Vaughan named the August holiday after a slaveowner who ‘represents the worst of humanity.’ But that may not be the city’s only problem with race

Thestar.com
June 15, 2020
Noor Javed

Vaughan is being forced to confront its past, grappling with the legacy of the man who gave the city its name -- a slave owner who actively fought against the abolition of slavery.

The city’s heritage committee passed a motion last week asking council to reconsider its celebration of Benjamin Vaughan Day, which is what the city renamed the August Civic Holiday in 2013.

While the motion stopped short of asking the city to change its name, activists say it should compel city to address the broader issues of anti-Black racism in its midst.

Committee member Giovanni Senisi brought the motion forward for Tuesday’s meeting because he thought it was not right that the city and residents were celebrating someone who “represents the worst of humanity.”

“I want this motion to give council the opportunity to correct a past mistake,” said Senisi, a teacher. “The proclamation that renamed our Civic Holiday Benjamin Vaughan Day was in 2013, recent enough to reflect our current values … and I don’t believe our values are represented by having a special day where we celebrate the man who, in 1792, stood up in the British Parliament and argued that freeing slaves in Jamaica would bring about the end of civilization.

“He not only owned hundreds of slaves on his plantations in the West Indies, but he used his political influence to vigorously fight against efforts to end slavery.”

According the city website, when Lt.-Gov. John Graves Simcoe arrived in 1792 to govern Upper Canada, he named Vaughan Township in honour of British diplomat Benjamin Vaughan’s contributions to foreign affairs.

Vaughan is just one of many cities confronting their historical legacies of anti-Black racism and colonialism amid the Black Lives Matter movement that has taken hold of much of North America.

In Toronto, the city is facing calls to change the name of Dundas Street, named after Henry Dundas, an 18th-century politician who delayed Britain’s abolition of slavery by 15 years.

And across Europe and the U.S., statues of colonialists and Confederate leaders have been pulled down, as people look to remove the symbols that put colonizers and slave owners on pedestals.

For Vaughan, Tuesday’s motion comes amid allegations of systemic discrimination against the Black community. The city is currently facing a human rights complaint from the Vaughan African Canada Association (VACA), which alleges the community faces “anti-Black racism and discrimination from city staff, and councillors.” The complaint is ongoing.

The mayor, a councillor and two city staff are also facing a $25-million lawsuit for cancelling a Caribbean cultural festival in 2019 as it was underway. The lawsuit, which is ongoing, asks courts to impose “mandatory cultural competence and anti-racism training for all city of Vaughan employees, servants, agents and representatives.”

Shernett Martin, with Vaughan African Canadian Association, said the city should create a mayor's task force on equity and hire a diversity director.

Shernett Martin, the executive director of VACA, said she’s not surprised Vaughan has a Benjamin Vaughan Day given its strained relationship with the Black community.

“I find it difficult to believe that no one at city hall researched who Benjamin Vaughan was before they passed this motion. It’s even more troubling if they knew what they were doing and did it anyways,”said Martin.

“When you have no diversity in council and a bunch of councillors who have zero experience working with the Black community in a constructive manner, you get this sort of ignorance.”

But Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said he has long spoken out against anti-Black racism.

“It is incumbent upon each of us to stand up and take meaningful action against this type of injustice and inequality -- parents and the children they raise, educators and the students they teach, voters and the representatives they elect. We must be accountable for our actions and inactions, which also serve to perpetuate the issue,” he wrote in a statement.

On Tuesday, Bevilacqua said he plans to introduce a resolution to rename Benjamin Vaughan Day to John Graves Simcoe Day in honour of the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada who was an abolitionist. He also wants the city to mark Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day.

But Martin said little has changed at the city since the human rights complaint was filed in 2018. In a letter she will be sending to council this week, she is asking the city to commit to change.

“VACA has made deputations to the city of Vaughan as early as 2004 asking for changes, asking for better hiring practices, asking for more diversity in staffing, asking for the right to celebrate our Caribbean and African culture, asking for funding to have a space for our community,” said Martin.

“We have met with the mayor’s office and every member of council. We have heard racist remarks from members of council, past and present. We have endured city staff telling us ‘I don’t like working with people like you,’” she added.

“Yet, there is no recourse and nothing is done. Our emails and concerns are ignored and go unanswered. We live in a city where we are marginalized and our race determines our outcomes. Enough is enough.”

Martin said beyond changing Benjamin Vaughan Day, the city should create a mayor’s task force on equity, hire a director of diversity and inclusion, and create a city-wide equity policy with the participation of cultural groups.

In an interview, Bevilacqua said he is committed to hiring a chief diversity officer. He acknowledges that while the city has a diversity and citizen engagement task force, it has not focused on anti-Black racism.

“Could we do more? Absolutely,” he said. “We certainly have to listen to the concerns being raised by the Black community, as to how they feel they are being treated. You have to listen to people who are feeling disenfranchised, and are not feeling included -- because that’s an issue.”