Gryphon Football Supports Black Legal Action Centre
The scene was something Tavius Robinson will always remember. Robinson was born and raised in Guelph and the second-year Gryphon Football player was encouraged by the passionate support he saw in his hometown on a hot June 6 afternoon. He was among a group of Gryphon teammates and coaches who made their way to City Hall to take part in the Black Lives Matter protest.
Thousands turned out for the event that included emotional speeches by activists and thoughtful spoken-word performances from local artists, which all brought the massive crowd together through raw and honest depictions of the Black experience. It culminated with a march that was a direct response to the state of the world right now following the appalling murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
For Robinson, the event had a significant impact.
“I strongly believe there is a lot of racism in the world, including Canada,” he says. “But seeing that many people out in a small city like Guelph, that was powerful.”
On the field, Robinson is a man of action from his defensive end position. And the young U of G player is adamant that mere words aren’t enough when it comes to tackling racism – action is required. His Gryphon Football family feels the same way. So the program took a step this past week by making a $5,000 donation to the Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC), a non-profit community legal clinic that provides support for low- to no- income Black residents of Ontario.
BLAC, the only service of its kind in Canada, was established in June of 2018 and opened its doors to the public in March of 2019. The organization is still in its infancy when it comes to fundraising and the gift from Gryphon Football was a welcome surprise.
“Not only is it a very generous donation but it’s actually a quite large donation for BLAC,” says Lesa Francis, the organization’s Administrative Assistant/Intake Coordinator, who admits she was a little shocked when she got the news. “I was humbled.
“It was a blessing that they thought of us this way.”
The donation marked the first ever to BLAC by an athletic program. Gryphon Football has a long tradition of offering personal and financial assistance to the community. The program has developed strong relationships with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, He For She, and the Guelph Food Bank, spearheaded fundraisers for breast cancer research, and organized an annual Me To We trip to Ecuador where players build schools in areas of need. In April, the program made a substantial donation to the Guelph General Hospital’s COVID-19 Critical Response Fund.
The young men in the program are encouraged to take an active role in the community and embrace the University’s motto “Improve Life.” Amidst the global protests the past few weeks, Gryphon Football staff firmly believed it was important to contribute again.
“We wanted to focus on something that was helpful to the entire Black community,” says Sarah Garrett, Manager of Football Advancement. “We felt that this organization was all-encompassing.”
BLAC is a hybrid organization mandated to combat anti-Black racism. The Toronto-based staff of seven do that through legal representation but another critical component of the work is engaging in test-case litigation, law reform, community development activities, and anything associated with improving laws that affect Black Ontarians impacted by racism and poverty. The donation funding is specifically used to do the systemic work, advocacy, and work that falls outside the legal services when it comes to BLAC’s client base.
“One hundred per cent of it goes directly to the Black community,” says Francis.
“It’s great to see the football program supporting the cause by making a donation,” adds Robinson. “A lot of people may post about the issue but taking action is more important, so it’s amazing to see that.”
The gift to BLAC is a great example of the commitment Gryphon Strength and Conditioning Coach Adam Kania consistently sees from the players and the program since joining the staff last year. He knows that what they do as citizens is as important as what they do in training and on the field.
“Gryphon Football has been a class act,” says Coach Kania, who was blown away watching the June 6 Black Lives Matter protest on a stream from home with his wife and infant. “I have seen our players, coaches, alumni, and Advancement team reach out and participate in the community.
“In this instance, our players affected have been vocal on ‘action speaking louder than words.’ We know this donation will go far to aid the organization in pushing for immediate change.”
The need for BLAC is immense. Francis says she takes calls from across the country asking about similar organizations in other provinces. But there are none.
“The political and social climate right now is really underscoring the need for the Black Legal Action Centre,” Francis says. “There has to be a system in place that helps people navigate these types of tenuous situations. It’s systemic. It goes far beyond the current-day moments and depictions. It goes back to hundreds of years of oppression and suppression of Black people around the world. It’s evidenced now more visually to the global community.”
The horrors of what happened to people like the late George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, an EMT who was murdered in her own Louisville home, and countless others have created unimaginable pain. Francis does feel there has been a notable change in recent weeks, in part due to the timing of the pandemic.
“The entire world is forced to stop and look at what is happening, and really see what is going on, not just hear about it and dismiss it,” says Francis. “They are seeing the tip of an iceberg. The waters are slowly moving away to reveal what’s below.
“George Floyd didn’t want to lose his life but the fact that it happened during this time, has created a tipping point. People are so fed up and tired and hurt and sickened. It can’t just be the Black community who’s disgusted by it. It’s a time for us to galvanize. To build together to heal together, to do the things that should have been done hundreds of years ago.”
There is a long way to go. Systemic racism, Francis says, has been built over a long period of time so it’s unreasonable to think it will be brought down overnight.
“The legacies are still in the mind so dismantling the structure doesn’t necessarily eliminate the attitudes and behaviours,” she says. “But this situation is giving us a chance to unpack that and find ways that we can.
“I’m hoping that when my children’s children are my age, they can say, ‘Back in 2020, that was the turning point.’”
For more information about BLAC, please visit https://www.blacklegalactioncentre.ca/
Written By: David DiCenzo