On Sunday May 2nd we interviewed Fariah who spoke about the action (rally and march) that was organized to bring awareness to the federal government’s proposed changes to immigration law that will target refugees. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is pushing a bill that will dismantle the Immigration and Refugee board, deny the Pre-Removal Risk Assessment or the Humanitarian and Compassionate Application to many claimants and ban claimants on the basis of their country of origin. The Canadian government will have a list of countries they deem safe inspite of refugee claimants’ lived realities. Proposed changes also shift responsibility of refugee sponsorship to families and private organizations. http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/442
We also interviewed Juanita Peters from the Council on African Canadian Education (CACE). The Council on African Canadian Education (CACE) is the outgrowth of the Black Learners Advisory Committee (BLAC). Formed in 1990, the BLAC was the response to ongoing struggles of African Nova Scotians to eliminate racism and receive equity in education.
In order to fulfill its mandate, the BLAC released a comprehensive study in December 1994. Encompassing 46 recommendations, the report was entitled the BLAC Report on Education - Redressing Inequity, Empowering Black Learners. One of the primary recommendations stated that the BLAC have its status modified to a provincial advisory council. In January 1996, the Nova Scotia Legislature formalized this recommendation. http://www.cace.ns.ca/home.shtml
Juanita joined us on Sunday May 2, after a three day youth conference which included African Canadian students from across Nova Scotia. There were more than 150 youth who attended the conference where the discussion centred around challenges that African Canadian youth are facing within the education system and how that can be addressed. The conference also helped to work around ascertaining the support that the youth need to succeed. We also spoke with Juanita about her recently released documentary addressing the history of Africville. The African Canadian community established in the 1800s was destroyed by the Halifax municipal government in the 1960s and the residents of Africville were scattered throughout Halifax, Nova Scotia. The property owners of Africville were never compensated in spite of promises from the government. The people of Africville even though they were uprooted and scattered continued to meet at the location every year and their determination eventually paid off with an official apology from Mayor Peter Kelly on February 24, 2010, too little too late for many. http://www.africville.ca/society/media2009_coast0730.html
The songs we played were:
Faith Nolan Viola Desmond
Sibongile Khumalo Ancestral Ways
Faith Nolan Womon in the World
Nina Simone I wish I knew how it would feel to be free Faith Nolan Africville
No comments:
Post a Comment