Foothills residents gathered for another Black Lives Matter protest Saturday, June 13.

This was the second such event held in Okotoks and was bigger in scope than the first, which saw a group of young adults gathered near the post office displaying signs in support of the movement.

This most recent rally was spread across three locations, and saw about 40 people of all ages come out.

Liam Young, a recent Foothills Composite High School graduate was there.

He says he was pleasantly surprised at the amount of support shown by passer's by.

"I came out with a fairly positive reaction. I wasn't expecting as many people to be hyping us up, giving us thumbs up, honking their horns for us, I was expecting a lot more negative reactions."

Despite the mainly positive response, the event wasn't without its detractors.

Young says some displayed obscene hand gestures and yelled profanity, with one person throwing an egg at protesters.

He says none of it was enough to take away from the positivity.

"If there had been more or they had been closer together, it probably would have been a bit disheartening. As it was, it was rare and it was spread apart, so it kind of felt like those people were the minority and were just very vocal about it."

Another anti-racism event is being organized by a different group of locals, scheduled for Saturday, June 20.

One of the upcoming event's organizers, who asked not to be identified, said she was pleasantly surprised at Saturday's turnout, saying there was good diversity in the age range of attendees.

She says this Saturday's event will emphasize open dialogue regarding racism in Okotoks.

She recalled her experiences with casual racism in high school, and her experience with a more ethnically diverse population after moving to Lethbridge for University.

"We start joking around, we start saying racial jokes and slurs and we think it's okay, but we don't know that what we're saying is shaping our attitudes and beliefs unconsciously. Growing up in an environment with mainly white people, I was never exposed to the idea of race. It wasn't until I moved into a different city that I really acknowledged my complacency and my ignorance about my attitudes and things I would say that were very harmful."

She says several individuals have been invited to speak about their individual experiences with racism in Okotoks, and residents will be able to openly contribute to the dialogue.

"The speeches we have planned are people who have lived experiences growing up indigenous or black or of colour and had experienced being targeted in the town, whether it was through either overt or covert racist remarks. So those people are planned for the speeches, but when we do the discussion, it would be more open to other people's ideas in town who feel comfortable sharing."

Organizers have spoken with bylaw, RCMP, and the Town regarding the event ahead of time, and plan on emphasizing physical distancing.

Other plans for the event include land acknowledgements, emphasis on Okotoks' historical ties with First Nations culture, as well as a moment of silence over the course eight minutes and fourty six seconds dedicated to George Floyd.

To view the event page, click here.

 

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