“I believe we can all do better.”
Judith Burfoot told council the responses to the first survey undertaken by the All Welcome Here Rural BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) Association provided some shocking but not surprising results.
Councillors in Prince Edward County heard and saw the results on Tuesday night as part of their regular council meeting and Burfoot said the survey was to help create a snapshot of what the BIPOC community is experiencing.
Three out of four stated they have experienced racism in Prince Edward County and over two-thirds of respondents said the racism is worse than their previous home and it was experienced socially, online, at school and at work.
“I hope these numbers are shocking to you and inspire us to make changes in our community,” she said.
A slide from the All Welcome Here Rural BIPOC presentation to Prince Edward County council on February 22, 2022 detailing where BIPOC residents have experienced racism.
There were 56 completed surveys and 121 partial responses, representing almost 10% of BIPOC residents according to Burfoot.
Councillor Mike Harper asked if there was any explanation as to why the racism is worse in PEC than where the respondents had previously lived.
Burfoot didn’t have an exact answer but chalked it up to those of the BIPOC community being fewer in the County and that can feel isolating, leaving many unable to respond and speak out against racism.
She said the numbers do not tell all of the story equally, but the numbers help set a benchmark to help everyone do better.
Council was approached in March of last year to create municipal policy, provide more education, develop a complaint mechanism and to diversify council.
The deputation presentation with the survey results can be found here.
