'Ubuntu, I am human because I belong' by Deland Kamanga

This article was originally written and shared by Deland Kamanga in June 2020

A moment in time isn't defined by an hour, a week or a year or even a decade, instead the bookmarks of time in this case are placed by those experiencing events as they unfold. Against the backdrop of the death of George Floyd and the events in the US, I wanted to focus on people of African descent - currently redefined as the Black community - in this note to you. I also want to acknowledge that there are similarities in experience of discrimination for many other groups.

As some of you know, my Father was born in Apartheid South Africa, and with a last name like Kamanga, the normal discussion around my history is my Father's. However, my Mother is from Canada, specifically, Gibson Woods, Nova Scotia. They arrived in Nova Scotia in 1785, escaped slaves from a plantation in George Washington's home state of Virginia. We have an idea of which plantation and have family who live in Virginia to this day. As escaped slaves who made it to the British front lines during the American Revolution fighting only for an opportunity for a voice and the promise to determine their own fate that came from the promise of free papers and land. They received their free papers, but the promised land never materialized, so they purchased land In Nova Scotia in 1805, where some of the family still lives to this day. I tell you this story because for many people of African descent, our ancestors have been here in North America since the 1600s. We have helped build North America, we were artisans, masons, blacksmiths and highly skilled contributors to building both Canada and the United States. As a result, we have no other country and we know no other home. We hope then to participate equally and justly in this society and afford our children the same rights and opportunities as any other citizen.

The events involving Amy Cooper and George Floyd, highlighted for many of us the double standard that so many people of African descent live under in North American society. We are grateful to Steve Jobs for placing cameras in phones. The bias doesn't hurt that much after a while. You actually get used to it and it honestly becomes normal. You are numb to it. What scars is the combination of the bias and Institutional power. Whether that is from being denied a job, equal education or being unjustly treated by the Police. That is what alters your life and makes it very difficult to get an equal shot.

Many of you have an incredible insight into how your colleagues of African ancestry feel. I have heard from quite a few of you and deeply appreciate the phone calls, emails, Microsoft Teams meetings and texts. Some have been paragraphs long and some have been two sentences. They all mean so much and I can't thank you enough. My ask would be to please make sure you connect personally with your other Black BMO colleagues and friends. You will be amazed at how impactful it will be for people who have for the most part, suffered silently.

At our quarterly LCID meeting Thursday, Co-Chairs Ann Marie (Wright) and Cam (Fowler), dedicated the entire two hours to the subject of Racism. The outpouring of support from your colleagues in the broader Bank was inspiring. We left the meeting with a list of action items that will be discussed with the Black Professional Network ERG (BPN) as well as senior leadership to make some real change internally and externally. We also heard at LCID from members of other minority communities that have experienced terrible events in the very recent past which highlighted the need for us to all take stock in how we treat each other every day.

Pronounced as "uu-Boon-too", the word 'Ubuntu' originates from some Southern African languages. According to Ubuntu, there exists a common bond between us all and it is through this bond, through our interaction with our fellow human beings, that we discover our own human qualities. In many ways, Ubuntu is the essence of being human. It speaks of the fact that my humanity is caught up and is inseparably bound up in yours. I am human because I belong. It speaks about wholeness and it speaks about compassion. We can all do better in many ways and for many groups. It is said that people with Ubuntu know that they are diminished when others are humiliated, diminished when others are oppressed, diminished when others are treated as if they were less than who they are. Let us commit to practice Ubuntu. Please reach out to myself, Ann Marie and Cam with ideas you have for us to all do this better. I would like to thank Dan for his poignant message earlier this week. I would also like to thank Darryl for his wonderful statement and even more for his gesture on behalf of BMOFG to donate $1 Million to specific causes to assist in the battle against systemic racism.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please take the time to think about what you can do to make BMO a great place to work for all of us.

*Ubuntu concepts as written by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Yann Marcherez, and other writers