Baptist group ends Sobeys boycott after grocer agrees to anti-racism training

The African United Baptist Association, an umbrella group that represents 19 Nova Scotia churches, is ending its boycott of one of Canada's largest grocery store chains.

The group said in a news release Monday its members will stop boycotting Sobeys after the grocer agreed to train all of its employees — including staff at Sobeys-owned chains, such as Lawtons — on racial profiling and discrimination.

Several weeks ago, Rev. Lennett Anderson and Rev. Rhonda Britton, the AUBA's moderator and vice-moderator, met with Sobeys' management team for Atlantic Canada without any lawyers present.

"There was a commitment at every level, they even talked about making it a refresher," said Anderson.  

"I mean I heard comments that went as far as to say even the companies that they employ to do their security — if you want to be the security company on our premises you too need to submit to race relations, racial understanding and cultural competency training."

Racial profiling

Last year, a Nova Scotia human rights tribunal ruled that Andrella David, who is black, was a victim of racial profiling when she was wrongly accused of shoplifting at a Tantallon, N.S., Sobeys in 2009.

The tribunal said the Sobeys staff member discriminated against David because she is black, and because of her "perceived income" by suggesting the thefts occurred on "cheque day."

Sobeys' change of heart on this matter is significant, Anderson said. 

"They sat with their proposal and just talked about the way forward on how they can comply with the ruling of the human rights commission," he said.

"But it was not just the training piece. They really wanted to restore the relationship with the African-Nova Scotian community. They want to right the wrong. They really want to rectify this situation and let us know that they value us as customers and clients."

'We can and will do better'

Sobeys originally appealed the tribunal ruling but later withdrew its appeal as part of a settlement reached with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

On Monday Cynthia Thompson, the Sobeys spokeswoman for Atlantic Canada and Ontario, confirmed the company is complying with all of requirements set out in the human rights ruling.

The training will include online learning for its leadership teams in stores right across the province, as well as "very specific to face-to-face training" involving the Tantallon store, she said.

Requiring security companies it hires to undergo similar training is vital to ensuring the needs of every customer that walks into Sobeys are met, Thompson said. 

Community event planned

"There are ways that we can and will do better all of the time and we're very open to the conversations that have started with reverends Anderson and Britton around this particular issue, so we will continue to do our very best and look forward to more progressive and proactive conversations," Thompson said.

Thompson said the company was not able to assess the impact the three-month boycott had on its bottom line.

To further restore its relationship with residents of Upper Hammonds Plains community, Sobeys will hold a community appreciation event at its Tantallon store on Dec. 4. 

"They really want to restore, they want to apologize to the community as a whole," Anderson said. "To me those things are huge."

David 'demanded respect'

Anderson applauds David for standing up against the discrimination she experienced.

"It was because of a single parent at the time who believed in herself, in her value, that demanded respect and dignity, that we have the outcome that we have today," he said. 

"If she suffered in silence and said nothing, nothing would have changed."

The Baptist association called for its 3,000 members to boycott Sobeys stores across Nova Scotia at its annual gathering in August 2016, an effort to force the company to acknowledge the problem of racial profiling. The boycott then expanded to Atlantic Canada.

"I do want to thank all the constituents of the AUBA, I want to thank all the supporters and the residents of Nova Scotia who stood with us, who fought for justice, who believed in the cause and also who took a stand," Anderson said. 

Sobeys has also since apologized and paid restitution to David, who could not be reached for comment.