REGINA -- A third rally held this week in Regina supporting Black Lives Matter again brought hundreds of people to the Legislative Building on Sunday as protests continue around the world.
It follows a march on Friday and another rally on Tuesday, both drawing crowds of their own.
The movement was sparked when George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25 and has grown to include many other examples of people who have died at the hands of police as well as calls for action against institutional racism in the United States and elsewhere, including Canada.
“If we just had one, I feel like people would come and be like ‘okay, it’s one and done’, but they saw three different ones,” said Dianna Onyango, an organizer of the rally with Black in Sask. “Seeing everyone out here today was amazing.”
Throughout the protest, dozens of speakers took the stage to share their stories and experiences with the massive crowd.
“It’s just that deeper understanding,” said Urewuchi Njoku, who spoke at the rally. “Yes, all lives matter. But this is an issue right now.”
“I just really hope that everybody here had an open heart and came with open minds and really reflected on everything that was said today,” Onyango said.
Although Sunday’s rally was the final one organized in Regina for the time being, the BLM movement will continue in the province according to organizers.
Black in Sask is an organization launched in response to the global reaction following Floyd’s death, and is the organization that planned Sunday’s rally.
It’s a platform open to anyone and those involved say they plan to actively share their message on social media.
“We wanted that to kind of be a platform where Black people can build and come together and talk about their experiences,” said Judy Wani, another organizer with Black in Sask. “It’s such a beautiful thing to see, to see us all come together for a very reasonable cause.”
The group also has an objective to gather as many signatures as possible for a petition calling for more Black history and anti-racism curriculums to be taught in Saskatchewan schools.
