SATURDAY MARCH 21. rhizome cafe, 317 e. broadway

* 6:30 – 7:30 pm: artists of colour showcase. please bring $ and support their creations! (tshirts, crafts, prints, posters, art and more) Free food served during artists showcase (on us and Rhizome)
* WITH: Louis Cruz, Tania Willard, Afuwa Granger, Riadh Hashim, Angela Sterritt, Gord Hill, Kat Norris, People’s History of Kanada posters, Café Ramona and products made by Zapatista Mayan women, and more.

* 7:30 – 9:30 pm: wicked performances and inspiring words includes spoken word, storytelling, children’s songs, hip hop, comedy, musical performances, and talks! Enjoy dinner and drinks from Rhizome’s delicious menu
* WITH: George Ciccariello-Maher from OAKLAND!, Kat Norris, Aysha and Sahara, Carnegie Community Action Project Choir, Hari Alluri, Reem Alnuweiri, Ros Salvador, Sinag Bayan Filipino Cultural Collective, Priscillia Mays, Gupreet Kambo, Alaaeldin Abdalla, and Lindsay Bomberry.

March 21 marks the anniversary of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa when police opened fire on hundreds of South Africans protesting against Apartheid’s passbook laws, killing 67 and wounding 186.

For centuries, communities have led countless courageous struggles against racism and the ways it manifests itself in our daily lives. Although many would like to believe that it no longer exists, the ugly truth is that racism is present locally, globally and in various ways including:

– Individual and institutional racism and racial profiling based on falsely equating the “West” as an evolved and egalitarian culture versus racialized peoples as backward, inherently patriarchal, and savage. 
– Ongoing theft and dispossession of Indigenous lands and peoples, in BC made worse with the upcoming 2010 Olympics.
– Racist and imperialist wars and occupations from Palestine and Afghanistan to the Phillipines and Haiti.
– Increasing number of detentions and deportations, exploitation of (im)migrant workers, and heightened border security.
– Growing poverty and poor wages as well as lack of access to adequate healthcare, education, housing due to corporate globalization.

Join us this March 21, International Day for the Elimination of Racism, for a powerful and uplifting evening with artists and performers to show our communities’ collective strength in challenging racism and white supremacy.

the invisible are dreaming. the fallen have risen. by raising the ground up ~ ignite resistance.