Arnprior Mayor Walter Stack,

On December 7th, an article by the CBC was released that included first hand testimony bravely offered by Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour from this region detailing experiences of racism they faced living in the Ottawa Valley, including here in Arnprior.

It is deeply disappointing in your response to that article where, on the one hand, you condemn the racist acts, and on the other deny that systemic racism exists in our town. This is despite these community members giving specific examples that systemic racism does, in fact, exist.

Racism is the marginalization and/or oppression of Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Colour, based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people. Systemic racism means that this racism is embedded as a normal practice within society. It can lead to such issues as discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, and education, among other issues.

Given the experiences these community members have shared, there is clearly deeply embedded system racism alive in institutions like our hospitals and workplaces, AND an atmosphere that allows covert, “everyday racism” to be perpetrated on members of our community.

As the Mayor of this town, you were elected to represent the interests of all residents, and that includes racialized community members who are speaking out about their experiences, and the many more who’ve experienced racism here too.

To that end, residents of the Town of Arnprior and surrounding community is calling on you to:

- Arrange to have an Anti-Racism training that specifically includes education about the experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in this county that is mandatory for you, the Town Council, and all public officials;

-Fund a series of public Anti-Racism trainings that are publicly accessible to residents of Arnprior; and finally,

-Issue a public apology to the all the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour whose lived experiences you've undermined in your statement to the CBC.

The signatories of this open letter want to see that you act in order to right this wrong, and will be encouraged to see you act with the kind of leadership this issue demands.

I’ll leave you with this: "In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist" - activist, scholar and author Angela Davis.

Signed,

- Residents of the Town of Arnprior and surrounding communities