A third Saskatoon Black Lives Matter rally was held on Saturday, and once again residents showed their support with at least a thousand people attending (according to Saskatoon Police).

Kiwanis Park was the meeting place Saturday Afternoon as organisers gathered would be protesters, gave speeches and sang the Black National Anthem from the Vimy Memorial. Soon it was time for the march to start, as the large crowd of people made their way down Spadina Crescent East.

Wole, a participant in the march, and Nigerian international student who just finished his undergraduate degree, says it is time to take a stand and fight social injustice in our society. He adds it is so amazing to see such a big turnout, to fight for equality and for social reform. Wole has been in Canada for 5 years and says he has noticed that the country does have it better than many other places and feels lucky to be here, but he knows we can make things better. Wole explains that he can’t just speak from his own experiences as he has brother’s and sisters around the world that are going through injustices and says we have to fight for that. Wole suggests that although Saskatoon is a small place, and the world doesn’t always pay too much attention to the city, maybe now they will.

The first stop was in front of the Saskatoon Police Station, where speakers addressed the crowd once more. The crowd also took a moment to take a knee, in memory of George Floyd.

Next, the crowd moved to city hall where chants of “Black Lives Matter” and “Justice, Now” echoed through the courtyard. After more speakers were heard from including calls for change and requests for BLM allies to step up, the rally made it’s way back to Kiwanis Park, where the rally ended at around 3 p.m.

Saskatoon Police were asked to not attend the event, however officers did help to direct traffic and closed off lanes so the rally could continue unimpeded.