Chair of Windsor's diversity committee says he feels ignored by the city

The chair of Windsor's diversity committee, Peter Ijeh, said not being included in discussions the city has had around race is in itself a form of systemic racism. 

On June 19, Windsor's Mayor Drew Dilkens and police Chief Pam Mizuno held a discussion about anti-Black racism. But, the city's own diversity committee wasn't made aware of the discussion or invited to join in, Ijeh said. 

"To completely ignore [the committee] and ignore the very office that they set up, that they pay somebody to work from, I think is interesting," Ijeh said.

"I think it goes into the whole notion of systemic racism that we talk about...this is one of the ways. You create a smoke screen organization, in my opinion, and you intentionally neglect it when you want to do something in the area for which it was created." 

Since Black Lives Matter protests and conversations around defunding the police began in Windsor last month following the death of George Floyd, Ijeh said he hasn't heard from the mayor. 

The city's chief of staff Andrew Teliszewsky said in an emailed statement, "the City of Windsor is proud to be among the most diverse communities in the country, but recognize that we all have much more work to do as an organization." 

It continued to say that Dilkens' advocacy is what launched the city's diversity and inclusion initiative several years ago. 

This initiative, Teliszewsky said, will take on "meaningful activity" in the second phase of its approach in the near future. 

Teliszewsky added that the city is compiling results from its recent Black Lives Matter engagement survey, which received nearly 200 responses with personal stories and comments about "the need to address systemic barriers within our city." 

"What has become very clear throughout these important discussions is that a single committee or conversation will not break down the barriers that remain within our society's institutions and Mayor Dilkens will continue to devote himself to this issue," the rest of the statement reads. 

But Ijeh said the committee can at least help the city start to break down barriers by helping it maintain relationships and figure out the needs of various communities. 

"[It] can be very effective within the City of Windsor in terms of being a liaison between the communities and the city," he said, adding that the members of the committee come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, which allows them to reach out to specific groups. 

Ijeh also commented on how the region is referred to as 'sanctuary city' as it takes in a number of immigrants and refugees, but he questioned whether the city could be a place of refuge for others if the city's own people don't feel welcomed. 

Despite his feelings, Ijeh said the committee hopes to work with the city and be more involved in the discussions taking place. 

"[We] intend to continue to pursue the need for us to work together," he said. 

"As far as the committee is concerned, we still want to be able to work together with the city, we still want to be able to see how we can best uplift those racialized people in the Windsor area."