CSA human rights office and Munford Centre join forces to prompt critical discussion
BY LORI BONA HUNT
A number of high-profile speakers, writers and cultural critics will be on campus next month for “Beyond February: A Black History Project.” The series of events seeks to prompt critical discussion about black histories and contemporary practices, including Black History Month itself.
The series will include talks by Nourbese Philip, an award-winning poet, writer and cultural critic; Lawrence Hill, a best-selling novelist; Djanet Sears, a Governor-General's Award-winning playwright and U of G's writer-in-residence; and Wesley Crichlow, a social sciences professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
“Beyond February: A Black History Project” is a joint effort of the Central Student Association's human rights office and the C.J. Munford Centre.
“The official recognition of the month of February as Black History Month is a bit of a double-edged sword,” says Dave Hudson, co-ordinator of the human rights office. “It certainly offers an opportunity for a shared and concentrated focus on black histories and speaks to years of struggle and hard work on the part of many dedicated individuals and organizations. At the same time, however, it has conditioned many to think that February is the only time it makes sense to give serious consideration to the histories, achievements and present-day realities of black communities.”
Phanuel Antwi, assistant supervisor for the Munford Centre, adds that “any serious public consideration of the histories, struggles and contributions of black communities needs to extend beyond February. The concentration of high-profile events in November is our way of demonstrating that need publicly.”
The series begins Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 103 of the MacKinnon Building with talks by Rosemary Sadlier, president of the Ontario Black History Society, who was the driving force behind the official recognition of Black History Month in Canada; and Rinaldo Walcott, a University of Toronto professor who holds a Canada Research Chair in Social Justice and Cultural Studies.
Other events include a Nov. 11 talk on “The Criminalization of Blackness” by Crichlow and a Nov. 18 panel discussion on “Writing Black, Writing Back: The Authority of the Black Writer,” featuring Hill, Philip and Sears. On Nov. 25, Barry Wheeler of U of G's Centre for Students with Disabilities and Sabina Chatterjee, co-ordinator of Change Now, a Guelph youth drop-in centre, will lead a discussion on the struggles in other minoritized communities. (Times and locations for the Nov. 11, 18 and 25 events to be announced.) For more information on the series, call Hudson at 341-9266 or Ext. 52629.
