The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the United Nations General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
To mark the day, FF-WPR spoke with dub poet Lillian Allen whose activism and poetry relates to the struggles of the African-Canadian community for equal treatment. She talked about the origins of dub poetry, its revolutionary significance, (especially in the late 80s pushing Canada to to end ties with apartheid South Africa). She spoke about major women dub poets and their contribution to the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. To follow Lillian Allen’s work and that of other dub poets, visit www.dubpoets.com.
We also spoke with film-maker, Malinda Francess about the Movement Projects latest production: How We Forgot Here. Listeners will “be immersed in a pulsating, multi-artistic journey of memories that reveal the complexities of migration and settlement in Toronto”. The interactive production asks: how did we get here, where are our ancesters from and what have we forgotten? The production runs March 22-28, 2010 at the Wallnut Studios. For more information (including ticket prices and purchase locations), visit themovementproject.ca.
We went on to explore the wage differential between single black women verses married black women and married and unmarried white women- a telling reminder of the racialization of poverty and the continuing legacy of racism, colonialism and gendered exploitation in America, and by extension, Canada. A new study entitled Lifting as We Climb: Women of Color, Wealth and Americas Future shines the spotlight on this alarming wage gap. According to the report, single, middle age white women have a median wealth of $42,600, which is still about 60 percent of single white men; the median wealth for single black women is only $5. Married white women have a median wealth of $167,500, but married black women have a median worth of $31,500
Finally, we heard aclip from the Dismantling the Sweat Shop City event that took place in Toronto the past weekend. Faria Chaudri from the Shelter, Sanctuary and Status campaign talked about the raids on anti-VAW spaces, the recent changes to the immigration system and the refugee quotas and the challenges of resettlement. The event also explored ways in which we can move towards creating a sanctuary city in Toronto, rather than a metropolis that is built on the exploited labour of immegrants, migrants and refugees who struggle for access to basic services and to live with dignity in Canada.
Additional resources:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/
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