Naming the invisible walls

Systemic racism does not live in a single institution. Employment, housing, policing, culture, urban planning: each seems neutral, but their effects add up and reinforce one another.

In Montreal, it all started with citizens. On July 27, 2018, a group filed a petition with 22,000 signatures, more than 16,700 of which would be deemed valid, calling for a public consultation. The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) devoted nearly two years to it, from August 2018 to December 2019, and recorded more than 7,000 contributions. In its report, made public on June 15, 2020, it describes systemic racism as the meeting of behaviours shaped by prejudice and institutional practices that harm racialized people, whether intentionally or not.

Its central finding: the City did not recognize the systemic nature of racism and discrimination, which prevented it from questioning its own policies and practices. The OCPM made 38 recommendations, from municipal hiring to racial profiling, by way of culture, housing and democratic participation.

The same year, the City recognized the existence of systemic racism and discrimination. In 2023, it reported on 12 commitments, including anti-profiling training for police officers and a single window for complaints. Naming the wall is not enough to bring it down, but it is the first hammer blow. Ubuntu reminds us: a city grows every time it listens to those who kept running into its walls.