* mark your calenders for March 1 and March 21 . please forward. *

A series of events to commemorate March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racism. 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…

STRUGGLES AGAINST RACISM ARE NOT OVER!

*** March 1st: An evening of film, speakers, spoken word, and more ***

Award winning film CONTINUOUS JOURNEY; opening talk by critically acclaimed writer and activist LEE MARACLE; spoken word and poetry from inspiring community members SADHU BINNING, RITA WONG, and RAUL GATICA

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SATURDAY MARCH 1
FOOD @ 4:30 PM
Multipurpose Room (2nd floor), Bonsor Community Centre
6550 Bonsor Avenue (1 block east of Metrotown Skytrain Station)

Pay what you can.
Wheel chair accessible. Bus tickets available
Childcare on site (pls call 604 220 0451 to register)
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* To mark the 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the racist and exclusionary Continuous Journey Rule passed in 1908 we are screening the highly acclaimed and award-winning film “Continuous Journey”.

The Kamagata Maru entered the port of Vancouver in 1914. On board were 376 immigrants, who for two months, lived like prisoners, threatened by famine and disease as the ship was refused permission to land with scores of people, media, and government calling for “White Canada Forever.” The incident marks a dark chapter in Canada’s immigration history and contributed to the growing anti-colonial sentiment in India. The film, which required eight years of research, is solidly documented, packed with archival material, and resonates powerfully with contemporary events.

* Talk by LEE MARACLE: Lee is of Salish and Cree ancestry, and a member of the Stó:lô Nation. She is a gifted orator and the author of critically acclaimed “Ravensong”, “I am Woman”, “Bobbi Lee-Indian Rebel”, “Daughters are Forever” and the poetry collection “Bentbox”. She has been an active member of the Red Power Movement and Liberation Support Movement and her writings reflect her efforts against racism, sexism, and white cultural and colonial domination.

* Poetry by SADHU BINNING (Punjabi, English). Sadhu is at the forefront of Punjabi/English diasporic writing with dozens of poetry collections, books of fiction, and plays. He edited a literary monthly Watno Dur; co-edited a quarterly Watan; and is a a founding member of Vancouver Sath, a theatre collective. Nearly all his poems reflect on the legacy of the Komagatamaru and other struggles of Indian immigrants agaist racism and labour exploitation such as the farmworkers in BC.

* Poetry by RITA WONG. Rita is the author of monkeypuzzle and forage. Her poems have appeared in anthologies such as Ribsauce: a CD/Anthology of Words by Women, The Common Sky: Canadian Writers Against the War, and Shift and Switch: New Canadian Poetry, and more. Her work investigates the intersections between decolonization, social justice, gender, racialization, labour, migration, and contemporary poetics. She was a founding member of Direct Action Against Refugee Exploitation (DARE).

* Poetry by RAUL GATICA (Spanish, English). Raul is a member in exile of the Consejo Indigena Popular de Oaxaca Ricardo Flores Magon (CIPO-RFM), an indigenous community organization in Oaxaca, Mexico. His struggles embody those of indigenous self-determination, against neoliberalism affecting people of the Global South, and of a refugee to North America.

MARCH AGAINST RACISM!

Join us on March 21, International Day for the Elimination of Racism, to show our communities collective strength in challenging ongoing racism. Canadian multiculturalism is not enough!

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COMMUNITY MARCH
Friday March 21 at 1 pm
(Good Friday Holiday)
Meet at Clark Park on Commercial Drive and 14th
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==> Bring your children and family.
==> There will be food, water and snacks during the march.
==> Rest vehicles will accompany the march.
==> All welcome!

For centuries, communities have led countless courageous struggles against racism and the many ways in which it manifests itself in our daily lives. Although many would like to believe that racism no longer exists, we are reclaiming the tradition of anti-racist marches to reveal the ugly truth about the worsening reality of racism both locally and globally. Join us on March 21 to celebrate the dignity, strength, and resilience of our communities!

– End individual and institutional racism, racial violence, and racial profiling!
– Stop the theft of indigenous lands!
– End all racist wars and occupations!
– Stop the deportations now!
– Living wages, healthcare, education, and housing for all!

[[[ Events organized and supported by a community network including No One Is Illegal, Indigenous Action Movement, Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation, Canadian Arab Federation, John Graham Support, Siraat Collective, Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society, DTES Elders Council, SIKLAB – Overseas Filipino Workers Organization, Anniversaries of Change, International Indigenous Youth Conference Secretariat, Canadian Muslim Union, Asian Society for the Intervention of AIDS, Justicia for Migrant Workers, Al-Awda Vancouver, Salaam Vancouver, Iranian Federation of Refugees, Cafe Rebelde Coalition, VIRSA, Latin American Connexions, Hogans Alley Memorial Project, Filipino Nurses Support Group, La Surda Latin American Collective, Indigenous Free School, Communities for Laibar Singh, Canadian Network for Democratic Nepal, Canada Palestine Association, Group of Relatives and Friends of Political Prisoners in Mexico, South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy, Consejo Indigena Popular de Oaxaca Ricardo Flores Magon (CIPO-Vancouver), Chetna Dalit Association, Philippine Women Centre of BC, Coalition of South Asian Women Against Violence, Vancouver Status of Women, The North Shore Women’s Centre, Battered Women Support Services, Friends of Women in the Middle East Society, Women Against Violence Against Women, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Hospital Employees Union, Industrial Workers of the World, SFU Teaching Support Staff Union, Vancouver District Labour Council, Canadian Union of Public Employees – Local 1004, Gallery Gachet, Rhizome Cafe, New World Theatre, Colouring Book Project, UBC Realities of Race, SFU Public Interest Research Group, BC Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, StopWar.ca, Anti Poverty Committee, Politics Re-Spun, Building Bridges to Chiapas, Alliance of People’s Health, International Solidarity Movement Vancouver, SFU Interfaith Summer Institute Community Consultative Committee, Vancouver District Labour Council Young Workers Committee, Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance, UBC Students for a Democratic Society ]]]

To add your name to the list of supporting organizations, please do get in touch! CONTACT noii-van@resist.ca or call 778 885 0040.