In 2014, anti-Black racism was seen as an American-only issue thanks to the deliberate message portraying Canada as the antithesis to the United States, which ignores the slavery, violence, segregation and displacement in Canadian history. Black Lives Matter (BLM) activism in Canada has now begun to promote broadcasting anti-Black racism in Canadian media. BLM has also encouraged justice-oriented organizations in Toronto to learn about anti-Black racism in their industries. BLM originated after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimerman in 2012 and is a modern-day abolitionist movement. When Canadian Jermaine Carby was killed by a police officer in Ontario in 2014, BLM ignited in Toronto. BLM Toronto aims to resist violent colonization and degradation of Black people and Blackness. It forms Black cross-border unity in the demand for justice and liberation for all Black lives using an intersectional framework. Countless instances of BLM activism show its strength, resilience and determination.
Hudson, Sandra and Yusra Khogali. “Chapter 48: We Will Win: Black Lives Matter - Toronto.” In Race and Racialization: Essential Readings. Edited by Tania Das Gupta, Carl E. James, Chris Andersen, Grace-Edward Galabuzi, and Roger Maaka, 695-713.Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc, 2007