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Orangeville mom organizes BLM walk to fight back against racism

June 12, 2020   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Orangeville resident Patti Thomas has seen what racism looks like in our community. With a black husband and three mixed-race children, she has, on multiple occasions, been forced to watch on as the people she loves most deal with the torment of being discriminated based on the colour of their skin. 

The global Black Lives Matter campaign has, perhaps, never been bigger, nor more prominent than it is today. Following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer last month, the organization has ramped up its efforts to eliminate systemic racism, not only in North America, but across the globe. 

Ms. Thomas, however, has been consistently fighting her own battle against racism right here in Orangeville. The local mother has organized a peaceful walk, taking place this Sunday (June 14), to raise awareness about the Black Lives Matter movement and what it stands for. 

“I do get very emotional about Black Lives Matter, because my children have gone through systemic racism. I myself have experienced systemic racism, just by having an interracial relationship. My children’s father has had to deal with racism, as well as many family members and friends,” Ms. Thomas said.

“I’ve seen people post, and heard people say (after George Floyd’s death), that they’re thankful that this sort of thing doesn’t happen in Canada, but it does. It happens everywhere in the world. It happens in our little town,” she added. “I think there’s too many people turning a blind eye to this, but it’s about time we fight for everybody, because at the end of the day we’re all human.”

She is taking the sudden influx of interest in the Black Lives Matter cause to educate the community, and press home the point this isn’t a U.S.-only problem. 

When asked why she wanted to organize a walk in Orangeville, Ms. Thomas says the event was actually inspired by her children. 

“My children are bi-racial – they have both white ancestry, and black ancestry. They have been watching the news, watching everything that’s going on and this has touched them deeply. To the point that they wanted to do something. They wanted to make some signs, and go on a walk as a family,” Ms. Thomas said.  

After Patti made a spur-of-the-moment decision to promote her plans for a “little walk” in Orangeville on a local community page on Facebook, she was blown away by the response she received.

Within an hour, there were close to 100 residents showing their support, with many asking to join the walk. In the end, Ms. Thomas decided to launch more of a community event, which will kick off at 10 a.m. on Sunday at Alexandra Park. 

The event has been supported by Orangeville Council, who approved the closure of several downtown streets on Sunday morning to accommodate the hundreds of people expected to participate. The walk will begin at Alexandra Park, and will then travel up Broadway to First Street, cross the road, travel back down Broadway to Wellington St, before circling back around to First Avenue and up to Alexandra Park. Following the walk, Ms. Thomas says there will be speeches and music played for people to enjoy. 

Ms. Thomas’ 19-year-old daughter, Seanna, has taken on a leading role, alongside her mother, in organizing the walk. 

“I’m doing this for my dad, but I am more so doing this for my sisters. I look out for them,” Seanna said. “I have dealt with racism my whole life – even today. I want them to grow up being able to have the same opportunities and same treatment as everyone else. I am worried if we don’t fix this now, it might be another 30 years until we can have equality for all races.”

Younger sister Makenna Thomas, 13, has similar reasons for taking part. 

“I’m doing this to prove to everyone that humans should be colour blind. We all bleed the same colour, so no one should judge us for what’s on the outside. They should care about who we are as a person,” Makenna said. 

The youngest Thomas, three-year-old Emma, has also been involved – helping to write, and colour in signs. 

“I’m very proud of my kids. I’ve taught them to advocate for themselves. I think this is a great way to show they’re doing that, and advocating for their black heritage,” Ms. Thomas said. “I’m excited for the event. I want this to be a peaceful walk. I want everyone to feel safe and respected within our community. I want to show people that, there are people who are racist in our community. If we can put this in front of them, bring it to the forefront and shine a light on it, hopefully it can help to open people’s eyes.”

She added, “Even if this changes one person’s perspective, I know I’ve done my job.”

The Citizen asked Ms. Thomas what she feels can be done to bring an end to systemic racism in our society. Her answer is to educate people about the reality of racism at a young age. 

“I feel this needs to start within our school system. We need to educate our children. Nobody is born a racism – you are taught racism within your home,” Patti said. “If we teach children about different cultures, religions and sexualities within the school system, they will have a better understanding that people can be different, but we’re all equally the same.”

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