#BringOurPeopleHome: Equal Chance is proud to lead the coalition of international Black organization
The situation in Ukraine is alarming. No human should ever have to fear for their lives. War should never be an option!
Amid this horror, many Black people face racism in Ukraine, at the borders trying to escape. Many members of the Black community are denied access to trains, buses and even just the possibility of crossing the border. We see Black mothers and babies, children, youth, international students, men pushed and denied safety.
Many reports show that while Neighboring countries welcome Ukrainian refugees, Africans have been turned back.
Equal Chance has rallied organizations across Canada, France, the United Kingdom and South Africa to help #BringOurPeople Home. These organizations are: - The Mandela Legacy Foundation: https://www.mandelalegacy.foundation/
- The African Canadian Association and African Canadian Association of Ottawa: https://acaottawa.com/
- Equal Chance : https://www.equalchance.ca/
- The Ottawa Black Diaspora Coalition : https://obdc.ca/ - LobbyNoir: https://lobbynoir.com/
- Afro Culture: https://afroculture.co.uk/
- The Hera Mission: https://www.heramission.org/
- NoirUnited International : https://www.noirunited.org/ - Prezdential: http://prezdential.com
- Mrs Elizabeth Murimwa, Official representative of Parents of Children trapped in SUMY DU State :UKRAINE-
The African Refugees Association
Our coalition is growing every day and we will update the list as we go.
Our teams have joined forces with community members in Ukraine including Vukile Dlamini, a young Black woman heavily affected by this situation (https://time.com/6151294/ukraine-evacuation-stranded-kyiv/) as well as Mr. Alexander Somtoh Orah, an international student who was the first person to document and share the various acts of racism that he and others are facing (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/open-door-die-africans-report-racism-hostility-trying-flee-ukraine-rcna17953.
Yesterday 14 students were able to board a plane in Romania and finally head home to be reunited with their families. Although the journey to heal from this trauma is very long, we are happy that they are able to go home. Today, 9 more students will join them.
Although this is a victory, thousands of Black students, families, women, men and gender diverse people remain trapped at the borders and in Sumy.
We are currently speaking and working with members of various diplomatic corps and reaching the African Union to demand their intervention to #BringOurPeopleHome and our students blocked in Sumy.
Elizabeth Murimwa, representing the parents of students blocked in Sumy has joined our coalition. She will be traveling and joining our teams at the borders. She has written an open letter to the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations which will be shared here as well.
We will continue to provide essential resources to members of the community at the borders and community members who have crossed the borders.
We will continue to advocate for members of the community to be allowed to cross the borders.
Our team on the ground in Romania and Poland travel each day to the borders to help members of our community cross. Our volunteers are also providing essential resources to members of the community such as food, blankets, warm clothes, diapers, baby clothes and items, phone cards.
You can support through the following link: https://gofund.me/c5f5e5ef
Next week, our former President accompanied by two of our Project Coordinators and representatives of the organizations of our coalition will head to Poland and Romania to pursue this important work. If you'd like to receive updates, please send an email to operations@equalchance.ca
Thank you for your support!