Raymond Sheppard: “We should recognize and credit those African Nova Scotians who have made a difference in the past and continue to make a difference today. Dr. Lynn Jones is such a person. She helps wherever and whenever she is able to.”
News release: On Monday, November 16th a coalition of groups invested in prisoner justice are launching a 15-day spotlight on the ongoing practice of solitary confinement in Canada.
First event of the 2020-2021 Series! 23 October 2020, 1-12pm. Please feel free to email admin@feministseminarseries.org for a direct link to join, or follow the link on the poster! Hope to see you there!!
Angela Bowden: Nova Scotia has had a significant race problem for ever and I’m not sure why that comes as such a surprise to some Nova Scotians, especially considering there are so many who are historically and currently participating in this abuse, and it is so publicly documented in this new age of internet and social media.
Press release: Jen Powley has declared her candidacy for the upcoming HRM municipal election in District 7, Halifax South Downtown. Powley is a planner, author and activist who has called District 7 her home for the last 20 years. She is a long-time advocate for accessibility, newcomers to Canada, and an ally for 2SLGBTQI+ folks.
On the evening of August 13, 2020, in my own neighbourhood, right outside of my children’s classroom, I witnessed a Halifax police officer accelerate his vehicle to make physical contact with a woman, temporarily throwing her off balance. Vehicular assault. From a block away I could hear her pleading with the officer to leave her alone up until that point. After stumbling momentarily she asked the officer why he’d done that and then used the phrase “Black Lives Matter”. My heart raced.
On August 2, Roma activists and allies across Canada are commemorating Romani and Sinti Genocide Day. First recognized by Canada in 2018, the day recognizes the genocide of Roma people during the Holocaust. Roma activists have organized a panel which will be streamed live on Facebook at 11ET.
On July 14, 2020, NS PPWG steering committee member El Jones was asked by Halifax Board of Police Commissioners (“HBPC,” “the Board”) Chair Natalie Borden to lead a committee for the purpose of recommending a definition of “defunding the police.”
n response, we proposed that we convene a committee to tender research and consultation on defunding the police in Halifax. We envision this process as being much broader than simply crafting a definition, as any definition that is not adequately supported by research and consultation will be of limited utility.
Lynn Jones writes an open letter to Marie-Claude Landry, Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. “During my 35+ year time in the FPS, I’d been employed on many of the programs supposedly to do what you are again doing today yet nothing has changed and the gaps remain…The time for reviews is over. That work has been done a multitude of times over an embarrassing number of years.”
“Growing up with various medical conditions, I struggled with how society perceived my (dis) abilities and began documenting my experiences through poetry.”
We’re delighted to present this poem and photograph by Cara Jones, one of the five poems that were selected after we issued a call for poems earlier in the year.