Newmarket proposes an action plan against anti-black racism

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The town of Newmarket wants to take action to end anti-black racism and the town council now has a plan ready to do just that.

The plan to dismantle anti-black racism comes after years of working on the issue and seeks to provide concrete steps for the community to address the issue. The Board received the plan drafted by the consultant EMPOWER Strategy Group to address 117 recommendations made by a working group. The Board asked staff to develop a two-year implementation plan and present it to them in six weeks.

Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association president Jerisha Grant-Hall said the work will require courageous leadership and collaboration.

“We need an action plan, but more importantly, we need people invested in targeting systemic racist policies, decisions and programs so we can engender a more inclusive community,” Grant-Hall said. .

The action plan contains recommendations and key performance indicators to guide each city department towards improving inclusiveness. He advises supporting black-owned businesses, setting goals for staff to reflect local diversity and creating a community advisory body to hold the city accountable, among other actions. The timelines for the actions range from 2023 to 2027.

Creating the action plan included consultation with each personnel department, EMPOWER CEO Evelyn Myrie told the board.

“We wanted to bring their voices to this action plan to ensure that we are all aligned on the work we are about to undertake,” she said.

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said there was an incredible amount of learning. He thanked NACCA for helping the city take these steps.

“I know we’re just getting started, but it’s already been an interesting and rewarding experience,” Taylor said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but I really feel a certain pride in where we are.”

Grant-Hall spoke about the history of NACCA and the need to address the hundreds of years of oppression.

“We need to do more to systematically address and reduce the 400+ years of oppression and the corresponding mental health impact of chronic and systemic anti-Black racism,” she said.

One point she raised was about the city’s street naming process, and in research, NACCA found no streets named after members of the black community on the approximately 665 streets. She said urgent improvements to street naming policy are needed to recognize members of the black community and other underrepresented groups.

Taylor said the city will need more than words to fight anti-black racism.

“It’s not words that will create results, and it’s not words we’ll be judged on, it’s actions,” he said. “Action is key at this point.”

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