Prominent voice against police brutality in U.S. has strong N.S. ties

A former Nova Scotia pastor on the frontline of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States is urging Nova Scotians to keep fighting anti-Black racism because he doesn't want to see "a George Floyd on the streets of Halifax."

Rev. Darryl Gray is one of the leaders of Expect Us, an anti-racism activist group in St. Louis, Mo., that's marching in the wake of police shootings of Black people, most recently Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back seven times, in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday.

"Don't think that just because you're thousands of miles away that you're insulated because Halifax, you're not. Deal with it now," Gray said in an interview with CBC Nova Scotia News at Six on Thursday.

Gray has a rallying call for Nova Scotians, in particular young people in the Halifax area: "Continue to fight the good fight, but do it non violently. Violence has no place in this movement."

In late June, Gray found himself in a potentially dangerous situation when a BLM march he was leading passed the home of a white couple who pointed guns at them. The couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, have been charged with a weapons offence.

Gray maintained calm and steered the 300 protesters away from the couple. The McCloskeys were included in the lineup of speakers at the Republican National Convention this week.

In the early 1990s, Gray preached at St. Thomas Baptist church in North Preston, and also led civil rights marches in Halifax. He still follows the news in Canada, has three daughters in Montreal and one in North Preston.

Gray said "fear among white males that things are changing" in the U.S. and Canada is what's causing the pushback against BLM.

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.