What’s New for March 2014
March 8th is International Women’s Day!
International Women’s Day is a global opportunity to celebrate women and recognize the many advancements in equality while, at the same time, taking a deeper look at some of the persisting issues that continue to impact women today. As we engage in the activities marking the week of celebration, let us all reflect on the work that has yet to be done to further advance equality for all women – noting in particular women who are further marginalized by race, indigeneity, faith, sexuality, gender presentation, social class and the intersections of these and other identities.
March 21st is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD)!
“The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid “pass laws”. […]
Since then, the apartheid system in South Africa has been dismantled. Racist laws and practices have been abolished in many countries, and we have built an international framework for fighting racism, guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Convention is now nearing universal ratification, yet still, in all regions, too many individuals, communities and societies suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings.”
United Nations
Join us as we mark another IDERD celebration! Beginning the week of March 17th, look out for information about the excellent work being done to advance anti-racism by this year’s profiled IDERD Campaign candidates coming to digital bulletin boards and desktops near you!
The U of T IDERD Campaign was launched in March 2012 in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The tri-campus communication campaign is implemented annually as a key part of the University’s ongoing effort to eliminate racial discrimination and advance anti-racism, throughout the University community. The IDERD Campaign also provides a unique platform for the University to recognize and profile the excellent work that students, staff and faculty are undertaking to advance anti-racism while contributing to the University’s commitment to create diverse, equitable and inclusive teaching, learning and working environments.
Living a “Double Life”: Race & Faith Dialogue – UTSC & UTM!
Are you a student that feels impacted by your race or faith at the University of Toronto?
Do you feel like you have to separate your faith from your identity as a U of T student?
Join us for a discussion on living a “double life”; navigating your identities within mainstream ideas and institutions.
The theme of this discussion is based on a previous dialogue where many students discussed the opportunities and challenges associated with navigating one’s faith and race while studying at U of T. These dialogues serve to better inform the work of the ARCDO, including the programming offered to students, staff and faculty.
When: Monday, March 10 from 5pm to 7pm Where: SL-232, UTSC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1411593905757610/ |
When: Thursday, March 13 from 2pm to 4pm Where: Student Centre Boardroom, UTM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/714015921954114/ |
More Events
(If you wish to request that your event be included in our monthly newsletter, please submit requests to antiracism@utoronto.ca at least one week prior to the beginning of the new month.)
March 3, 10am-3pm, Davis Building (UTMSU): International Women’s Week Fair. For the second year, the UTM Women’s Centre brings to you International Women’s Week! Why just March 8th when we can celebrate all week? We’re bringing to you a week of great events. There will be fun, free food, as well as opportunities to discuss and reflect. We want each event to inspire change! For more information email utmwc@utoronto.caor call 905-569-4605.
March 3, 2:30-4:30pm, North Building (UTM): Celebrating the Life of First Nations Women. You are invited to a special International Women’s Day Event hosted by the UTM Department of Historical studies and Women & Gender Studies. Speakers will talk about Idle No More campaign and missing Aboriginal women. Guest speakers include: Lee Maracle, Author and Traditional Teacher, Susan Blight, Artist, Activist, Educator and Radio Host and Jamaias DaCosta, Writer and Radio Producer. For more information contact Women &Gender Studies (WGS) Professor Victoria Tahmasebi or call 905-569-4492.
March 4, 11am-5pm, Student Centre (UTM): “Not Your Fairy Tale Ending” – Movie Marathon – International Women’s Week. Stop by the Student Centre Presentation Room for a day-long movie marathon and screening of UTM-made shorts.
March 4, 12pm-1pm, Health Sciences Building (UTSG): Master of Public Health (MPH) Global Health Roundtable Series session on Disruptive Innovations for Healthcare Systems with Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya. The objective of the Roundtable Series is to: a) generate thought provoking discussion on major challenges in global health; and b) provide a forum for which students can become exposed to different career paths in global health. Researchers and health professionals from multidisciplinary fields will explore these two areas, using their experience working in global settings as a platform for generating critical questions, meaningful debate, and valuable insight.
March 5, 12pm-1pm, Health Sciences Building (UTSG): Master of Public Health (MPH) Global Health Roundtable Series session on Maternal and Child Heath (MCH) Handbook Initiatives in the World: Experiences from Japan with Shafi Bhuiyan. The objective of the Roundtable Series is to: a) generate thought provoking discussion on major challenges in global health; and b) provide a forum for which students can become exposed to different career paths in global health. Researchers and health professionals from multidisciplinary fields will explore these two areas, using their experience working in global settings as a platform for generating critical questions, meaningful debate, and valuable insight.
March 5, 12pm-1pm, Gailbraith Building (UTSG): Leading Canada’s Largest Conservation Effort: WWF-Canada CEO David Miller. What’s it like to lead Canada’s largest natural conservation effort? World Wildlife Fund Canada’s President and CEO David Miller, former Toronto mayor, comes to U of T to share his leadership journey and to discuss how students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs can bring effective leadership skills to the non-profit world and to the political process.
March 6 to March 24, various locations (UTSG): Challenging Ableism: Creating A Culture of Accessibility. SBA, Equity Studies Students’ Union and Disability Studies at UofT will be hosting various events for their annual Accessibility Awareness Month. These events include: Organizing Disability Justice: The Importance of Accountability, Care and Relation-building, Navigating Ableist Spaces: Stories of Resistance, Night of Art and Expression: Creating Disability Differently, Cooking Discussion Group on Mental Health, and Learning Disabilities Workshop with Integra. For more details on time and location check the Facebook page in the link above.
March 8, 4pm-7pm, (UTSC): Art is Resistance: Warsan Shire & Leah Lakshmi. The UTSC Womyn & Trans* Centre invites UTSC students & community members to participate in the 2nd Annual International Womyn’s Day Conference Closing Keynote Ceremony with Warsan Shire & Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha as they share their love, insight and resistance through poetry, spoken word and performance.
March 8, 6pm-9pm, Student Centre (UTM): Charity and Appreciation Dinner. On International Women’s Day, the UTM Women’s Centre will be hosting a charity and appreciation dinner to recognize the contributions of women locally and internationally. The evening will be decorated with great speakers, raffle prizes and delicious food. This event is open to the public. Join us in honouring and inspiring a greater tomorrow. For more information regarding the event, email utmwc@utoronto.ca.
March 10, 12pm, Hart House (UTSG): Women In Leadership: Inspiring Change. A panel discussion celebrating International Women’s Day. Some of the panellists include Dr. Joan Simalchik, who teaches in the Historical Studies Department at UTM, where she is the Program Coordinator for Women and Gender Studies. She researches and writes on the themes of gender, migration, historical memory and psychosocial trauma, commemorative practices and the aftermath of war and dictatorship. Also, Paula Roberts is a twice-degreed graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Along with an extensive career in marketing, Paula is now a member of the senior leadership team at SickKids Foundation and has served on the boards of Home Equity Bank and Canadian toymaker Mega Brand. For additional information on the event please refer to the link above – refreshments will be provided.
March 12 – March 31, 5pm-7pm, (UTSC): Aboriginal Learning Circles. Join us as we learn about Canadian indigenous ways of life, past and present, through traditional stories.
March 12, 5pm-6:30pm, Old Administration Building (UTSG): Reducing health inequalities through action on social determinants in primary care (Dr. Andrew Pinto). The World Health Organization (2008) among others has identified primary health care as the pathway of choice for achieving health equity and responding to today’s global health challenges. In October 2013, the DFCM Global Health Program will launch its speaker series “Connections: Primary Care and Family Medicine in the Global Health Context”, which will have as its focus the critical role of primary care in Global Health. Recognizing family medicine as a key component of primary health care, this speaker series will serve as a forum for the examination and discussion of key issues pertinent to the delivery of primary care in settings around the world. Invited speakers will include leading experts in Family Medicine, Primary Care and Global Health. Occurring monthly, the speaker series sessions will be interactive, providing ample opportunity for dialogue and exchange among participants. We encourage all those interested to attend!
March 14, 6:30pm, OISE (UTSG): Politics of Blackness. Black Students Association is hosting the Politics of Blackness, which is a thought-provoking, controversial, and exciting discussion about the issues surrounding the notion of blackness.
March 18, 4:30-6:30pm, Toronto School of Theology Building, (UTSG): Between Indigenous and Settler Cultures: Engaging Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry (Herald Press, 2013). Join panellists who are prominent representatives of Indigenous and Settler cultures in Canada. We will continue the conversation found in the collection Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry and explore the urgent issues that continue to press Canadians to engage the processes of understanding, recognition and reconciliation.
March 20 – March 21, 9am-9pm, Hart House (UTSG): INDePth Conference – Reimagining the Korean Peninsula. Interrogating Notions of Development and Progress” is a student-run event hosted by the Asian Institute at the University of Toronto. The event reaches and connects students at leading Canadian and international universities. These students will collaborate in workshops to understand the ways in which economic and social developments work in regional context – this year our focus is Korea. By the end of the workshops, students will be empowered to pursue poverty reduction projects both in their local communities and internationally. Moreover, they will have built a network of similarity minded colleagues to help them in that purpose.
March 28, 9am, OISE (UTSG): 2014 Asian Canadian Studies Graduate Student Conference – What Difference does “Asian Canadian” Make? Power, Knowledge, and Resistance. This one-day, interdisciplinary conference will focus on the provocation of ‘Asian Canadian’ – including the application of such a lens in and of itself, but also its potential contributions to fields such as anti-racism, migration, geography, sexual and gender diversity, diaspora and transnational studies, history and more.
March 29, 6pm-9:30pm, Hart House (UTSG): Colour Night Photography. Explore the strange and wonderful world of colour night photography! The workshop starts with a two-hour introductory class followed by an evening shooting in the field. Students will learn the basics of night photography, focusing on exposure, lighting, colour temperature, and colour cast. Open to all levels of experience. Bring your own camera (any kind) and a tripod (recommended).
March 31, 7pm-11pm, Hart House (UTSG): 12th Annual U of T Film Festival. Join us for the gala reception and screening featuring the best films and videos by University of Toronto students and Hart House members. Juried awards will be presented.
April 2, 7:30pm-9:30pm, Edward Johnson Building (UTSG): World Music Ensembles Concert.
May 17, 6pm, Living Arts Centre – Mississauga: Sync Afrique. Sync Afrique is the biggest African cultural show in the city of Mississauga. It serves as a platform for showcasing and channelling talent, professionalism, skill and energy towards the preservation of African culture and the exposure of individuals to the richness of Africa. The concept of Sync-Afrique is to showcase all parts of Africa through various forms of art (theatre, music, dance, fashion and poetry) all of which contribute towards the educative goal of the show. The show aims to eradicate stereotypes through education in an atmosphere of diversity, multi-ethnicity and tolerance.
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Disclaimer: This newsletter may contain links to non- Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO) websites. These links are provided solely as convenience to you. The ARCDO is not responsible for the content of any non-ARCDO websites and does not endorse the information contained therein.