by black people; as horrific as this is, it remains all too familiar. The murder of George Floyd and many others like him such as Deandre Campbell-Kelly, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Ahmed Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, and countless others were so heinous, that we can no longer sing We Shall Overcome. Black bodies are not expendable and what happened to these individuals should not happen again so we are going to rally!
HOW SHALL WE OVERCOME?
#rememberthe400 firmly believes the first stage in overcoming the racial inequalities that permeate among people of color is self- awareness. Since self-awareness is the first stage to self-recovery, this must be the first crucial step in the healing process. “It would be hypocrisy for us to ask others to be accountable for their actions toward us while we neglect our responsibility among ourselves,” Andil Houlder, a spokesman for the organization stated. “The mistreatment of our people by our people or those outside of our communities is the result of a lack of awareness concerning self and we feel that we have the answer to change that,” Houlder concluded.
Imagine youths living in a country where the color of their skin could get them killed. Indeed, many blacks who have been the victims of fatal police brutality have been the youth, as young as seven-years old. “Everyone is singing We Shall Overcome, but no one is showing us how to overcome,” Jacob Malcolm, a twenty-seven-year-old Toronto native stated. Last August 2019, Jacob worked closely with the City of Hampton, Virginia, during the 400th year commemoration putting together I AM MORE which was a youth-led event acknowledging the 400th year anniversary. “I feel that it was the older generation telling us what we must do. Now, it’s up to the younger generation to show how we must do it.”
#rememberthe400 asserts that the youth have a huge stake in voicing their concerns; and therefore, are encouraged to attend the rally. Indeed, there are undeniable racial disparities between black and white youth in healthcare, education, employment, and the social justice system, to name a few.
About Us
#rememberthe400 seeks to implement and support initiatives that right the wrongs of this dark past and commence the healing process. #rememberthe400 is about bringing together individuals and organizations dedicated to creating a positive regional impact of healing the racial divide.