‘Hate does not define Sudbury’: Residents rally to counter recent racist message

Sudbury event counters hate with love, uniting dozens in solidarity. Alisha Ravi, moved by white supremacist graffiti, created an Indigenous art mural.

About three dozen people gathered in front of the legal graffiti wall Tuesday night in Greater Sudbury to spread a message of love and unity.

The event was planned by the Sudbury Multicultural Association to counter a white supremacist group, Second Sons Canada. That group recently posed for a picture in front of the graffiti wall, which displayed words of hate and exclusion.

Alisha Ravi, a local educator, told CTV News she was shocked and hurt when she learned what the group had done.

“I wanted to get everyone together to say, ‘we don’t stand for that kind of language and that kind of hatred,’” Ravi said.

“Instead, we are standing up for marginalized communities and people in our community who are helping our community grow.”

“As an immigrant and as a person who chose Sudbury as my home, it was really painful to see those kinds of messages,” said Dr David Ewing-Bui, vice-president of the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association and president of the Vietnamese Association of Sudbury.

“The hate message does not define Sudbury.”

Diversity is a strength

Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe said the city’s growing diversity is something to be proud of.

“If anyone has any doubt about Sudbury’s diversity and how the people celebrate that diversity, I would tell them to go to Bell Park every weekend. Because every weekend there is a different festival,” Lapointe said.

“Those celebrations remind us of what our diversity brings to us as a community.”

“We needed to come together on a day like today and speak against this (hate),” police chief Sara Cunningham told the group at the event.

“We’ll be loud and we’ll be very, very clear that we will not tolerate this messaging here in Greater Sudbury … We come together from all walks of life, from all backgrounds, and we’ll stand against hatred.”

‘Our Home on Native Land’

After the speeches, participants were invited to draw a symbol or picture or write a message on fabric ‘stones,’ which will be added to a collaborative Indigenous art piece that was displayed during the event.

‘Our Home on Native Land’ was created by artist Quinn Van Esson as a reminder that “we are all treaty people and the land we share is not one we possess, but one we are part of,” Ravi told the crowd.

“As an educator, specifically for kids, I think it’s important for them to see that people will stand up for them,” she added.

“This is not an attack that can’t be fought by other people. They need to know that there are adults in their community that are willing to fight for what is best for them, and building a community that’s safe and that’s happy for them to grow up in, as well.”

Many speakers said Sudbury was built on diversity and is made up of residents from all different backgrounds.

“A rich tapestry of what Sudbury is all about,” Ewing-Bui said.

“This is a reminder of the strength in unity and reminds all of those affected in our community that they are not alone,” Ravi said.

Ravi added that the mural will be on display at upcoming events, including the multicultural event at Sudbury Arena on Canada Day.