Lives disrupted

At the launch event for the final report of The President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism and university apology for the role of racism in the 1969 student protest, two special guests spoke about the dire consequences for the lives of Black and Caribbean students who dared to stand up to the systemic racism experienced at Sir George Williams.

Rodney John attended Sir George Williams University between 1965 and 1969, and Lynne Murray was a BA student in 1969.

Murray was arrested by police on the morning of February 11, 1969, and John was one of the initial six complainants who stepped forward to report racist treatment from Anderson.

On October 28, 2022, Concordia released its final report of the President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism. The university also shared a historic apology for its mishandling of race-based student complaints and the subsequent outcomes of the 1969 Sir George Williams student protest.

In the winter of 1969, Leon Jacobs was a 27-year-old student pursuing his Bachelor of Arts at Sir George Williams in Montreal. He, along with many others, showed his solidarity with six Caribbean students who had made allegations of racism against a professor.

Leon attended several of the meetings and consultations held between students and university representatives, eventually joining other classmates after they organized a sit-in in protest of the university’s response to the allegations.