Black unity, at last

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Montreal's black community has long been fragmented by barriers of languages, cultures, places of origin and personality conflicts. But a new group, the Caucus of the Black Communities of Quebec, wants to breach those gaps and achieve a long-desired goal: unity.

If only it wouldn't take so bloody long. The three-year effort to form a unified lobby group has often been plagued from within (by skeptics who doubt that it can be effective) and without (by opponents who wanted broader community consultations).

"We just want to come together to be a voice and act for the common good of the whole community," says Caucus interim president Cecil Alfred. "The government would like nothing better than to play that [divide-and-rule] game. But if we're all together, we can be a force to be reckoned with."

Most members of the black communities, Alfred replies, see the Caucus as a force that could be helpful to solve some of its serious problems--discrimination in jobs and housing, youth unemployment, and high drop-out and imprisonment rates.

While organizers had hoped that the Caucus could be officially inaugurated during Black History Month, that's now expected to take place only in late March. For more information, call 737-8229 or 486-3830. :
--Wayne Hiltz

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