Public community celebration honours legacy and impact of Louis March

BY PAUL JUNOR

It was a great turnout of over one hundred people at St. Lawrence Centre of the Arts on Sunday, August 25^th, 2024, to honour the: legacy, impact and influence of community icon Louis March.

In attendance was his mother, Alicia March-Aitcheson, wife Wendie, son Troy and brothers: Trevor Aitcheson and Adrian Aitcheson as well as many nephews and other family members. It was a fitting tribute from many personal friends, community representatives, government officials and civic leaders. His passing on Saturday, July 20^th, 2024, at the age of 68 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has left a tremendous void in the Black community.

The press release issued on Tuesday, August 19^th, 2024, by the Aseda Planning Group described details of what to expect. The Aseda celebration derives from West African, Akan origin and it translates to, “Gratitude, Thanksgiving, and Praise.” The theme for the public celebration was, “In His Words,” and featured tributes from various groups with which Brother Louis was involved such as: the Black Youth Community Action Project (BYCAP) and the African Canadian Heritage Association (ACHA).

There will also be performances, including drumming, singing and poetry. The press release states further, “The March Family looks forward to celebrating with the community as they commemorate, pay tribute to and further the legacy of Brother Louis, a respected community advocate, youth mentor, founder of the ZGVM and co-organizer of the Underground Freedom Train.”

The public thanksgiving celebration was hosted by Itah Sadhu, co-owner of the Blackhurst Cultural Centre and spoken-word artist Dwayne Morgan. The media relations aspect of the event was handled by Esi Aya and Dave Doyen. Ginelle Skerritt served as Executive Director and Committee Chair while her husband Quammie Williams served as Director and David Lacaille as stage director.

The Aseda event commenced with a drumming procession by the Nome Drum Ensemble. The land acknowledgement and libations were done and read by Nene Kafele. The Black national anthem was sung by Tiki Mercury-Clarke, Canadian national anthem by Imani and the Jamaican national anthem by Aaron Burel. There was an inspirational music video montage titled “Be Legendary” by Mello Ayo who also performed a spoken-word poem. In addition, there were other spoken-word performances by: Tugg Star, Dwayne Morgan, Kobena Aquaa-Harrison, a traditional praise poem by Nene Kafele and a call to action by Brother Sankofa Jaba.

Tamla Matthews along with Ali Joseph of the dance company Roots and Branches performed a moving piece accompanied by drummer Nigel Pitt Matthew. There was a video message by Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto as well as works from City Councilor, Chris Moise who talked about the motion passed at City Council to recognize Louis.

The closing performance featured a duo between singer Tiki Mercury-Clarke and Pastor Richard Brown as they performed the song “Stand Up” accompanied by drummers.

Troy March, son of Louis, spoke at the event. He was excited by the turnout to pay homage to his father. He states, “It’s a good day for the community. I didn’t imagine this many people.”

Linda Collins Bacchus, a volunteer with the ACHA who knew March well and was familiar with his extensive community work also commented. “Louis was everywhere. I’m sure he’s here today because he would not miss this.” She notes that his “larger than life” persona was central as he focused on teaching the: culture, heritage and history of African-Canadians.

Danny Stone, a personal friend and mentor shared his special memories of the bond that they developed over the years. He states, “He was the type of person that had a kind word for everybody. If he saw you struggling, he would uplift you. I think all these people here, it just shows all the lives that he’s touched in his 40 years of activism.”

Interspersed on the screen were many quotes attributed to Elder Louis. Some of them include:

• “We have a problem. In 1991, we had eight homicides due to gun violence in the city of Toronto. In 2005, we had 52.”

• “I normally travel with the deck of cards and take the 52 cards and say, we lost 52 lives to gun violence. If I am really pissed off that day, I might throw the cards out in the audience, but the last time I did it, I had to pick them up, so I stopped doing that.”
• “If you looked at the dynamics and the trajectory of those violent incidents, half of them could’ve been prevented, and avoided if society did what we were supposed to do.”
• “Activism from my point of view, is about changing the narrative about gun violence and what can we do? What can I do? What am I committed to doing?”
• “When the violence doesn’t affect you directly – it does directly. We have a problem, because most people are ok with the level of violence as long as it doesn’t impact them.”

• “I’m sure you understand that it affects you. If we are not investing in our young people today, how can we move forward as a people tomorrow.”