[opirgyork] Weekly Digest - Jan 28th 2010

[OPIRG York]

Greetings all,

Please take a look at the many events happening on the York campus and 
Toronto/GTA community!

Feel free to come by the OPIRG York office to find out how to get 
involved with student, campus and community activism.
We are open everyday (Monday to Friday) from 11am - 6pm
Our website will also be updated soon with the latest workshops and 
events that OPIRG and our working groups are up to!

If you are interested in radio - PrOPIRGanda is looking for collective 
members/volunteers!
Email aruna at opirgyork.ca for more information.

-->York University Events:

1) CUPE 3903 Rally to mark anniversary of Back-To-Work Legislation
2) Rethinking Multiculturalism Conference (Jan 29-30)
3) TODAY - Eli Clare poetry reading
4) Every Tuesday - (Bitching) Knitting Tuesdays!
5) Queer Lite - Feb 9th
6) LGBTQ & Religion: Lets Talk!
7) The International Research Film Festival: Slavery, Memory, Heritage, 
and Contemporary Forms.
8) Professor Chandra Mohanty Speaks in Toronto (Jan 29th)
9) Intersectionalities: Asian Canadian and Feminist/Gender Studies
10) SAIA York New Members Meeting - Feb 4th
11) SASSL is looking for performers!

-->Toronto/GTA Events:
12) Relief, Occupations and the Haiti Crisis, Public Forum - Feb 2nd
13) Call for Submissions AQSAzine Issue #3 My Islam
14) Racism Forum Luncheon - "Vadukkal/Sargoshian"
15) in/visible Unicorn: an afternoon
16) AQSAzine writers Salon
17) Angela Davis at York
18) Toronto launch of "You Don’t Play with Revolution: the Montreal 
Lectures of CLR James” - 7pm Monday Feb 1st 2010
19) Asian Arts Freedom School Cycle 9: Creative Writing workshops
20) SAIA Carleton Launches Divestment Campaign

----------------------

1) CUPE 3903 MEMBERS MARK ANNIVERSARY OF BACK-TO-WORK LEGISLATION
Teachers to York: Invest in the Classroom, not the Boardroom

Members of CUPE 3903 will be holding a special rally to mark the one-year
anniversary of being legislated back to work after 85 days on strike in
2008-09.
Despite claiming that there was no more money to put into teaching, the last
year has seen York spend millions on the ‘York 50’ advertising campaign and
celebrations; its senior administrators have been identified as some of the
highest paid public servants in the province; it is developing elaborate but
pointless re-decoration projects; and has announced plans to abolish the
minimum funding guarantee- a particularly dangerous move that will bring
graduate school further out of reach for low-income and marginalized 
students.
This demonstration will serve as a reminder to York University that the 
issues
raised by the strike have not yet been resolved and that CUPE 3903 will
continue to fight to give teachers the resources we need to do our jobs
effectively. We call on all students, educators and community members to 
join
us.

When: Friday January 29, 1pm
Where: Vari Hall

Fight to Win

---------------------------

2) The chair in Multiculturalism in the department of Equity Studies, 
York University
announces the upcoming conference:

Rethinking Multiculturalism:
Brazil, Canada and the United States
January 29-30, 2009
Conference centre 5th floor, York Research Tower

Across the Americas, multiculturalism as an idea, a social movement or a 
set of policies
has had a range of of meanings, histories and legacies within different 
nation-states.
At this conference, academics from Brazil, the US and Canada will 
address multiculturalism
in a comparative and interdisciplinary manner.

Admission is free.

Contact: confbraz at yorku.ca
www.yorku.ca/laps/des/conference

-----------------------------

3) Eli Clare Poetry Reading - Thu. Jan. 28

This event is put on by The Access Centre – Able York And The Centre for
Women and Trans People !

When: 1pm – 4pm
Where: Vanier College 010, Senior Common Room

Reading by Eli Clare from two of his books, Exile and Pride:
Disability,Queerness, and Liberation and The Marrow’s Telling: Words in
Motion.

Eli Clare has a BA in women’s studies, an MFA in creative writing and a
lifelong dedication to activism. He has spoken across Canada and the US at
conferences, community events, and academic institutions about 
disability, LGBT
identities and other social justice issues. He has been published in many
periodicals and anthologies.

This poetry reading and meet and greet aims at discussing,
celebrating,complicating and engaging the intersections of transsexuality,
desire and ability. Clare’s reading provides a medium for those engaged in
his work to be empowered by their own strengths and bodies, abilities and
desires.

FREE ADMISSION! This event is open to the public and is physically and 
socially
accessible:

• Wheelchair access
• Comfortable safe space

FREE Refreshments & snacks after the event! RSVP so that we may account for
space and food. For additional information, accessibility requests and RSVP
please contact the Access Centre – Able York Office: yaccess at yorku.ca or
416-736-2100 ext. 77612

-----------------------------

4) (Bitching) Knitting Tuesdays-Every Tuesday

When: 2:30pm-3:30pm EVERY Tuesday!
Where: Rm. 322 Student Centre (CWTP Lounge)

Want to learn to knit a scarf, mittens or your dog's name? Come to Knitting
Tuesdays at the Centre! Bring you knitting needles and yarn and learn from
Centre volunteers who double as pro-knitters! If you don't have the proper
paraphernalia, come anyways; these two can tell you what you want to get and
where you can get it! Knitting is a great way to make a thoughtful gift (for
yourself), occupy your hands on the often long commute to York, or make 
those
hours of procrastination productive!
Looking forward to seeing you here!

-----------------------------

5) Queer Lite-Tue. Feb. 9

*SPECIAL PERFORMANCE NIGHT, NOT TO BE MISSED**

When: 5:30pm -8:30pm
Where: Rm 322, of the Student Centre. (CWTP Lounge)

Want to shake those February blues? Come out for an evening of fun, food and
great folks!

Come:
Enjoy the performance of one of Toronto's best dragg troupe, Cramatically
Correct! Not only will we get the pleasure of watching them strut their 
stuff,
we will also be able to chat with them about dragg in Toronto, why Colour me
Dragg events are so important, and perhaps even get some tips to doing 
drag!
There will also be prizes, dinner and more, so make sure you mark off 
the 9th!!

-------------------------------

6) LGBTQ & Religion: Let's Talk!

Hosted by the Centre for Human rights @ York University
Tuesday February 2nd
7pm- 8:30pm
Nat Taylor Cinema, York U

The Centre for Human Rights at York University cordially invites you to 
attend
“LGBTQ & Religion: Let's Talk" where there will be a discussion on the 
intersections,
commonalities, and tensions between LGBTQ & religious communities.

We will be screening clips from the film, “Homosexuality: A Religious 
Perspective”
and following the film screening we welcome you to engage in an open and 
respectful discussion.

Admission is free. We welcome all!

----------------------------

7) The Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of 
African Peoples, York University,
in collaboration with partners under its SSHRC funded Slavery, Memory 
and Citizenship research initiative, presents:

The International Research Film Festival: Slavery, Memory, Heritage, and 
Contemporary Forms.
31 January-5 February 2010
York University, Toronto, Canada
The Nat Taylor Cinema and 280 N. York Lanes
All screenings are free of charge

Schedule of Films (all times are PM):
Films marked by * are subtitled in English

January 31 | Nat Taylor Cinema, York University
1:00 - “Memórias do Cativeiro”* [“Memories of Cativiero”] (42 min., 2005)
2:00 - “Axé Dignidad!”* [“Axé Dignity!”] (51 min., 2008)
3:00 - “Devotos da Cor” [“Devotees of Color”] (20 min., 1999)
3:30 - “Afro-Iranian Lives” (46 min., 2007)
4:30 - “Ibiri: Tua Boca Fala por Nós” [“Ibiri, Your Mouth Speaks for 
Us”] - Public Prize Winner, Paris Film Festival 2009 [20 min., 2008)
5:00 - “A Hidden Guarantee: Identity and Gule Wankulu between Mozambique 
and Somália” - Jury Prize Winner, Paris Film Festival 2009 (17 min., 2008)

February 1 | 280 N. York Lanes, York University
6:00 - “Navio Negreiro”* [“Slave Ship”] (46 min., 2008)
7:00 - “Ibiri: Tua Boca Fala pro Nós” [“Ibiri, Your Mouth Speaks for Us”]
7:30 - “A Hidden Guarantee: Identity and Gule Wankulu between Mozambique 
and Somalia”

February 2 | 280 N. York Lanes, York University
6:00 - “Cê me dá Licença: Capitão Julinho e o Congado de Fagundes”* 
[“Please, Allow Me: Captain Julinho and the Festival of Fagundes”] (52 
min., 2008)
7:00 - “Ibiri: Tua Boca Fala pro Nós” [“Ibiri, Your Mouth Speaks for Us”]
7:30 - “A Hidden Guarantee: Identity and Gule Wankulu between Mozambique 
and Somalia”

February 3 | 280 N. York Lanes, York University
6:00 - “Gisèle Omindarewa”* (71 min., 2009)
7:15 - “Ibiri: Tua Boca Fala pro Nós” [“Ibiri, Your Mouth Speaks for Us”]
7:45 - “A Hidden Guarantee: Identity and Gule Wankulu between Mozambique 
and Somalia”

February 4 | 280 N. York Lanes, York University
6:00 - “The Bloody Writing is Forever Torn” (40 min., 2008)
7:00 - “Ibiri: Tua Boca Fala pro Nós” [“Ibiri, Your Mouth Speaks for Us”]
7:30 - “A Hidden Guarantee: Identity and Gule Wankulu between Mozambique 
and Somalia”

February 5 | 280 N. York Lanes, York University
6:00 - “Trous de Mémoires: La mémoire de la Traite négrière et de 
l’Esclavage à Bordeaux” [“Memory Lapses: The Memory of the Slave Trade 
and Slavery in Bordeaux”] (55 min., 2006)
7:00 - “Ibiri: Tua Boca Fala pro Nós” [“Ibiri, Your Mouth Speaks for Us”]
7:30 - “A Hidden Guarantee: Identity and Gule Wankulu between Mozambique 
and Somalia”

For more information, visit the Harriet Tubman Institute Website: 
http://www.yorku.ca/tubman/_files/file.php?fileid=filevADtuPQhJH&filename=file_Folder_International_Film_Festival.pdf 


---------------------

8) Professor Chandra Talpade Mohanty
29 January 2010, 11:30am
135 Vanier College
York University

"Sites of Feminist Knowledge Production: The Academy and Beyond"

To RSVP, please email cfrevent at yorku.ca with 'RSVP January 29' as the 
subject line.

------------------------

9)Dear Friends and Colleagues,

On behalf of the GTA Consortium on Asian Canadian Studies (ACS), I would 
like to invite you to our third Brown Bag seminar titled
"Intersectionalities: Asian Canadian and Feminist/Gender Studies", which 
will take place at the Centre for Women's Studies in Education
at OISE/UT Room 2-227 on February 12th from 11am-1pm. It will be an open 
and informal dialogue on the relations between the emerging field of
Asian Canadian studies and Feminist Studies. Discussions will be 
facilitated by:

Dr. Sedef Arat-Koç
Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University

Dr. Enakshi Dua
Director of Centre for Feminist Research, York University

Dr. Bonnie McElhinny
Director of Women and Gender Studies Institute, University of Toronto

Dr. Roxana Ng
Director of Centre for Women?s Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Our past two discussions have been productive, interactive, and have 
allowed for the growth of our network on ACS in the GTA.
Future seminars will address ACS in relation to Area Studies, Community, 
and the Arts. Please stay tuned for these and
please join the discussion on February 12th!

Sincerely,

The GTA Consortium

------------------------------

10) SAIA York New Members Meeting: Thursday Feb 4th

Students Against Israeli Apartheid at York University is holding a New
Members' Meeting:

WHEN: Thursday, February 4th, 3-4pm
WHERE: 315C, Student Centre

SAIA would like to invite you to a New Members' Meeting that is open to
anyone who is interested in joining SAIA.

Israeli Apartheid Week 2010 is coming up soon (March 1-7) and we have lots
of tasks for volunteers to take on!

Israeli Apartheid Week last year was the most successful ever, come help
make this year even better! We encourage all of our allies to join the
growing chorus of voices calling for Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions.
There are tons of ways to help out, so please try to attend!

Hope to see you there!

-Students Against Israeli Apartheid

--------------------------------

11) Call Out for Performers!

SASSL is looking for poets, dancers, singers, musicians, spoken word, 
and story tellers in:

Speak your heART out!

An event to empower, share, inspire; build awareness, celebrate strength 
and raise money for Nellie’s Women Shelter.


Event details:

Friday March 12, 2010 at the Toronto Free Art Gallery (Bloor & 
Lansdowne). Cover charge is "pay-what-you-can" with all
proceeds going to the Nellie’s Women Shelter. You can also bring canned 
goods and other non-perishable food items which will
be donated to the shelter as well. Refreshments will be provided.


Sign up to perform by Feb. 28th

Artists and anyone who has a story to tell, contact Alana: sassl at yorku.ca

For more information, contact the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Support Line 
(SASSL). Stop by our office (Student Centre B449) or visit us on the 
web: www.yorku.ca/sassl

-----------------------------------

12) Relief, Occupations and the Haiti Crisis:
Canada/US policy and the regional response

with Justin Podur and Dan Freeman-Maloy

Tuesday, February 2
Centre for Social Justice
489 College St (W of Bathurst), Suite 303
7 - 9pm

On January 12, Haiti was hit with an earthquake 7.0 on the Richter 
scale, leaving possibly 200,000 dead
and 3 million affected. Much of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, is now 
living in makeshift camps with their
water, food, and health at risk. While many countries around the world 
responded with aid, the US and Canada
also quickly deployed troops. This talk will discuss current events and 
press coverage in the context of the
past decade of Western policy towards Haiti, as well as the prospects 
for constructive relief and solidarity work.

Justin Podur is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at York 
University and a member of the Pueblos en Camino Collective.
He visited Haiti in 2005 to study the UN occupation and the government 
after the 2004 coup.

Dan Freeman-Maloy is a Toronto-based activist and writer. He studied 
Canadian media coverage of the 2004 Haiti coup and has
written for ZNet and other publications.


Sponsored by the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG)
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
Socialist Project
Toronto Haiti Action Committee
Toronto New Socialist Group
U of T Equity Studies Students' Union
Upping the Anti: A journal of theory and action

*The Centre for Social Justice is wheelchair accessible.

----------------------------

13) Call for submissions AQSAzine Issue # 3 My Islam
Submit and spread the word about the AQSAzine Issue #3 MY ISLAM "because 
Allah gave you the right to figure it out"

WHY SUBMIT

Because you’ve asked the question “what is my Islam and what does it 
mean to me?” Because you constantly explore it,
navigate it, confront it, take it apart, or reject it. Because you’ve 
been excluded from it. Because you hold it close,
embrace it, own it. Because you’ve been attacked for believing in it. 
Because you are tired of defending and defining it.

Because you feel Islam has been used misused and abused, helping some 
gain illegitimate power and others rationalize oppression.
Because you feel that despite this, it is a quest for humanity and peace 
of mind, body, soul that is at its core.

Because your Islam is not divisive, violent, or exclusive, it is 
faithful, accepting, and compassionate. Because you’ve found
that Islam exists in different forms, with various ways to interpret it, 
talk about it, and perform it. Because you feel these
variations are not meant to divide us into sects. Because your Islam is 
about unity.

Types of Submissions:
Stories (fiction or non fiction);
Poetry;
Artwork;
Graphic arts;
Photography;
Visuals;
Media reviews;
Interviews;
Any other form of personal art or writing under 1,500 words (we love and 
perfer short pieces).

Confidentiality: Submissions will not be reprinted without the author's 
permission. You can use your first and/or last name,
a pen name, or even remain completely anonymous. We want you to feel 
safe in making a contribution.

Send us your submissions, questions, resources, information 
aqsazine at gmail.com

AQSAzine is a grassroots zine open to 16-35 year old women and trans 
people who self-identify as Muslim. It is a creative avenue
for us to express ourselves, share our experiences, and connect with 
others. We strive to work from a feminist, anti-oppressive, feminist, 
pro-choice, queer and trans positive framework.

Peace, love and hugs

AQSAzine Team

----------------------------

14) CASSA invites you to join us at our upcoming event:

Vadukkal/Sargoshian - A forum to discuss racism against the Tamil 
community and Islamophobia against the South Asian Muslim communities.

For the past several months CASSA has been working with both Tamil and 
South Asian Muslim communities to bring issues of racism and 
Islamophobia to the forefront by creating a safe space where people can 
share their experiences.
Now we are looking to further build stronger connections, support and 
resources by bringing together both communities and developing 
cross-cultural community strength.

Speakers, a panel, and community members will discuss these topics. We 
will also be launching our Anti-Racism and Anti- Islamophobia Action 
booklet as a part of this project!

FREE LUNCH PROVIDED !
TTC fares reimbursed!

Date: January 30th, 2010
Time: 2pm- 4pm
Location: Malvern Public Library [30 Sewells Rd, North of Sheppard Ave
E. and Neilson Rd]
Note: Those using public transit will be reimbursed with TTC tokens

Please RSVP to:
Keerthy Narayanan
Keerthy at cassa.on.ca
416-932-1359 ext 12

-------------------------

15) an afternoon of performances exploring and exposing imaginations, 
bodies and representation.

Jan 31st from 2:00-5pm @ Buddies in bad times theatre (12 Alexander -so 
of wellesley, east of young.

sliding scale/PWYC $0-$10.

featuring:

Eli Clare

Onyinyechukwu (Onyii) Udegbe is an activist, writer, poet and community 
worker. She is a student at the
University of Toronto and Senior Editor of The African Community Profile 
Magazine Canada. She has won numerous
awards in recognition of her outstanding scholastic achievements and 
community involvement. She is an immigrant,
queer, Ibo woman and second generation genocide survivor living with a 
congenital and progressive disability who is
questioning power, hierarchy, silence and domination. She is committed 
to a lifetime of resistance.

Jorge Vallejos

Kenji Tokawa, was born and raised on treaty land between the government 
and the Mississaugas of the New Credit and is a
poet exploring the voice needed to speak with and listen to his 
grandmother. He is the program coordinator of the Asian
Arts Freedom School, editor of SCHOOL: art and literature magazine of 
stuff they don't teach you, and occassional silk-screen
printing workshop facilitator, so get in touch!

Tara-Michelle Ziniuk is an author, activist, performer and media-maker. 
She is authour of Somewhere To Run From (Tightrope Books, 2009)
and Emergency Contact (McGilligan Books, 2006). Her writing has appeared 
in publications across North America including contributions
to This Magazine, Herizons, Broken Pencil, $pread, NOW and The Danforth 
Review. She has read as part of festivals such as Word On The Street,
Writing Outside The Margins and The Scream Literary Festival. She 
pretends to be editing an anthology about sex and chronic illness, but 
isn't
really working on it. She is currently based in Guelph, Ontario.

Big Appetite formerly known as the fat femme mafia

Griffin Epstein

GIMP boot camp a video written, directed, produced and edited by Melisa 
Brittain and Danielle Peers

more details to come but save the date for what will be an afternoon you 
don't wanna miss...

we will do our best to minimize the scents in the space (so please don't 
wear smelly things of any kind- 
http://www.peggymunson.com/mcs/fragrancefree.html),
wheelchair accessible, sign interpretation(confirmed), and audio 
description provided. Please email femmegimp at hotmail.com if you have any 
other access requests/concerns.

Thanks also to Come As You Are and Cory Silverberg for their support. :) 
http://www.comeasyouare.com/

--------------------------

16) Submission Deadline for AQSAzine Issue #3 My Islam is fast approaching

Want to submit to AQSAzine but nervous about your work?

Come to our Writers Salon! Share your work and get peer support

AQSAzine Writers' Salon will be a opportunity for Muslim women and trans 
people to spend a
evening together focusing on our writing and art. It will be a 
supportive environment in
which we can provide one another with peer feedback and support to 
create stronger pieces for
submission to AQSAzine Issue #3. Information on submission guidelines here
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=196859307298&index=1

Please bring any form of writing, poetry or article you are interested 
in having in the zine.
Even if you don't want to submit but want to share you work you are 
welecomed to attend.

Free event! TTC and food provided

The writers salon is open to Muslim women or trans people (16 -35). 
Whether you are
practicing or non-practicing, culturally, politically, spiritually or 
religiously identify as
a Muslim person, are Sunni, Shi’a, Ismaili, Ahmadiyya, Sufi, or another 
denomination.
AQSAzine strives to work from an anti oppressive framework.

The AQSAzine Creative Workshop Series is sponsored by ArtReach Toronto 
www.artreachtoronto.ca.
Workshops will be happening throughout2010. Look out for: spoken word, 
radio documentary, screenprinting,
journalism & poetry workshops by and for US!

---------------------------

17) In honor of Black History Month the YFS presents Angela Davis to 
speak to students.
Wednesday February 3rd
6pm - 9pm
Price Family Cinema - Accolade East - York University

Angela Davis is known internationally for her ongoing work to combat all 
forms of oppression in the
U.S. and abroad. Over the years, as a student, teacher, writer, scholar, 
activist and organizer -- and even prisoner --
she has become a living witness to the historical struggles of two 
generations of American life. In 1969, Angela Davis
came to national attention after being removed from her teaching 
position at UCLA as a result of her social activism and her
membership in the Communist Party. In 1970 she was placed on the FBI's 
Ten Most Wanted List on false charges, and was the
subject of an intense police search that drove her underground -- 
culminated in one of the most famous trials in recent
American history. During her sixteen-month incarceration, a massive 
international "Free Angela Davis" campaign was organized,
leading to her acquittal in 1972.

During the last twenty-five years, Prof. Davis has lectured in all of 
the fifty United States, as well as in Africa,
Europe, the Caribbean, and the former Soviet Union. She is the author of 
five books, including the campus classics
Angela Davis: An Autobiography and Women, Race & Class; her other books 
include Blues Legacies and Black Feminism and The
Angela Y. Davis Reader. Her articles and essays have appeared in 
numerous journals and anthologies.

Currently, Davis is a tenured professor at the University of California, 
Santa Cruz. Her long-standing commitment
to prisoners' rights dates back to her involvement in the campaign to 
free the Soledad Brothers, which led to her
own arrest and imprisonment. Today, she remains an advocate of prison 
abolition and has developed a powerful critique
of racism in the criminal justice system. She is a member of the 
Advisory Board of the Prison Activist Resource Center,
and is working on a comparative study of women's imprisonment in the US, 
the Netherlands, and Cuba.

This is your chance to hear a great speaker and have the opportunity to 
ask her questions at the end of her presentation.

Tickets:
free for York students
$20 for non-York students

The event will not be ticketed, it will be a line-up on a first come 
first serve basis. The doors open at 5:45pm therefore
please do arrive a bit before to ensure that you have a space. The line 
up for non-York will be separate.

York students need York IDs

Brought to you by:
York Federation of Students
Xpressions Against Oppression
York United Black Student Alliance

for more info please contact vpequity at yfs.ca or call 416 878 5877

--------------------------

18) Toronto launch of "You Don’t Play with Revolution: the Montreal 
Lectures of CLR James”.

Please join us on Monday, February 1st at 7pm at the anitafrika dub 
theatre (62 Fraser St) in Toronto
for the launch of “You Don’t Play with Revolution: the Montreal Lectures 
of CLR James”.


"You Don't Play with Revolution" is a collection of eight 
never-before-published lectures by the celebrated
Marxist cultural critic CLR James, delivered during his stay in Montreal 
in 1967 and 1968. Ranging in topic
from Marx and Lenin to Shakespeare and Rousseau to Caribbean history and 
the Haitian Revolution, these lectures
demonstrate the staggering breadth and clarity of James' knowledge and 
interest.


Editor David Austin will give a talk on the significance of CLR James 
for revolutionary politics today and speak
about the ideas and perspectives James puts forward in this collection 
of his work. David Austin is founder and
trustee of the Alfie Roberts Institute, an independent educational 
center based in Montreal. He is the author of
numerous articles on the Caribbean and Black Canadian left and has 
produced documentaries for the CBC on the life
and work of C.L.R. James and Frantz Fanon.


Location: anitafrika dub theatre, 62 Fraser St., Toronto ON (two blocks 
south-east of Dufferin and King).
Google map: 
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=62+fraser+ave&sll=43.83201,-79.399162&sspn=0.007925,0.018947&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=62+Fraser+Ave,+Toronto,+Toronto+Division,+Ontario&ll=43.638498,-79.424028&spn=0.007951,0.018947&z=16&iwloc=A


Event Co-Organized by anitafrika dub theatre http://anitafrika.com/, 
Upping the Anti www.uppingtheanti.org,
a Different Booklist www.adifferentbooklist.com, and the Alfie Roberts 
Institute http://www.ari-iar.org/,


For more information about this event please email uppingtheanti at gmail.com


More information about the book is available at the AK Press website at 
http://www.akpress.org/2009/items/youdontplaywithrevolution

----------------------

19) Iranian?
Vietnamese?
Bengali?

Asian*??

Asian Arts Freedom School

Because you’re sick of being asked “Where’re you from? No, where are you 
really from?” Because Asian is not
just curry paste, John Cho, and keffiyeh scarves. Asian is not just 
being obscure one day and trendy the next,
being quiet and well-behaved or being stopped every time you go to the 
airport or cross a border. Because you’re
sick of being profiled and harassed by the cops. Because feeling 
inauthentic is okay.

*Asian = South Asian, West Asian (a.k.a. Arab or Middle-Eastern), 
Southeast Asian, East Asian, Central Asian...
mixed-race, adoptee, suburban, hood... just got here or been here since 
the 1800s. Asian stretches from the Philippines
to Palestine, North China to Sri Lanka, Trinidad to Tibet, and all of it 
ends up in Toronto.

Every Wednesday from 6:00-8:30pm
February 3 - March 24, 2010
at Kapisanan
167 Augusta Ave. (in Kensington Market)

8 weeks of creative writing workshops
featuring the stuff they don't teach you in school:
- indigenous history and Asianness in Canada
- family secrets and migration
- Asian community organizing and activism
- how to wrestle with the headlines and win
- what we can make 'Asian' mean to Toronto
- living in a black and white world
- and MORE!

all workshops are free, have snacks and ttc tokens, and are run for 
asian* youth (aka asian folks under 29).

In choosing to use the term, ‘Freedom School’ to describe our project, 
we give respect to the history of African-American
resistance that gave birth to the phrase. We also chose to use it 
because of we believe learning about the histories we
were never taught in school about Asian struggles and resistance, and 
learning how to tell our stories through writing and
spoken word, is to search for and find freedom together.

asianartsfreedomschool at gmail.com
youtube: radicalasians
myspace: asianartsfreedomschool

-----------------------

20) DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGN VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbegyuRbL1s

OTTAWA, January 27, 2010 – Carleton students have released a report
detailing how the Carleton University Pension Fund invests in companies 
involved in violations of human rights and international law.

The report was created by Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA – 
Carleton), who are launching a campaign to end Carleton's
unethical investments and to adopt a socially responsible investment policy.

BAE Systems, L-3 Communications, Motorola, Northrop Grumman and Tesco 
Supermarkets are the five companies profiled in the report.
The report documents how these companies support the illegal Israeli 
settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,
perpetuate Israel’s illegal siege of the Gaza strip, and manufacture 
weapons and weapons components that are used to kill and
maim Palestinian civilians, .

“Students are appalled to learn that Carleton is affiliated with 
companies providing support for illegal military occupation” says
SAIA - Carleton member Yafa Jarrar. “We thought our University was 
guided by more than just the balance sheet.”

Carleton faculty who have heard about the campaign have been shocked to 
learn that their pension fund is tied into such unethical investments.

“I do not want my pension fund profiting from the sale of Hellfire 
missiles and Apache Helicopters,” say Trevor Purvis, who
teaches Law at Carleton. “By investing in these firms, not only does 
Carleton violate its own ethical principles, but it
essentially becomes complicit in breaches of international law and human 
rights violations.”

The divestment campaign will be launched this Thursday with an 
informational discussion featuring members of SAIA – Carleton,
Faculty for Palestine, and the Carleton South African Anti-Apartheid 
Action Group. It will be held at 7 PM, in 360 Tory Building,
Carleton University. All are welcome to attend.

To support our campaign, sign our hard-copy petition at the event on 
Thursday night, or look for us in the Atrium. If you are a member
of a Carleton student group, club, association, or union that you think 
might endorse the campaign, please contact saia.carleton at gmail.com.
For more background on our campaign, visit http://carleton.saia.ca

LINK TO DIVESTMENT DOCUMENT:
http://carleton.saia.ca/documents/DivestmentCampaign/CarletonUniversityDivestmentReport.pdf

ARTICLES

Carleton's war portfolio: Students demand divestment from apartheid
By Aidan MacDonald
January 22, 2010
http://www.rabble.ca/news/2010/01/carletons-war-portfolio-students-demand-divestment-apartheid

Looking back at Carleton's divestment from South Africa
By Alroy Fonseca
January 22, 2010
http://www.rabble.ca/news/2010/01/looking-back-carletons-divestment-south-africa

©2010 Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) - Carleton | 326 
Unicentre, Carleton University