Black History Month is the perfect time to learn about The International Decade for People of African Descent

BY DAVE RANKIN

The International Decade for People of African Descent Canada held their second of four virtual forums centered around: recognition, justice, and development this past Monday, February 8^th, 2021. The event I attended was the justice part of the series.

For those of us who may not be familiar with the International Decade, here is a brief introduction. In December of 2014, the United Nations General Assembly enunciated in its Resolution 68/237 the International Decade for People of African Descent between the years of 2015-2024. Its agency is to recognize and promote the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent through the aforementioned themes: recognition, justice, and development. Automatically, the theme of justice brought me straight to baba Neely Fuller’s work. To this day his quote “Replace racism with justice” is still as powerful as the day it was first etched into the United Independent Compensatory Code. A textbook for thought, speech, and action for victims of racism published in 1984.

In the spirit of promotion, the Canadian government officially recognized the Decade on January 30^th, 2018 through a series of initiatives that also included the 25 million over five years under the 2019 budget. A special mention goes out to the Federation of Black Canadians and their involvement of the process.

The Justice week event was highlighted with testimonies from our people who have suffered at the hands of this illicit ill liberation. Freddy King’s account stood out for me. Often times when we look at the promotion of human rights, overlooked are the brothers and sisters who have been incarcerated. The importance of this population even had the famed author Chancellor Williams carve out a small section in the chapter titled Organizing a Race for Action. Brother Freddy mentioned that even while inside the system sets you up for failure. The lack of educational opportunities he encountered while inside is a stark reminder that you have little chance of reformation, which sets one up to repeat the very same behavior that would have one incarcerated in the first place. This definitely defeats the purpose of justice. He continued on to say that the lack of opportunities – once he was released – was another issue in itself.

The audience also heard from Ms. Angela Thomas who spoke on the loss of her son due to unnecessary violence. It was her strength and courage to speak on the injustices of the system that really resonated with us all. For Ms. Angela to stand with the International Decade for People of African Descent Canada outlining the shortcomings of the federal government was a testament in itself.

I wanted to send a special thank you to the whole team at the International Decade for People of African Descent Canada for organizing this series. Only through recognition, can we begin to “Replace racism with justice,” and develop the actionable items necessary for our advancement as a people.  Anything “Said or done by people that is not intended to help eliminate racism and produce justice, is a waste of time and energy.”

The next two events are scheduled for February 15^th, 2021 where the organization will be highlighting the theme of development and February 22^nd, 2021 where a celebration of the Decade is set to take place. For more information and to register for the events please visit idpadcanada.com.