IDERD Conference

The time for action is now!

Join the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office in partnership with Hart House at the 4th annual International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) Conference 2020 to learn about innovative anti-racism programs and strategies that have been advancing institutional commitments on racial inclusion. We will be joined by local community experts, academics, administration and student leaders to engage in critical dialogue and information sharing.

Register to attend

Presented in partnership with:

With remarks by:

Professor Meric Gertler
President,
University of Toronto

Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffat
Vice-President,
Human Resources & Equity

Enjoy a performance by:

Featured presenters:

Morning Keynote Panel:
The politics of (In)visibility: Race & resistance in LGBTQ2S+ communities

Focusing on race, sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity at its intersections – This critical dialogue provides insight into the unique lived experiences of queer & trans racialized groups that are often on the margins of mainstream queer and racialized discourse. Participants will learn from community experts and organizers as they present strategies and tools as acts of resistance in working towards building more inclusive spaces within post-secondary environments and beyond.

Lunch Keynote Presentation:
The missing link: Healing and restoration in anti-racism work

Spoken Word Performances and Community Interview with:

Healing from the impacts of racism is a personal and proactive journey one must embark upon. The focal point of this presentation and discussion places healing at the centre of antiracism work and asks the pivotal question: How do we engage in restoration?

Afternoon Keynote Presentation:
Honoring Land: Indigenous Feminisms, Environmental Racism & Data Justice

Lack of public data about dangerous pollutants in Canada’s Chemical Valley, where 40% of Canada’s petrochemicals are processed on Anishinabek land, presents an ongoing and serious problem for Aamjiwnaang First Nation, frontline communities, and all Canadians.

In 2017, the Indigenous-led Technoscience Research Unit (TRU) joined forces with land protector, Indigenous grassroots organizer and environmental justice researcher Vanessa Gray (Aamjiwnaang First Nation) to research the history, operations and pollution activities of Imperial Oil Refinery in Sarnia, which is one of the oldest refineries in the world, a major industrial player, and the biggest polluter in Chemical Valley. This past October, we launched the multi-platform application, Pollution Reporter, as a first-step in addressing some of the pollution data gaps in Chemical Valley.

The Pollution Reporter app makes reporting pollution to the government easier and more accessible. Users can generate reports in real-time and e-mail their reports directly to the Ministry of Environment. Users also have the option of sharing their reports to Facebook and Twitter, but retain possession and control of their reports/data. The app also translates and connects government, industry-reported, and peer-reviewed sources of data into accessible information about pollutants and their associated health effects. Users can search for information by symptom, health harm, or chemical. While the app focuses on one refinery, our next build will include all facilities in Chemical Valley.

The Pollution Reporter app does not just use data, but reframes industry-reported chemical data towards land protection and Indigenous sovereignty. The TRU hopes that the Pollution Reporter app will be a useful tool for Aamjiwnaang First Nation and other frontline communities in advocating for the health of their lands, waters, and communities.

Presented by:

Kristen Bos
Lab Manager, Technoscience Research Unit, University of Toronto

Kristen Bos is a collaborator and Lab Manager at the Technoscience Research Unit. She is an Indigenous feminist researcher trained in archaeological approaches to material culture as well as an Indigenous science and technology studies (STS) researcher, who is concerned the relationship between colonial, gendered, and environmental violence. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, and most recently, an alumni of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Doctoral Scholarship and the President’s Award for Outstanding Native Student of the Year. In 2019, she was selected from over 370 nominations for the University of Toronto’s TA Teaching Excellence Prize. Kristen is urban Métis with roots in northern Alberta, where prairie transitions into boreal forest.

Conference Break Out Sessions

Learn more about the available breakout sessions: