Roger B. Jones: “35 years ago, I transitioned into a new stage of life. Part of my old self was left on the side of the highway near the Halifax International Airport. Further into the future was of little concern because I was more worried about the immediate possibilities of existing with a spinal cord injury. Soon after though, I could not help thinking; what next?”
“What could be more racist than not even acknowledging one of the founding groups in your region? asks Thandiwe McCarthy, writing about his home province of New Brunswick. “We have no place to show our art, no building dedicated to our history, no representation at our universities, no representation in our news, none in our government. At every single level In New Brunswick being Black has been pushed into the shadows, while we have been here contributing to society for centuries.”
Students at NSCAD University, the venerable post-secondary art school in Halifax, are worried that tuition fees will be raised once again this year. How are students going to pay the already very high fees, especially Black, Indigenous and POC students who are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus crisis? the student union asks.
Some 700 Mi’kmaq people and allies came to the Grand Parade in downtown Halifax for a solemn and moving gathering and healing walk in memory of Chantel Moore. Chantel is the 26 year old mother from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation killed by a police officer early in the morning of June 4th, in Edmunston, New Brunswick, during what was supposed to be a wellness check.
Lack of masks, together with the use of substitute workers and the absence of paid sick leave were contributing factors in the many coronavirus-related deaths in long term care facilities across the country. Let’s not make the same mistake twice.
Carol Millett wrote the following letter to Premier Stephen McNeil, and she asked that we share it with our readers.
Dr. David Westwood: “Before COVID-19, it was understood that a year or more of planning, development, and refinement was required for a single, high quality online course offering. Now, professors have scarcely three months to change over all of their courses in time for the fall semester. “
Judy Haiven: The first time I learned of someone falling to their death with police looking on was six years ago, in Halifax. Mohammed Eshaq, 27, fell from the balcony of his tenth-storey apartment in February 2014. The second time was two weeks ago. Toronto resident Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 29, fell 24 storeys from her apartment balcony.
Tari Ajadi on the difficult and messy task of health promotion in the middle of a pandemic, ensuring that enhanced police surveillance and harassment does not become another indignity that Black communities face.
“I wrote about inclusion before, but I had relatively benign feelings back then. Now I find myself at age 70 and pretty annoyed.” Warren (Gus) Reed. Also, there’s a quiz.