Raymond Sheppard writes about the role of racism in the Lionel Desmond case. “In the African Nova Scotian community, after facing anti-Black racism and hate trauma, individuals and the community try to move on and we have been taught to rise above it. However, the effects of this kind of trauma run deep and do not just go away.”
Raymond Sheppards on some social justice issues that have been allowed to fester for far too long.
Regardless of Covid 19, justice is past due for African Nova Scotians and African people. Access to real and true justice has always been late for African people, if it was even meted out at all. The passage of time and delays only adds to the pain and suffering. It is indeed a tragedy within a tragedy.
In his quest to understand the Lionel Desmond case Raymond Sheppard finds out about the PTDS-like side effects of a malaria drug prescribed for Canadian soldiers who went to Afghanistan.
With Remembrance Day approaching, Raymond Sheppard wants us to reflect on the case of Lionel Desmond and all the soldiers who struggle with PTSD and racism without meaningful support from the Canadian Forces.
Delays in the Lionel Desmond enquiry are unacceptable and cruel. “Sources close to this writer state that these delays are largely due to a number of lawyers demanding more money per hour while the Desmond and Borden families are made to wait, thus adding more trauma and pain and suffering,” writes Raymond Sheppard..
In 2017, Lionel Desmond, a young African Nova Scotian,shot and killed his mother, his wife, and their 10-year-old daughter. During his service in the Canadian Armed Forces Desmond, who after two stints in Afghanistan suffered from PTSD, faced consistent anti-Black racism. This racism has been a contributing factor to his PTSD, writes Raymond Sheppard.