by Sylene Argent
Members of the Ontario Provincial Police, including Commissioner Thomas Carrique, joined Dr. Bryan and Anna Walls and other supporters of Lakeshore’s John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum last Thursday morning to not only tour the historic facility that preserves the local history of the underground railroad, but also celebrated their partnership of “Hope and Solidarity against Hate.”
This event was co-hosted by the OPP Office of Professionalism, Respect, Inclusion & Leadership (OPRIL), the West Region Inclusion Council, and Dr. Bryan Walls and the John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum.
Dr. Walls, President of the Board of Directors of “Proverbs Heritage Organization” and the Senior Conductor of The John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum, said he and his wife, Anna, thank Commissioner Carrique and the capable leaders of the OPP with whom they have had the opportunity to partner with for the past nearly three-years to promote hope and solidarity against hate.
He also recognized the local dignitaries in attendance at last week’s event, noting they were all kindred spirits for good.
Having the leadership from the OPP at the John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum was an historic moment, Dr. Walls said. “We don’t take this lightly. We are taking many pictures today so 100-years from now, they will be able to say, ‘wow.’”
Education is the key, in addition to hope and solidarity, to push back against hate today, Dr. Walls said.
Inspector Wendy Burrow for West Region OPP said she believes it is really important when talking about where the OPP has been, to also talk about where it is going to, and how important that is for the organization.
Hope was what everyone at the event wanted to talk about, she said, and how, “We need to continue to have hope for our future, and how we need to continue to work together to be able to bring all of us together in solidarity against some of the hate we have been seeing in our communities and our world that is perpetrating some of the violence that we have seen, whether it is violence in thought or in exclusion of people from different areas.”
When looking at how they can work together, Burrow said the event was just one step.
“This is not the last time we are going to come here, and we are going to continue to support this community, we are going to continue to work together to be able to move forward,” she said.
Chief Superintendent Dwight Thib spoke of how they were surrounded by history at the Wall Museum. Some good and some bad. There are 18 local cemeteries where black settlers lay to rest. Many of their descendants still live in the area and remain vital and vibrant within the community.
Deputy Commissioner Kari Dart noted that for the OPP, achieving respectful, equitable, and inclusive workplaces is a key focus.
“We have embarked on a journey of evolution, and it will take time. It is our ongoing commitment,” she said. “We have been intensifying our efforts to build a more inclusive, equitable, respectful organization with a focus on courageous leadership at all levels.”
It was explained during the event that Commissioner Carrique created OPRIL to authentically engage, listen to, and have dialogue with the community in 2020. It ensures that OPP values and principles of respect, inclusion, and leadership are embedded in how officers interact with each other. Earlier this year, the Culture and Strategy command was created with a mandate to embrace and evolve the organization’s culture.
“Through our equity and inclusion initiatives, our people are working to enhance an inclusive and equitable workplace and build an open and honest, collaborative relationships with our communities,” Dart noted, adding the OPP is building anti-racism competency and capacity through the OPP-Specific Anti-Racism Action Plan.
“There is much more work to be done,” Dart said, noting she is confident all the strategies implemented will help lead to a brighter future.
Commissioner Carrique spoke of the importance of faith, and how he hopes the OPP organization continues to grow as a family, creating connections that feel like family.
Tolerance, he added, is not what the OPP should strive for. There needs to be intolerance for hatred and racism.
“You have my personal commitment that we will apply what we have learned not only to our leadership and to the service of our members, but to our service to our communities,” Carrique said.
In thanking those who made the event possible, Carrique noted, “Days like this do not happen without dedicated, courageous leadership that is prepared to take an organization in a direction it has never been.”
He recognized there were many in the audience who have been a part of trying change, “and times where you saw no future that included you. And I thank you for your dedicated commitment to the oath that you took and your unwavering commitment to your colleagues to bring us to this point in time; a more inclusive, a more equitable organization that truly does exemplify the value of interacting with respect, with compassion, and fairness.”
That cannot be achieved without courageous leaders at every rank that are founded in integrity and honesty.
“I hope each of you walk away from today feeling more pride in being a member in our great organization,” Carrique said.
Those in attendance then posed for a photo to mark the historic moment. That photo will be displayed at the OPP Museum.