September 21st
Mythbusting

Where have all the people of colour and Indigenous folks gone? Our presence is marked by our absence in the history of our university. At least the version you get from Queen’s.

Get ready to disMantle the myths of Queen’s recruitment, admissions, and Orientation Week!

It’s time to smash the walls of lies and learn about the not-so-happy history of our school. This workshop will highlight some of the historical experiences of racialized members of the Queen’s community, from the 1800s to today. We will learn about the experiences of past students as well as the histories of resistance to  the everyday violence unleashed by the university. It will also explore how Queen’s operates locally and globally to steal land, exploit labour, and extract resources from the Global South and Indigenous peoples around the world.

October 1st
When the Tri-Colour Flag is Not Enuf, Where Do We Go?

Really? Did that person REALLY just say what you think they just said?

Instead of leaping through the line at Common Ground to shake them, screaming in the middle of your tutorial or bursting into tears at the Cafeteria by yourself, why don’t you figure out some of the safer places on campus to recover in? Often times at Queen’s it is these everyday encounters with blatant ignorance and racism both in and outside of the classroom that begin to tear us down. Instead of letting it, we need to support each other in getting through the daily traumas inflicted by this school.

This session is about introducing students of colour and Indigenous students to some of these spaces and some of the people in them. Here you will encounter food, friends, Boondocks, Margaret Cho, and a variety of resources including people to assist with healing.

Come hang out in the QCRED office, a safe space for you to claim whenever you need it, and learn about how safe spaces can help you survive your time at Queen’s.

October 12th
Breaking the Silence – Racism at Queen’s

Come out for what promises to be an amazing panel series as racialized students and alumni speak out about their experiences at Queen’s, their struggles to survive racism and violence at the university, and their triumphs in resisting violence and building strong, supportive, and loving communities of resistance. Have your experiences validated, learn about what you can expect and draw strength from fierce students of colour who have survived and resisted the violence so prevalent at Queen’s before you.

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Community Building

The importance of community and building strong networks of support and solidarity cannot be underwritten, especially when struggling against the racist systems of oppression that permeate our university. This evening is designed to be a basis for building community across university boundaries to unite racialized students, staff and faculty in survival as well as dis-Mantling racism at Queen’s. We hope to break students, staff, and faculty out of the often cold and isolating environment that is the larger Queen’s community in order to create a supportive anti-racist network.

We hope for attendees to be able to make connections that can help you survive your years at Queen’s while fighting back against the racism and oppression so prevalent on our campus.

Surviving a dangerous journey, 500 Tamil refugees, including women and children, arrived in BC after fleeing war and persecution in Sri Lanka. When the ship first neared Esquimault, territories of the Songhees First Nation, it was immediately boarded by the Armed Forces, Border Services, and RCMP. Families are now being separated, with many children being taken by the Ministry of Child and Family Development. The refugees now face the threat of incarceration and eventual deportation.

Canadian government officials and media outlets are perpetuating false and dehumanizing stereotypes of ‘illegals’, ‘terrorists’, and so-called queue-jumpers. The earlier arrival of 76 Tamil migrants on Ocean Lady was similarly sensationalized. This deliberately created hysteria appeals to prejudices of refugees as undesirable. Well-known neo-Nazis, like Paul Fromm and the Aryan Guard, also known as the Canada First Immigration Reform Committee, are openly organizing rallies for the ship to be sent back.

This fear-mongering is just another tactic used to disguise the racist policies that define Canada’s immigration and refugee system. The Canadian government was recently forced to apologize for its “keep Canada white” measures, such as the Komagata Maru incident. Yet Minister of Censorship and Deportation Jason Kenney continues to increase detentions and deportation of refugees and undocumented migrants, while bringing in more temporary exploitable migrant labour. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews recently declared that Cabinet is drafting new policies to clamp down on migrants and “make this country less welcoming for future shipments of human cargo.”

No One is Illegal-Vancouver asserts the basic human right to safety, mobility, and protection. It is well known that Tamils in Sri Lanka are fleeing military atrocities and mass displacement. The only crime the migrants have committed is transgressing this imposed settler-colonial border. We encourage you to join us in rejecting repressive, racist, and exclusionary ideologies and policies, and instead encourage compassion, solidarity, respect for life, and justice for all refugees. Release Detained Asylum-Seekers! Let the Boat Stay! Status for All!

*** HOW ELSE CAN I SUPPORT? ***
THERE ARE 10 THINGS YOU COULD DO!

1) Join other cities and communities for nation-wide actions. Wherever you maybe, whatever you can organize (delegation to a Minister’s office, street theatre, leafleting, community speak-out), will help build this movement. Please email noii-van@resist.ca and let us know how you can participate.

2) Engage in dialogue and widely circulate the factsheet on the 6 most popular myths about the 490 Tamil Refugees, available here: http://noii-van.resist.ca/?p=2167

3) Sign the online petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/16082010/petition.html. Join the Facebook group Uphold the Rights of the MV Sun Sea Migrants here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106719212717437

4) Put up posters in your neighbourhood, workplace, and campus, and as your social media profile. We have ‘Let them Stay’ and ‘Anti Neo Nazi, Fight Racism’ posters available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nooneisillegal/. PDF’s: http://bit.ly/9HBtGa and http://bit.ly/cgM3gK

5) Participate in the Call/Email/Fax Campaign to the Government and your MP. State your support for the refugees to stay in Canada and denounce the government for spreading unsubstantiated racist lies. This is easy to do and you can tell others to do the same!

Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Phone 613-992-2235 or 403-225-3480. Fax 403-225-3504 or 613-992-1920.
Email: Minister@cic.gc.ca and kennej@parl.gc.ca

Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety
Phone: (204) 326-9889 or (204)345-9762 or (613) 992-3128.
Fax: (204) 346-9874 or (204) 345-9768 or (613) 995-1049
Email: toewsv1@mts.net and Toews.V@parl.gc.ca

To find out who your MP is and where to write them:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC

6) Always take a minute to write letters to the editor and comment on news stories – make a difference in public discourse! Reinforce your support for the migrants and condemn irresponsible reporting including repeating unsubstantiated lies and giving white supremacists like Paul Fromm a platform. All letters must be short (100 words), include name, mailing address and daytime phone number of the writer; state “Letter to the Editor” in subject; and content should be in the body of the email.

Globe and Mail: letters@globeandmail.com
Vancouver Sun: sunletters@png.canwest.com
Vancouver Province: provletters@png.canwest.com
24 Hours: news@sunmedia.ca
Metro News: http://www.metronews.ca/Vancouver/comment/lettereditor
National Post: letters@nationalpost.com
Toronto Star: lettertoed@thestar.ca

7) Take your own initiative. This issue is not just the Tamil communities’ or for migrant justice organizers. The growing racist backlash that is taking root should concern all of us. Think of creative ways to disrupt this xenophobic climate (do a banner drop, host a community picnic, take some friends postering, organize a forum or press conference, distribute anti-racist zines, take action at the prison).

Consider inviting a speaker to your next meeting. Email noii-van@resist.ca and we would be happy to attend or suggest speakers, as well as provide educational materials.

9) Have your organization, traditional council, union, community group, or artist collective write a short public statement of support for the Tamil migrants. Please email us a copy at noii-van@resist.ca.

10) Join our low-traffic email announcement list to receive news and events. You can subscribe yourself https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/noii-l. Our Facebook group is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6252584281&ref=ts. Visit our website regularly for articles: http://noii-van.resist.ca/

www.nooneisillegal.org

Speakers:

Dr.Mona Rahman – Active member for the Islamic Society of Kingston

Dr. Beverly Baines – Department Head & Professor of Law, Queen’s University

Dr. Dana Olwan – Assistant Professor, Gender Studies, Queen’s University

Time and Location:

6:30 PM on Tuesday, April 27.  Wilson Room, KFPL Central Branch (130 Johnson St.)

We encourage individuals and community organizations to endorse the No Bill 94 campaign. For more information or to endorse the campaign statement, please go tononbill94.wordpress.com and join the Facebook group at:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=115876751763202.

For more information, please contact nobill94kingston@gmail.com.

cultureSHOCK! mandate:

CultureSHOCK! is an anti-racist publication that strives to provide a forum of artistic expression for those who have been historically, and are currently, marginalized.

cultureSHOCK! is a space for voices that are systematically excluded in the editorial process of other media and publications, which are dominated by white voices.

cultureSHOCK! seeks to give a space to people who have been rendered voiceless and feel invisible, allowing them to express their voices in whichever style and medium they choose.

cultureSHOCK!’s goal is to expand the singular notion of culture to include those who feel like their existence is an impossibility here at Queen’s in the culture of whiteness.

cultureSHOCK! is working hard for change.

The following are tracks from cultureSHOCK vol.11 (2010)

E-mail coordinator@qcred.org for more info on the application process!

On the day of our final event for Black History Month, aptly called “The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere”  on the racism within the criminal justice system, we received the first bits of news of the occurrences on your campus regarding racist-themed parties. Our own campus at Queen’s University has been plagued with similar incidents, minimally recognized by the administration, that remains a constant reminder of how our university disregards our identities, our struggles and our pain. We understand all too well the frustration and anger that one feels in facing a climate of ignorance, apathy and downright bigotry. Your rights to safety, respect and a sense of belonging to the UCSD campus should be honoured by the administrators and your fellow classmates.

We, at the Queen’s Coalition Against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination, offer you our support in this fight. Through both observation and literature, it is apparent that the higher echelons of Western universities are reserved for those who do not and choose not to understand the lived experiences of people of colour. You are not alone in this fight. Your voices continue to be heard and their pain and strength are familiar. We offer you the beginnings of a network across nation boundaries to end the racism that pervades our universities.

Real Pain. Real Action.

In Solidarity,

Queen’s Coalition Against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination
Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario

March is an extremely busy time of year for QCREDers! Thanks to everyone who responded to our urgent action call this week. Included below is an update regarding the situation. Additionally, there is a lot of info regarding upcoming QCRED events as well as Aboriginal Awareness Week (AAW), Pride Week AND International Women’s Week (IWW). In particular, we’d like to draw your attention to an event QCRED is working with Queen’s Pride Project (QPP) and the Queen’s Native Students Association (QNSA) on with sponsorship from CultureSHOCK! and the Women’s Centre….

This FRIDAY MARCH 12th, join us for SHADES OF GAY! Kingston’s first dance geared towards Queer People of Colour and 2spirited People! This event aims to provide a space for us to dance without fear and begin community building! Allies are welcome, 19+ pay what you can at the door. Guest DJ from Toronto spinning calypso/soca, funk, afro house, salsa, reggae, old school and zouk. 9pm-2am @ AKA 75 Queen St. Be sure to check out the Red Slam collective before hand as a part of AAW, also at AKA!

The local Jewish radio show “radio 613” reported on and informed QCRED early on March 3rd that they had found posters around campus depicting a Nazi flag with the swastika replaced by the Star of David to promote a production of the “Merchant of Venice”.

QCRED condemns those responsible, Vagabond Theatre, for making a deeply offensive and racist comparison. This act evokes the historical and body memory of the Holocaust and regardless of the intent, directly marginalizes those who are forced to carry this legacy.

As a group that puts anti-racism above all other politics and remains a space that works for the liberation of marginalized peoples, we see the ramification of these posters as both reflecting and reproducing antisemitism. Further, Vagabond Theatre is profiting from the use of hateful imagery to evoke a response. This is shameful and unacceptable. Along with the posters, QCRED is deeply concerned about reports that the play itself involves the portrayal of Jewish characters with horns, false noses and Nazi-inspired armbands.

Regardless of the play’s goals and intentions, Vagabond Theatre’s promotional material continues to hurt and affect students across Queen’s campus. QCRED is thus requesting Vagabond Theatre to issue an official apology and for all posters to be taken down immediately. Furthermore, QCRED calls on the administration to take a firm stance by condemning this incident and undertaking an investigation into the actions of Vagabond Theatre.

To view an image of the poster: http://twitpic.com/16hpwj

If you would like to pass on your own concerns to the principle or Vagabond Theatre you can contact them at:

principal@queensu.ca

vagabondtheatre@hotmail.com

See the BHM Facebook group for updates, links and event information:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=268275672769&ref=ts or check out opirgkingston.org

February 2010 Black History Month Launch
Wallace Hall, JDUC
Tuesday February 2nd @ 12pm

Black History Month 2010 will open with Professor Katherine McKittrick delivering a talk on race, representation and science. Prof. McKittrick is an Associate Professor of Gender Studies and Cultural Studies at Queen’s teaching in the area of black studies, critical race studies, and cultural geographies.

We look forward to acknowledging, remembering, and creating history with you.

Light refreshment and snacks will be provided!

BHM Calendar:

Black History Month Launch w/ Keynote Speaker Katherine McKittrick
Tuesday, February 2nd @ 12pm – Wallace Hall in the JDUC (University and
Union) – Light snacks and refreshments provided.

Feb Fete
Wednesday, February 3rd @ 4:30pm: Leonard Cafeteria. Free w/ meal plan
or $12. Contact: acsa.queensu.ams@gmail.com Join the African & Caribbean
Students Association (ACSA) for a celebration of Caribbean culture,
food, music and art.

Afro Beginnings Coffeehouse
Friday February 5th @ 6pm: Common Ground (Queen’s Centre 2nd Floor)
Pay what you can/Entry by donation. Contact: acsa.queensu.ams@gmail.com

Marvelous Masks Workshop with Artist Aida Sulcs
Sunday February 7th @ 1:30pm: Agnes Etherington Art Centre. $4 adults,
$2.50 seniors, GA members and children free.
Suitable for children 6+, with adult accompaniment. Space is limited.
Please call 613-533-2190 to reserve.

ACSA and CultureShock! Art Installation / Display
February 8th – 12th, 11am-5pm in the lower JDUC (University and Union).
Contact: acsa.queensu.ams@gmail.com
Black History Month themed art displays.

Africa Days **
February 9th – 10th, Room 202 Robert Sutherland Hall (138 Lower Union). Contact:
acsa.queensu.ams@gmail.com
Panels on research projects in Africa. Various topics, discussions, guest speakers; internship opportunities; admission to panels is free.
African drumming workshops Feb 9 $10 (JDUC), dinner event Feb 10 $20 (Ban Righ).
http://quic.queensu.ca/about/africadays.asp

** please note the updated description!

Workshop for Youth
Tuesday February 9th @ 5:30pm, Ban Righ Centre (32 Bader Lane).
Co-presented by ISKA and Ban Righ Centre.
To register contact Gamila at 613-533-6000 ex 78119 or Tanea at 613-544-4661

Autobiographical Workshop with Dianah Smith
Saturday February 13th @ 1pm, JDUC Room 352 (Primarily for people of
colour due to space; RSVP 6at3@queensu.ca)
Designed for the curious, this writing workshop will focus on how
autobiography is a way of creating history of experiences of race and
racism.

Works in Progress
Monday February 15th @ 7pm, Robert Sutherland Building, Room 202 (138
Union St). Contact 6at3@queensu.ca
Works in progress will feature several graduate student presenters
discussing their current black-focused projects at Queen’s.

Each One Teach One
Tuesday Febraury 16th @ 5:30pm, John Orr Room in the JDUC (University
and Union). Contact coordinator@qcred.org
EOTOs give racialized students a chance to share thoughts in a safe,
positive and race-violence-free space. Food provided.

Afro-Brazilian Ancestrialidade
Thursday February 18th @ 1pm. Mackintosh-Corry Hall Room B204. Contact snid@queensu.ca
Alexandre Da Costa will present his paper on the role ancestral
knowledge plays in Afro-Brazilian social movements.

The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere: Anti-Black Racism Following the 2005 Boxing
Day Shooting
Thursday February 18th @ 7pm: Dunning, Room 11. Contact 6at3@queensu.ca
Valarie Steele speaks about the backlash following the shooting death of
Jane Creba on her family, her community and her life.

The Massive Radio Show
Every Monday at 7pm, listen to QCRED’s blend of anti-racist music and political spoken word on CFRC 101.9 FM

Black History Month Films
Wednesday February 3rd – 7:30pm – BHM presents Good Hair – Dunning, Room 12;

Thursday February 4th – 7pm – Art as a Verb in Africa – AgnesEtherington Art Centre;

Saturday February 6th – 5pm – Reelout presents Paris is Burning – Ellis Auditorium ($10);

Sunday February 7th – 7pm – BHM presents Malcolm X – Dunning, Room 12;

Thursday February 11th – 7pm – QCRED presents black/womyn – Dunning, Room 14;

Sunday February 14th – 7:47pm – 747 presents I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang – AKA (75 Queen St);

Sunday February 21st – 7:47pm – 747 presents Tar Angel – AKA (75 Queen St)

We need to act because Haiti is a nation of heroes.

And we need to repay them for what they’ve given us.”

Jay Smooth

http://tinyurl.com/ykqlcv7

QCRED would like to extend its support to the people of Haiti, those in Canada as well as those Haitian members of the university community, in the aftermath of such devastating destruction. We would like to emphasize the importance of understanding how Haiti is situated in regards to both the earthquake and centuries of external intervention. As a nation with such an important legacy in the history of resistance to colonization and oppression, we feel that it is imperative for those of us who are able to assist to do so immediately.

Often in circumstances that require immediate action, we are quick to ignore the historical context in which they are situated. In regards to Haiti, it is important when we are considering taking action that we inform ourselves of how and why this nation ended up where it is today.

Haiti is a nation that has taught the world what freedom means. The battle for independence from the colonial rule of France as well as the struggle for emancipation from slavery defined the ensuing 200 years of Haitian history. In 1804 Haiti became the first republic ruled by people of the African diaspora. Resultantly, Haiti has since struggled to resist ongoing forms of colonization both physically and economically by countries such as France, the United States as well as Canada. Attempts to deny Haitian people their sovereignty are most blatant in the areas of debt and aid.

Even after being forced to pay reparations to France for over 140 years totaling what would today be considered $21 billion dollars (US), Haiti has an accumulated external debt of over $1.3 Billion (US).

In recognizing the extreme circumstances that Haiti is placed in not only in regards to the tragic earthquake but the history of impoverishment that has been imposed on it by imperial powers and western economic interests, we impress the importance of standing in solidarity with the people of Haiti. While it is crucial that aid reaches the Haitian people at this time, it is imperative that it not be tied to attempts to control the nation by outside forces.

It is also important that aid not be caught up in the language of needing to ‘save’ the Other, as is often the case in development rhetoric. Following the earthquake, we have already seen many Canadians decide to go down to Haiti themselves to assist in the provision of aid. We have also witnessed the deployment of the Canadian Forces and the RCMP to assist in rebuilding the region. In response to this we ask, who better to control aid than the Haitian people themselves? How is the militarization of Haiti in this period improving safety when previously military intervention has been the source of such violence? As Canadians we must understand that the historical role of our nation in Haiti causes our bodies to represent ongoing colonization in the region. We must also question our motives for wanting to help the nation of Haiti through removal of healthy Haitian children. How is a nation supposed to rebuild itself when an entire generation is missing?

We must be careful not to disenfranchise those whom we seek to assist through reproducing narratives of enslavement. We need desperately to understand our roles as individuals situated in Canada during this crisis.

Rather than participating in the dialogue of victimization, we must understand how we ourselves are indebted to the nation’s peoples for showing us the fire of resistance.

It is because of this that we must take action.

QCRED encourages donating to the following organizations:

http://www.haitiaction.net/

In association with the Haiti Action Committee in San Francisco/Bay Area, this fund delivers resources directly to grassroots organizations in Haiti. It was founded in 2004 following the coup d’etat that forced the elected president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, from office and imposed a two-year regime of human rights violations whose consequence continues today.

http://www.msf.ca/

In carrying out humanitarian assistance, we act as witnesses and will speak out, in private or in public, about the plights of the populations in danger for whom we work. In doing so, we seek to alleviate human suffering, to protect life and health, and to restore and ensure respect for human beings and their fundamental human rights.

http://www.yele.org/

Founded by Haitian-American artist Wyclef Jean, this organization works toward community development to make differences in education, health and the environment on the ground in Haiti.

http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/iowa/article/takeaction/globalactionalerts/1074.html

IGLHRC has sent funds directly to SEROvie to allow their services and supplies to continue to reach their LGBT and HIV-affected clients in Haiti. We are also providing funds to groups such as Colectiva Mujer y Salud, a feminist Dominican organization that has crossed the border into Haiti in order to assist with direct relief to our communities and to the many other victims.