SBA Programming and Events
- Crafternoon
- QT2sBIPOC Discussion Night
- Monthly Lunch
- The Muslims are Coming!
- Moving Beyond the Checklist; Intro to Disability Justice and Planning Accessible Events
- Open Meeting of the SBA Anti-Sexual Violence Committee
Community Events and Resources
- Inclusive Employment Advocacy Project with AEBC
- She Talks: Answering the TRC’s Calls to Action
- 5th Annual Toronto Mapuche Solidarity Film Festiva
SBA Programming and Events
Crafternoon
Join us on March 23rd, 2017 from 4:30 – 6:30pm for another afternoon of crafting! Room 924 at 215 Huron Street.
All-Gender Washroom on the same floor.
Please note that this is a scent-free space.
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Monthly Lunch
Join us for our monthly lunch this Monday March 27th, 2017 from 12:30 – 2:30pm! We are located at 215 Huron Street, room 924.
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QT2SBIPOC Discussion Night, Monday March 27, 2017 6:00-8:00pm
Students for Barrier-free Access (SBA) and the Centre for Women and Trans People (CWTP) at U of T invites you to join us for the first night of a new series of events that works to create space for community building, critical conversation, and support for Queer, Trans and Two-Spirit, Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (QT2SBIPOC).
As organizers of this space, we recognize that this event will be taking place on the territories of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca and the Mississaugas of New Credit. We are here because this land is occupied. As organizations located within the University of Toronto, it is our responsibility to acknowledge that we are all treaty people that live, work and organize on occupied land.
We also recognize that this University is a space that many of our community members experience violence, including the violence of settler-colonialism, anti-black racism, white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, transmisogyny, ableism, sanism, classism, Islamophobia and the violence of rape culture. Recent events on campus have highlighted the ongoing presence of these forms of violence. As a collective, we work to challenge these forms of violence in our communities and in our everyday practice.
We have a strong commitment to creating anti-colonial community space that rejects ableist and sanist ways of relating. We are committed to building meaningful and reciprocal relationships between Indigenous, Black, and POC communities and to acknowledge that this requires difficult conversations to be had. Through the QT2SBIPOC Discussion Night Series, we strive to hold a space for these conversations.
Date: Monday March 27, 2017
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
Location: SBA Centre, 215 Huron Street, Suite 924, on the 9th floor.
Please note that the front doors to 215 Huron Street lock at 5:30pm. Event organizers will wait at the entrance to let people in from 5:50-6:00pm. If you arrive later, please call 416-967-7322 and one of us will let you in.
Wheelchair accessible. Accessible and all-gender washroom located on the same floor as the event room.
Please note that the SBA Centre is a scent-free space.
Snacks, including vegan and gluten-free options will be served.
If you require ASL to participate in the event, or if you have any other access needs please contact Nadia at sba.advocacycoordinator@gmail.com
***This is a QT2SBIPOC only space. As always, we appreciate the support we receive from our white allies by respecting this space and by sharing this event information with their networks.***
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The Muslims Are Coming!
This event is the second in a series which aims to create a critical conversation space for people who have some connection to Muslim identity including through family, history, and/or culture. People who identify as practicing, non-practicing, or something in between are all welcome.
Using short video clips of poetry, prose, comedy and documentaries, we will discuss the multifaceted experiences of growing up and living in migrant Muslim families/communities and the politics of being Muslim in our current times. Our conversation will centre the experiences of black and racialized Muslims and in particular the voices of queer, trans, disabled and mad people.
The Muslims Are Coming! is part of a monthly discussion series organized by SBA and CWTP.
Date: Tuesday April 18th, 2017
Time: 1:30-3:30PM
Location: 569 Spadina Ave (Accessible entrance via Bancroft Ave), Multifaith Centre / Koffler Building, Room 208, Main Activity Hall
Access Info: Wheelchair accessible building. Accessible, gender-neutral washroom on same floor as event. TTC tokens available. Video clips will have captioning or will be accompanied by written text of the dialogue. Family-friendly space. Please arrive scent-free. Snacks including vegan and gluten-free options will be served.
If you have any other access needs please contact Nadia at sba.advocacycoordinator@gmail.com
Allies, we appreciate your support in helping us maintain this closed conversations space for people who have connections to Muslim identity and by sharing this event info
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Moving Beyond the Checklist; An Introduction to Disability Justice and Planning Accessible Events
Want to plan an accessible event but not sure where to begin? SBA offers a free workshop for student clubs and organizations that provides attendees with concrete tools to plan for accessible events and student spaces. The first part of this workshop provides a brief introduction to Disability Justice as an organizing principle and outlines some of the barriers to access that students with disabilities face. The second part of the workshop includes a step-by-step discussion on planning accessible events, from event visioning, to logistics, to outreach. There is also an opportunity to ask questions of the presenters.
If you are interested in having SBA present this workshop for your club/organization leaders and members please contact Nadia at sba.advocacycoordinator@gmail.com
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Open Meeting of the SBA Anti-Sexual Violence Committee
Join the SBA Anti-Sexual Violence Committee for a discussion on U of T’s new Sexual Violence Policy, and the University’s goals for the education and prevention of sexual violence.
The Expert Panel on Education and Prevention of Sexual Violence at U of T is currently holding consultations to gather student feedback and recommendations on their sexual violence education and training program on campus. Come join us in discussing the content that you would like to see the Expert Panel prioritize.
Some of the questions we would like to address include:
1. What is the SV Policy?
2. Why was it created?
3. What would members want to see prioritized in the University’s sexual violence education and prevention training modules?
4. What would meaningful support for disabled and mad survivors of violence look like in areas of sexual violence education and training on campus?
Students for Barrier-free Access is a student-led disability justice organization that has been actively advocating for a more inclusive Sexual Violence policy and Centre for Sexual Violence Support and Education at the University of Toronto. We are committed to working towards ending campus rape culture.
Please note that while this event is open to all disabled and mad survivors of violence, we seek to centre the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous and POC disabled and mad survivors. We ask that event attendees be mindful of the space that they are taking in the discussion and support the collective in creating a respectful and meaningful community dialogue.
Date: Tuesday April 4th, 2017
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Community Events and Resources
Inclusive Employment Advocacy Project Communiqué and Special Invitation
The Alliance for Equality for Blind Canadians (AEBC) is launching a City of Toronto-funded project to provide new self-advocacy tools, resources and training for people with disabilities seeking employment. This peer engagement project will equip people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds to better advocate for equal access to employment services, programs and opportunities.
Project activities include identifying barriers, gathering and developing advocacy resources, education and training. Project outcomes include participants being able to present a case for inclusion in employment services and programs.
Project participants will consist of persons with different disabilities from diverse groups including women, youth, seniors, ethno-racial minorities, and LGBTQ community members, among others, who are unemployed or under-employed. They are invited to join two parts of the project:
- Focus Groups in five regions of the Toronto Area: Downtown Toronto, North York, Scarborough, East York/Beaches, and Etobicoke/West Toronto.
- Five education/training sessions, developed from their recommendations, to be led by Subject Matter Experts.
For more information, including dates, times and location of focus groups, please review attachment.
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She Talks: Answering the TRC’s Calls to Action
Date: Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Location: Benson Student Lounge, Athletic Centre, 55 Harbord St.
FREE FOOD FREE ADMISSION
Featuring:
- Sarah Bear, U of T student in history and English, 2017 SOAR Aboriginal Youth Gathering student coordinator
- Bonnie Jane Maracle, U of T Aboriginal Learning Strategist, U of T TRC Steering Committee Co-Chair on Indigenous Curriculum
- Keren Rice, Chair of the Department of Linguistics, Interim Director of the Centre for Indigenous Studies
- Jennifer Sylvester, U of T student specializing in Indigenous Studies, President and Communications Coordinator of the U of T Indigenous Studies Students’ Union
Register at https://shetalks2017.eventbrite.com
Presented by the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education’s Equity Movement, Indigenous Studies Students and the Indigenous Education Network
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5th Annual Toronto Mapuche Solidarity Film Festival
In memory of our Mapuche WEICHAFE [WARRIORS] MATIAS CATRILEO & ALEX LEMUN, & the many others (indigenous and non-indigenous) who have been murdered by the repressive forces of the Chilean State.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1st & SUNDAY APRIL 2nd
University of Toronto – Specific Location TBA
*ALL NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILMS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES*
Donations Appreciated
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/673956192776744/
Speakers TBA!
Organized by: The Women’s Coordinating Committee for a Free Wallmapu [Toronto] An OPIRG Toronto Action Group
For more information: https://wccctoronto.wordpress.com/
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OPENING NIGHT – SATURDAY, APRIL 1ST
5PM – OPENING RECEPTION feat. the SubMedia Collective
GUEST SPEAKERS: Frank @ SubMedia (Director of Killing the Black Snake: Behind the Scenes of the #NoDAPL Struggle)
MORE TBA!
This year we are proud to present the director of Killing the Black Snake: Behind the Scenes of the #NoDAPL Struggle, made by our friends at the SubMedia Collective on the ongoing struggle against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
SubMedia.tv is a video production ensemble, which aims to promote anarchist and anti-capitalist ideas, and aid social struggles through the dissemination of radical films and videos. Founded in 1994, subMedia.tv has produced hundreds of videos on everything from anti-globalization protests to films about shoplifting. Their films have been screened around the world in social centers and movie theaters and have been watched by millions on the internet.
6PM – Trouble – Killing the Black Snake: Behind the Scenes of the #NoDAPL Struggle, Turtle Island, 2017 (30 minutes)
Since December of 2016, the Submedia Collective have been developing “Trouble,” a new monthly show offering in-depth anarchist analysis on various topics, struggles and movement dynamics. Killing the Black Snake: Behind the Scenes of the #NoDAPL Struggle, is the first to be published in the documentary series depicting the recent struggle to protect sacred indigenous lands and waters at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The motivation in producing this film was to shed light on the important contributions made by indigenous warriors on the frontline to the broader struggle against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
6:30PM – Üxüf Xipay: The Plunder, Wallmapu, 2003 (75 minutes)
***Winner of the Best Documentary Film for “Indigenous Peoples,” at the Voices against Silence Mexican Documentary Film Festival, 2004. Best Film for Testimonial Value, at the International Indigenous Film Festival in Santiago, Chile, 2004. Official Selection of the Toulouse Documentary Film Festival, 2006. ***
This documentary exposes the multiple dimensions of the Mapuche Nation’s organizational process throughout 120 years of struggle, in six thematic segments. “Wallmapu” sheds light on Mapuche cosmology, the traditions of a people, and the extension of this territory up till the moment of the Spanish Conquest. “The Reservation” refers to the relationship between the Mapuche People and the Chilean State, its respective colonizers, its consequences and visions of the future. “Reform and Counter-reform” encapsulates the implementation of Chilean Agrarian Reform policy and its impact in the reclamation of indigenous territories, as well as the subsequent military coup of 1973, ending the redistribution process. “Road Closures” focuses on the period of democratic transition with the implementation of the Indigenous Law and the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (CONADI) by then President Patricio Aylwin. “Logging Country” highlights the dilemma faced by indigenous populations as a result of the military regime’s subsidization of the Forestry sector continued in the current democratic period. Finally, “the Movement” depicts the current resistance capacity of the Mapuche people from the perspective of front line warriors, touching on the strategies of land reclamation.
8PM – Embrace of the Serpent, Colombia/Abya Yala, 2016 (125 minutes)
*** Academy Awards Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, 2016. Winner of the Ariel Award for Best Ibero-American Film, 2016. Winner of the Fénix Film Award for Best Direction, 2015.***
See Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOa9pjl37Lo
At once blistering and poetic, the ravages of colonialism cast a dark shadow over the South American landscape in EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT, the third feature by Ciro Guerra. Filmed in stunning black-and-white, SERPENT centers on Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and the last survivor of his people, and the two scientists who, over the course of 40 years, build a friendship with him. The film was inspired by the real-life journals of two explorers (Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes) who traveled through the Colombian Amazon during the last century in search of the sacred and difficult-to-find psychedelic Yakruna plant.
SUNDAY, APRIL 2nd
1PM – Strawberry and Chocolate, Cuba, 1993 (110 min)
***Winner of the Goya Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 1995; the ACRI-NOVA Award at the Havana International Film Festival, 1993; the Silver Berlin Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and Honorable Mention at the Sundance Film Festival, 1995. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, 1995.
See Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VnwSHpEgv8
Havana 1993 – Queerness, prejudice and the questioning of gender and political binaries are highlighted in Tomas Gutierrez Alea’s Strawberry and Chocolate. The renowned Cuban Director (“Memories of Underdevelopment,” 1968), Gutierrez Alea delivers a refreshing critical lens into contemporary Cuban society. David is a student of Social Sciences in the University of Havana. Diego is a homosexual that lives for and to exalt cuban culture. One opens up to the complex world of personal realities, the other fights to be recognized and not be discriminated because of his sexual preferences. David and Diego, two human beings apparently opposite, separated by prejudices, distanced by their political, cultural and sexual preferences, find the difficult road towards friendship. A universal conflict form part of the lights and shadows of Havana and the spectacular unaffordable cost of cuban culture. Strawberry and Chocolate is not a movie about the seduction of a body, but about the seduction of a mind; a true reflection of understanding and solidarity.
3PM – The Colony [“Colonia Dignidad”], Chile/England, 2015 (120 minutes)
See Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIDcyadRqy4
Based on true events. Chile 1973: a young woman’s desperate search for her abducted boyfriend draws her into the infamous Colonia Dignidad, ex-Nazi cult founded by Wehrmacht officer and Hitler Youth veteran Paul Schäfer from which no one has ever escaped. Colonia Dignidad was one of the central torture centres of Pinochet’s military regime, where hundreds of people were tortured, murdered and disappeared.
5PM – The Baader-Meinhof Complex, Germany, 2008 (184 minutes)
***Nominated for Best for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, 2009; Golden Globe Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, 2009. Best Film Production at the Bavarian Film Awards***
See Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FanVI8-zlsA
Germany 1967. The children of the Nazi generation have grown up in the devastation their parents created. They vowed fascism would never rule again. Director Uli Edel teams with screenwriter Bernd Eichinger to explore this drama detailing the rise and fall of the Red Army Faction. Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, and Ulrike Meinhof – the central founders of the RAF – are inflamed by worldwide and local events, such as Vietnam, and German industrialism, which lead them to conclude that violence is the only effective form of opposition.
8PM – In the Name of the Father, Ireland, 1993 (133 minutes)
The film tells the true story of Irish youth, Gerry Conlon, one of the “Guildford Four” who were handed life sentences for wrongful conviction of an IRA bombing in 1974, where he and his father are taken to prison. Working with a fiercely dedicated lawyer, Gerry determines to prove his innocence, clear his father’s name and expose the truth behind one of the most shameful legal events in recent history.–
Students for Barrier-Free Access 