[Wamvan] Fwd: Videos, hip hop, gender and justice

Tue May 8 18:51:16 PDT 2012

FYI

Tami Starlight
Lover & ass kicker = unceded and occupied Coast Salish Territory!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Darcie Bennett - Pivot <darcie at pivotlegal.org>
Date: Tue, May 8, 2012 at 3:07 PM
Subject: Videos, hip hop, gender and justice

    Email not displaying correctly? View it in your
browser.<http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=6f972699a8&e=0de74ccece>
 <http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=3a77ad9adc&e=0de74ccece>
   Dear Tami,
<http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=4ff64d3700&e=0de74ccece>

On paper, we all have rights.  Since the Canadian *Charter of Rights and
Freedoms *was enacted 30 years ago, those rights include freedom of
conscience, expression and assembly. They also include democratic rights,
the right to life, liberty, security, rights on arrest and detention,
mobility rights and the right to equality before the law.

In the last couple of weeks, we hosted two very different events, each
exploring the issue of rights and access to justice.  Both shone a light on
the deep disconnect that exists between formal rights and the practical
ability to exercise those rights- particularly for members of marginalized
groups.

The first event, a Hip Hop show we called *F*in Rights*, was a high-energy
evening that brought young people together to have fun while learning about
their legal rights. Along with unbelievable performances by local hip hop
artists including, Banyen Roots, DJ Su Comandante, Ndidi Cascade and
Conscience, the event featured five new legal education videos produced by
Pivot in conjunction with young filmmakers from Capilano University.

We wanted to make these videos because we realized that young people
involved with the criminal justice system or the child welfare system are
often asked to navigate complex legal and administrative structures that
most adults would find overwhelming.

The young people in the audience were happy to have the information, but as
we watched their response to the videos we were reminded that even armed
with reliable, up-to-date information, it would be a real challenge for
most youth, and particularly youth in crisis, to navigate the systems
discussed in the videos without a lot of support.

Check them out and share them with the young people in your life:

   - Police and private
security<http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=0893c4c3b0&e=0de74ccece>
   - Criminal records
   <http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=59bd128895&e=0de74ccece>
   - Housing<http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=25cc643a46&e=0de74ccece>
   - Income assistance<http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=ccbe0bbff4&e=0de74ccece>
   - Child welfare and family
law<http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=066d7e934f&e=0de74ccece>

<http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=9f8b1a5ffe&e=0de74ccece>
The second event, “Gender and Justice”, was the most recent in a social
justice dialogue series Pivot has been organizing with SFU Woodward’s
Community Engagement Office over the last year.  I was amazed at the turn
out on a rainy Tuesday evening. The 350-seat theater was nearly at
capacity. The forum was moderated by the CBC’s Kathryn Gretzinger and
featured retired BC Supreme Court Judge Donna Martinson. She delivered a
powerful talk entitled “Why the pursuit of equality for women still
matters”.  Throughout her presentation, Martison reflected what has changes
and what hasn't for women in the 40 years since she graduated from law
school.

The keynote address was followed by presentations from women working in
feminist organizations as well as feminists from the legal and academic
community. Together they painted a picture of a situation where women’s
equality may be guaranteed in law, but not on the ground, especially for
indigenous women, women of colour, poor and working-class women and single
mothers.
If you didn’t make it out to the event, I invite you to watch the webcast
here<http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=4ddc693468&e=0de74ccece>
.

Both of these events were inspiring and demonstrated the the huge amount of
work that is going on to bridging the gulf between formal rights and
people’s experiences with the justice system. Both events also reaffirm a
core element of Pivot’s approach to social change- for law reform to make a
meaningful difference in marginalized people’s lives, it must be grounded
in the experiences and material realities of those it is meant to serve.

Sincerely,

Darcie Bennett, PhD
Campaigns director
Pivot Legal Society

<http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=24718cf995&e=0de74ccece><http://twitter.com/pivot_legal><http://pivotlegal.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=9a451e878eeec0a3e584da1a3&id=7d9deee6a9&e=0de74ccece>

  Pivot’s mandate is to take a strategic approach to social change, using
the law to address the root causes that undermine the quality of life of
those most on the margins. We believe that everyone, regardless of income,
benefits from a healthy and inclusive community where values such as
opportunity, respect and equality are strongly rooted in the law.

Our mailing address is:
Pivot
121 Heatley Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6A 3E9
Canada

Add us to your address
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