A Pickering city councillor is facing backlash from community members and her council colleagues after penning an op-ed saying she does not support the concept of Black History Month, which led to public outcry and some demanding an apology.
In the op-ed, which was published online Sunday in the Oshawa Durham Central Newspaper, Coun. Lisa Robinson denounced the idea of celebrating Black History Month, arguing that "the race to equality is not the celebration of one race over another.
“We are so hung up on North American history and the historical trafficking of primarily African people that we have lost sense of time and period,” she wrote.
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A Pickering city councillor is facing backlash from community members and her council colleagues after penning an op-ed saying she does not support the concept of Black History Month, which led to public outcry and some demanding an apology.
“We are so hung up on North American history and the historical trafficking of primarily African people that we have lost sense of time and period,” she wrote.
Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe addressed the op-ed during an executive committee meeting on Monday, where he said the sentiments expressed by Robinson in the piece "run counter to the values we at council have collectively championed.
“It is disheartening to witness such displays of insensitivity towards Black History Month, a time when we should be celebrating the rich contributions of Afro-Canadians to our great nation,” he said.
In May 2023, Robinson encouraged a crowd at a Durham District School Board meeting to lobby politicians and to attend an upcoming Pickering city council meeting en masse in support of her motions to ban drag shows and pride parades anywhere children could be present, to limit non-government flag raising and to change city policy to mandate people use gender-specific washrooms.
Pickering city council voted to suspend her pay for a period of 60 days as a result — something Robinson told CBC Toronto Monday that she intends to seek a judicial review for, as it was based on “unfounded allegations and distortions of the truth.”
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