So long as there is police, and a legal system, it will always be important for Black people to know their rights, says Black Lives Matter Guelph.
The organization will be hosting an inaugural event dedicated to discussing legal rights for the Black community. The event will be live on Facebook at 6p.m.
Know Your Rights 101 with BLAC will feature legal workers from the Black Legal Action Centre, a not-for-profit community legal clinic, where they will talk about identifying black racism, what to do when encountering police and even provide legal resources.
“It's gonna be really interesting. Very informative and educational,” said Omorowa Eguakun, spokesperson for Black Lives Matter Guelph.
“Unfortunately, the system is kind of set up for it to be difficult to navigate and it's especially difficult for marginalized communities. We fully believe that we have a right to know what is wrong and to hold people accountable for that.”
Eguakun said the need for an event was discussed in the past when members of the Black community had interactions with the police and they didn’t know what to do next.
"There's also people who encounter legal issues so we thought it would be a good idea to kind of just have an educational session for people who are interested," said Eguakun.
She also added there are not a lot of Black-centred legal resources in Guelph.” I think it'll be a great opportunity for people to get help that they need from a source that kind of prioritizes that,” said Eguakun.
She said while the event is Black-centred, anyone can join.
“I think it would be really good for general public folks to attend and also have that as a resource to help someone in need when they need it,” said Eguakun.
Those interested in joining can RSVP on Black Lives Matter - Guelph’s Facebook page where they will receive a Zoom link.
