Augustine Abinu (left) and Aretha Johnson (right) both gave speeches at Saturday's Black Lives Matter protest (Photos: Liam Verster)

By Emily Keller

black lives matter movement

Speeches given at Black Lives Matter protest highlight issues in the community and ways to address them

Jun 7, 2020 | 7:30 AM

A Black Lives Matter protest went in Grande Prairie on Saturday, June 6. The event was in protest to police brutality and systemic racism black people face.

Aretha Johnson, a Grande Prairie local who gave a speech at the protest, says that she first was hesitant to speak in public but was encouraged due to the welcoming attitudes she has found in the City.

Johnson has lived in Grande Prairie for about three years now, having previously grown up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She says that she has noticed that there is not as much vocalization in the city here compared to Winnipeg, or when she spent time in Toronto.

She says she has seen times when the Grande Prairie community has had a difficult time having these discussions.

“Witnessing people speaking about difficult situations that they’re going through, it is immediatly shut down, and, I do understand the conversations that I’ve heard about not wanting to support my type of victim mentality, but, supporting somebody when they’re down is, to me, just an act of kindness, it’s about being a good human being.”

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She says that she was proud to see the community come out and support the Black Lives Matter movement, and that she hopes this will spark a much needed conversation with individuals and the community.

Augustine Abinu, a retired engineering professor, also gave a speech at the protest. Abinu, who has lived in the city for about 20 years, gave his compiled research done in 2004 on the racism in Grande Prairie to the Mayor at the protest.

He says that he believes Grande Prairie has a great opportunity to address these issues.

“We are different people from different backgrounds, different countries, and different races, (we) can live together as one people, and we are missing that. So, my concern is they should understand that, that is the key thing, other than denying others and enjoying making others suffer, and, I wonder what kind enjoyment one would get from such, as a human being.”