Floyd's legacy: Activist sees positive, enduring changes for Black people in N.B.
Activists mark the anniversary of the murder of Minneapolis Black man George Floyd, say more change coming
On this day last year, a Black man begged for his life as a white police officer restrained him with a knee on his neck.
George Floyd of Minneapolis died. A video was posted online, and an international outcry erupted.
Two weeks later more than 4,000 people showed up at Saint John's Kings' Square, in the middle of a raging pandemic, to protest the murder of Floyd and systemic racism and racial discrimination in the United States, Canada and specifically in New Brunswick.
Activist and Saint John lawyer Neil Clements said he's seen many "bottle-rocket" issues fizzle out, but not this one. He said he's seen a lot of positive change since the death of Floyd, and he doesn't see the momentum easing up anytime soon.
"We're moving into a year now since the rally and things are not slowing down. They're actually speeding up," he said.
Since Floyd's death, the New Brunswick legislature recognized for the first time that systemic racism exists. The government announced it will be spending $85,000 to research how that racism manifests in the province.
Clements said it's still important for Canadians and New Brunswickers to understand systemic racism and what is at stake.
Watch: Why systemic racism is still invisible to some people
This is the first part of a three-part series titled Colour Bar, and focuses on the big issues relating to racism and racial discrimination in New Brunswick.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter last month for killing Floyd.
Clements has been giving speeches and talks about Black history and racial discrimination and he noticed people are less likely to expect his expertise for free. He said he's been getting compensated for his knowledge, and felt safer to speak out and run for city council.
"Do you understand the change in perspective that is?" Clements said. "Nobody ever offered me a dime and I never asked for it. But people are looking at it now and going, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm not going to appropriate your information without paying you for it."
He said if people wanted proof of how much things have changed, they just have to look at the list of candidates for Saint John city council. He said for the first time in history, four Black people felt safe and secure enough to run.
"We're not going to let the ball stop rolling this time," he said. "We've got back up and we've got allies and we've got people who are seeing the righteous thing that we're doing."
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
