The last words of George Floyd, “I can’t breathe,” resonate with the cries of the oppressed around the world, both in the past and the present day. 

The world is filled with sadness as we reflect upon the dysfunctional legal system and aggressive policing tactics that led to the death George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. The sadness and anger of many protesters that have greeted the death of Mr. Floyd is warranted. 

We of the Ghanaian-Canadian community in Ontario, and for that matter in Canada, stand with the family of George Floyd and the protesters in seeking justice. We also plead for calm and peace as we seek justice. 

The long history of racial injustice in the US and many other parts of the world including our own Canada scares us daily. Our youth and children live in fear of it because the death of George Floyd was anything but an isolated incident. This cancer to humanity is detrimental to unity and peaceful development of society anywhere. 

We, therefore, call on authorities from the local to national levels to work assiduously to enact laws and policies to fight the rise of racial injustice in communities around the world. Our youth and children have fallen victims to racial profiling and discrimination in our streets, schools, and workplaces. 

The GCAO stands with our youth and all progressive people who protest for their rights and peacefully demand justice in this turbulent time.

There is no longer any room for inaction!!

GCAO Leadership Team