Video excerpt, "Black Leaders Found Guilty"
Video
Image
Video
Audio
Activities
LOOK
According to the footage, students of European and African descent participated in the sit-in. Only the students of African descent remained in jail and were put on trial. Does this seem just? Why or why not?
THINK
Do you agree or disagree with Rosie Douglas’s decision not to apologize? Why or why not?
Is it better to stand for something or fall for nothing? Discuss.
Details
Date 2023
Materials - Film
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- Students occupied the Sir George Williams University computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in.
- Twenty-two students were arrested, with some being charged with vandalism.
- Support for the students arrested at Sir George Williams came from around the world, but Canadian support was limited.
- In March 1970, a Montréal judge found eight West Indian students guilty and fined them. Some were deported.
- Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison, while Brenda Dash was released.
- The Sir George Williams affair affected the students’ well-being and created hurdles and disadvantages for them as well as their families. The university was more concerned about the computers that were destroyed than the lives of the students.
- Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.
Sir George Williams University students occupied the computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in, bringing it to a sudden end. Twenty-two students were arrested, some charged with vandalism and destroying university property.
Articles about the sit-in and arrests made international news. Unfortunately, many of the articles focused on the effect and not the cause.
Students were blamed for the destruction and arrested. Students of European descent were released, while those of African descent remained in jail.
In support of the students, groups like the National Joint Action Committee took action to end the Canadian government’s economic imperialism in Trinidad.
The civil rights movement at Sir George Williams University fuelled a collective consciousness, with demonstrations taking place in Africa and throughout the diaspora.
In March 1970, a Montréal judge fined eight West Indian students a total of $33,500 and urged that they be deported for their role in the Sir George Williams affair.
All the students awaiting a verdict were of African descent.
Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison. Upon release, he refused to apologize for the sit-in and what happened.
Brenda Dash was released, while others were deported.
The students charged were treated like outcasts and experienced many hurdles in putting their lives back together. The outcome of the Sir George Williams affair had a psychological impact on the students involved.
The loss of computers became the focus of the court system rather than the dreams and goals of the young students standing up for civil rights and justice.
“Some people recovered, while others didn’t.”
— Philippe Fils-Aimé
Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.
Sir George Williams University students occupied the computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in, bringing it to a sudden end. Twenty-two students were arrested, with some being charged with vandalism and destroying university property.
Articles about the sit-in and the arrests appeared in all the major newspapers in Canada. These articles focused on the effect rather than the cause of the protest, leading the broader population in Montréal and Canada to place total blame on the students.
The students of African descent remained in custody, while those of European descent were released.
The Caribbean students faced deportation and dismissal from the university if found guilty. These young, gifted students were immigrants who had come to Canada for a better life and did not expect the racism they encountered.
The civil rights movement at Sir George Williams University fuelled a collective consciousness, with demonstrations taking place throughout the diaspora in places like St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Dar es Salaam, and Trinidad. Pan-African groups like the National Joint Action Committee took action to end economic imperialism by the Canadian government.
In March 1970, a Montréal judge fined eight West Indian students a total of $33,500 and urged that they be deported for their role in the Sir George Williams affair. All the students awaiting a verdict were of African descent.
Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison. He used his time in prison to educate others about injustices within the prison system.
Brenda Dash was released under personal recognizance. But her life was not the same, as she was constantly harassed by police.
After the court hearing and sentencing, life became very difficult for the students charged. They lost opportunities and saw their dreams of employment shattered. Standing up for civil rights during this incident created disadvantages for the activists and for their families.
The outcome of the Sir George Williams affair left a psychological impact on those involved. More concern was placed on the damage done in the computer centre than on the lives that were being ruined.
“Some students came out of it, while others didn’t.”
— Philippe Fils-Aimé
Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.
- Students occupied the Sir George Williams University computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in.
- Twenty-two students were arrested, with some being charged with vandalism.
- Support for the students arrested at Sir George Williams came from around the world, but Canadian support was limited.
- In March 1970, a Montréal judge found eight West Indian students guilty and fined them. Some were deported.
- Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison, while Brenda Dash was released.
- The Sir George Williams affair affected the students’ well-being and created hurdles and disadvantages for them as well as their families. The university was more concerned about the computers that were destroyed than the lives of the students.
- Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.
Sir George Williams University students occupied the computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in, bringing it to a sudden end. Twenty-two students were arrested, some charged with vandalism and destroying university property.
Articles about the sit-in and arrests made international news. Unfortunately, many of the articles focused on the effect and not the cause.
Students were blamed for the destruction and arrested. Students of European descent were released, while those of African descent remained in jail.
In support of the students, groups like the National Joint Action Committee took action to end the Canadian government’s economic imperialism in Trinidad.
The civil rights movement at Sir George Williams University fuelled a collective consciousness, with demonstrations taking place in Africa and throughout the diaspora.
In March 1970, a Montréal judge fined eight West Indian students a total of $33,500 and urged that they be deported for their role in the Sir George Williams affair.
All the students awaiting a verdict were of African descent.
Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison. Upon release, he refused to apologize for the sit-in and what happened.
Brenda Dash was released, while others were deported.
The students charged were treated like outcasts and experienced many hurdles in putting their lives back together. The outcome of the Sir George Williams affair had a psychological impact on the students involved.
The loss of computers became the focus of the court system rather than the dreams and goals of the young students standing up for civil rights and justice.
“Some people recovered, while others didn’t.”
— Philippe Fils-Aimé
Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.
Sir George Williams University students occupied the computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in, bringing it to a sudden end. Twenty-two students were arrested, with some being charged with vandalism and destroying university property.
Articles about the sit-in and the arrests appeared in all the major newspapers in Canada. These articles focused on the effect rather than the cause of the protest, leading the broader population in Montréal and Canada to place total blame on the students.
The students of African descent remained in custody, while those of European descent were released.
The Caribbean students faced deportation and dismissal from the university if found guilty. These young, gifted students were immigrants who had come to Canada for a better life and did not expect the racism they encountered.
The civil rights movement at Sir George Williams University fuelled a collective consciousness, with demonstrations taking place throughout the diaspora in places like St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Dar es Salaam, and Trinidad. Pan-African groups like the National Joint Action Committee took action to end economic imperialism by the Canadian government.
In March 1970, a Montréal judge fined eight West Indian students a total of $33,500 and urged that they be deported for their role in the Sir George Williams affair. All the students awaiting a verdict were of African descent.
Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison. He used his time in prison to educate others about injustices within the prison system.
Brenda Dash was released under personal recognizance. But her life was not the same, as she was constantly harassed by police.
After the court hearing and sentencing, life became very difficult for the students charged. They lost opportunities and saw their dreams of employment shattered. Standing up for civil rights during this incident created disadvantages for the activists and for their families.
The outcome of the Sir George Williams affair left a psychological impact on those involved. More concern was placed on the damage done in the computer centre than on the lives that were being ruined.
“Some students came out of it, while others didn’t.”
— Philippe Fils-Aimé
Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.
Summary
- Students occupied the Sir George Williams University computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in.
- Twenty-two students were arrested, with some being charged with vandalism.
- Support for the students arrested at Sir George Williams came from around the world, but Canadian support was limited.
- In March 1970, a Montréal judge found eight West Indian students guilty and fined them. Some were deported.
- Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison, while Brenda Dash was released.
- The Sir George Williams affair affected the students’ well-being and created hurdles and disadvantages for them as well as their families. The university was more concerned about the computers that were destroyed than the lives of the students.
- Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.
Essential
Sir George Williams University students occupied the computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in, bringing it to a sudden end. Twenty-two students were arrested, some charged with vandalism and destroying university property.
Articles about the sit-in and arrests made international news. Unfortunately, many of the articles focused on the effect and not the cause.
Students were blamed for the destruction and arrested. Students of European descent were released, while those of African descent remained in jail.
In support of the students, groups like the National Joint Action Committee took action to end the Canadian government’s economic imperialism in Trinidad.
The civil rights movement at Sir George Williams University fuelled a collective consciousness, with demonstrations taking place in Africa and throughout the diaspora.
In March 1970, a Montréal judge fined eight West Indian students a total of $33,500 and urged that they be deported for their role in the Sir George Williams affair.
All the students awaiting a verdict were of African descent.
Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison. Upon release, he refused to apologize for the sit-in and what happened.
Brenda Dash was released, while others were deported.
The students charged were treated like outcasts and experienced many hurdles in putting their lives back together. The outcome of the Sir George Williams affair had a psychological impact on the students involved.
The loss of computers became the focus of the court system rather than the dreams and goals of the young students standing up for civil rights and justice.
“Some people recovered, while others didn’t.”
— Philippe Fils-Aimé
Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.
In-Depth
Sir George Williams University students occupied the computer lab for 14 days before the police stormed the sit-in, bringing it to a sudden end. Twenty-two students were arrested, with some being charged with vandalism and destroying university property.
Articles about the sit-in and the arrests appeared in all the major newspapers in Canada. These articles focused on the effect rather than the cause of the protest, leading the broader population in Montréal and Canada to place total blame on the students.
The students of African descent remained in custody, while those of European descent were released.
The Caribbean students faced deportation and dismissal from the university if found guilty. These young, gifted students were immigrants who had come to Canada for a better life and did not expect the racism they encountered.
The civil rights movement at Sir George Williams University fuelled a collective consciousness, with demonstrations taking place throughout the diaspora in places like St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Dar es Salaam, and Trinidad. Pan-African groups like the National Joint Action Committee took action to end economic imperialism by the Canadian government.
In March 1970, a Montréal judge fined eight West Indian students a total of $33,500 and urged that they be deported for their role in the Sir George Williams affair. All the students awaiting a verdict were of African descent.
Rosie Douglas was sentenced to two years in prison. He used his time in prison to educate others about injustices within the prison system.
Brenda Dash was released under personal recognizance. But her life was not the same, as she was constantly harassed by police.
After the court hearing and sentencing, life became very difficult for the students charged. They lost opportunities and saw their dreams of employment shattered. Standing up for civil rights during this incident created disadvantages for the activists and for their families.
The outcome of the Sir George Williams affair left a psychological impact on those involved. More concern was placed on the damage done in the computer centre than on the lives that were being ruined.
“Some students came out of it, while others didn’t.”
— Philippe Fils-Aimé
Scroll through the media carousel to see a photograph of the students waiting for the verdict.