Hundreds of Black students in Ukraine have escaped war, says coalition
Efforts now focusing on students stranded in port city of Kherson
An Ottawa-led coalition says it's been able to help hundreds of Black people — including many international students — escape Ukraine since Russia invaded roughly one month ago.
When the war broke out in late February, hundreds of international Black students found themselves stranded in the eastern European country. As people began fleeing the Russian advance, however, reports emerged of inequal treatment at the country's border.
Some videos shared on social media under the hashtag #AfricansinUkraine appeared to show African students being kept from boarding trains out of Ukraine, in order to make space for Ukrainian citizens.
That led to the founding of the Ottawa-based "Global Black Coalition," which has focused on crowdfunding efforts in order to cover costs like hotel fees, food and warm clothing.
Nearly 1,300 people have been helped so far, with the latest efforts involving the rescue of a few dozen students stranded in the port city of Kherson, said Hector Addision, co-founder of the African Canadian Association of Ottawa.
The coalition is trying to get those remaining in Kherson to Odesa, where they can then board a train to Poland, Addison told CBC Radio's All In A Day on Friday.
"It can be a very difficult thing to do. The bombs are all over the place," he said. "And it's very expensive ... it's almost about $800 per head to be able to get these people out."
Aiming to bring them to U of O
Some of the African students have successfully escaped to Paris, where members of the coalition welcomed them as their trains pulled in, said Gwen Madiba of Equal Chance, whose group is part of the coalition.
Others have already arrived in Poland, where Madiba is currently stationed, trying to offer any support she can.
"We've made them the promise that we will safely get them out of Kherson and that we will personally be here to hug them, to help them fill out their applications to sign up for the University of Ottawa," Madiba told Radio-Canada last week.
"We are here to [let them know] that our promises are real, and we've respected our promises."
Madiba said the coalition continues to hear stories of Black people in Ukraine facing discrimination as they try to escape, from being strip-searched to facing physical violence.
The main challenge now, she said, is convincing the Canadian government to allow the students — many of whom are were already fleeing war and unrest in their own homelands — to continue their studies here.
"I believe Canada has to step up and do what Canada does best, which is welcome all people equally," Madiba said. "That's what we do in our country. That's what we are proud of."
As of Friday, the coalition had raised more than $115,000 for their relief efforts.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
