Summerland district council is pushing ahead in its campaign against racism

Summerland Mayor Toni Boot and her council have issued a joint statement saying they’re going to turn the negative impacts of racist events in their community into something positive.

“On the evening of July 13th, an act of vandalism and hate occurred at the home of one of our Summerland residents,” the statement says. “Council are united in leading the community conversations against racism and hate. We will work with the community alongside our partner organizations to build a better, more welcoming, and stronger Summerland."

READ MORE: Racist vandalism in Okanagan town is the tip of the iceberg: Summerland Mayor

At its June 20 council meeting two motions were passed unanimously. One was to say council stands with the Lekhi family who were targeted by racist graffiti painted on their home.

The other directed staff to work with the Library Board, Philosophers Café and others to start a community conversation on racism.

“These will be difficult conversations,” the release states. “We must acknowledge our differences. We must listen. We must learn. We must move forward together. We must continue to build a strong community—one that is healthy, inclusive, and welcoming to all. One that we can all be proud to call home.”

No details on when or how these conversations will be held were included in the statement.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submitphotos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.