Social Justice Week spans every sphere

From the oppression of Indigenous peoples, to the prison industrial complex, to the impact of gentrification, to representation in the arts, the concept of “social justice” spans disciplines and spheres. The panels, roundtables, lectures, and art installations in Ryerson’s seventh annual Social Justice Week offer both a broad perspective on social justice and concrete ideas for change.

Many of this year’s events will focus on issues of Indigenous culture and solidarity. In “Indigenous Art, Culture and Resistance” (Oct. 23, TRSM 1-067, 6:30-9 p.m.), Michif artist Christi Belcourt (cofounder of the land-based art initiative Onaman Collective) will discuss ideas of environment, decolonization, and liberation, and speak to the need to expand our political imagination. She’ll also discuss her work passing on traditional knowledge and language to youth.

Canada’s 1,181+ missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls will be memorialized in Walking With Our Sisters, an off-campus collaborative installation at the TDSB Aboriginal Education Centre (16 Phil Ave.). The Ryerson community will come together to discuss the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Oct. 23, Tecumseh Auditorium, 3-4:30 p.m.). Author Shiri Pasternak will launch her book Grounded Authority: The Algonquins of Barriere Lake Against the State—an account of a Algonquins’ resistance to federal land claims policy (Oct. 26, Thomas Lounge, 7-9 p.m.). At the same event, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson will launch As We Have Always Done, about how Indigenous political resurgence is rooted in a unique tradition of writing, organizing, and theory.

Ryersonians can spend time with one of Canada’s most important thinkers as M. NourbeSe Philip delivers this year’s Mandela ECI Lecture (Oct. 25, TRSM 1-067, 6:30-9 p.m.). In a presentation titled “Black Be/longing: At the crossroads of art, culture, and human rights,” Philip will discuss how race, politics, and art intersect in a “multicultural nation,” and give a preview of her upcoming book Black.

What practical steps can students take to demand social change? What skills are required to build a movement? At From Passion to Action: Building Skills for Social Change (Oct. 27, all day, Ryerson Student Centre), Olivia Chow and facilitators from Ryerson’s Institute for Change Leaders will lead students in a workshop on strategies to turn ideas into action. Capacity is limited, so RSVP  (google form) here (external link) .

From the workplace to the home to the shows we watch on TV, social justice affects every facet of our lives. Panel discussions at Oakham Lounge and Thomas Lounge will cover a wide breadth of topics: refugee communities (Oct. 24, 10-11:30 a.m.), gentrification and homelessness (Oct. 24, noon-2 p.m.), Islamophobia in the media (Oct 24., 3-4:30 p.m.), free speech and hate speech (Oct. 25, 10:30 a.m. to noon), sexual violence (Oct. 25, 1-2:30 p.m.), precarious work (Oct. 25, 3-4:30 p.m.), the school-to-prison pipeline, (Oct 26, 10-11:30 a.m.), the concept of “safety” (Oct. 26, noon to 2 p.m.), and re-entry strategies (Oct. 26, 3-4:30 p.m.).

And don’t miss one of the annual highlights: SJW Rally: Music & Words on the Street (Oct 23, noon-1 p.m., Gould Street), a celebration of the art and music of Canada’s marginalized communities. Ryerson Elder Joanne Dallaire will open the event, which will feature performances by poet Lishai and percussionist Quammie, a speech by School of Social Work professor Cyndy Baskin, and New Tradition Music, an interactive performance project.

Social Justice Week is led by the Unifor Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy, Kiké Roach, as part of her mandate to create a hub of interaction between social justice activists and academics at Ryerson University. The events run October 23 to 27 at Ryerson. For a full list of events, visit ryerson.ca/socialjustice.