By Lincoln DePradine
The present outpouring of grief for the late Louis March is paying homage to the mourning seen for group icons and stalwarts reminiscent of Dudley Legal guidelines and Charles Roach of the Black Motion Protection Committee.
“It’s just like the lack of a big member of the family,’’ mentioned Floydeen Charles-Fridal, commenting on the dying of March.
Charles-Fridal is govt director of the CAFCAN, a non-profit charitable “Black-serving and Black-focused” group supporting folks to “meet their psychological well being and different social service wants”.
She described March as somebody who was “like a uncommon diamond”.
Fay Ferguson, like many others, took to social media to pay tribute to March.
“You weren’t solely my cousin. You had been my brother, my pal, my motivator, my mentor, my sounding board, my trainer,” Ferguson mentioned.
“I take solace in the truth that I’m not alone in wishing you had been nonetheless right here. I miss you severely. Could your type, candy, soul relaxation in peace eternally.”
March died Saturday, July 20, at Sunnybrook Hospital, together with his spouse and son by his facet. He was 68.
A Scarborough resident, and former financial institution worker who studied at Toronto Metropolitan College and George Brown Faculty, March grew to become famend in Toronto and throughout Canada for his tireless advocacy calling for an finish to violence, particularly gun-related incidents.
March, in 2013, introduced collectively greater than 40 group organizations and businesses and based the Zero Gun Violence Motion (ZGVM).
He labored with youth and households and championed the reason for non-violence, providing options and showing on platforms, together with at public conferences and on tv reveals.
March additionally met with leaders of varied sectors, together with regulation enforcement and authorities and politics.
“I’m grateful for Louis March’s laborious work to empower youth and communities in Scarborough, and throughout our metropolis, to be resilient, wholesome and secure. If we’re ever profitable in defeating gun violence, it’ll be due to folks like Louis. We are going to miss him,” mentioned Metropolis of Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow.
Spadina-Fort York NDP MPP Chris Glover referred to as March a “nice warrior within the combat in opposition to gun violence.”
March, a Jamaican-Canadian, “introduced us collectively, spoke with all three ranges of presidency and supplied assist to households and communities who had misplaced family members. We should proceed his work”, Glover mentioned.
March labored collaboratively with different teams, together with the One By One Motion, which connects former gang members with youth to forestall them from following of their footsteps.
The Motion paid tribute to March in a put up on social media, referring to him as a “beacon, with dedication, and unwavering dedication to security”.
“As a widely known activist throughout the Black group, Louis fought tirelessly in opposition to gun violence, all the time advocating for a safer world. His work was not only a profession, however a calling, one which he answered with ardour each single day,” the group mentioned.
March’s dying is “an amazing loss for the household”, mentioned his youthful brother Adrian Aitcheson.
His late brother, Aitcheson mentioned, leaves behind a legacy of service and selflessness, and can all the time be identified for his dedication to getting issues carried out — typically in an “unapologetic” and “uncompromising” manner.
“I feel he’s had an unimaginable affect on me, and the household, and so many individuals that he’s labored with,’’ Aitcheson mentioned. “He was my hero.”
Other than the ZGVM, March additionally concerned himself in different efforts at schooling and empowerment within the Black and Caribbean group, together with serving on boards and steering committees of varied organizations.
As much as press time, funeral particulars weren’t accessible.
