International Women's Day and More!
Hey There!
I hope everyone is having a super relaxing reading week, because the women's centre is going to be busy this week and next, which is International Women's Week!! Here's what is going on:
1- Feminist Film Fridays
2- Capoiera Workshop
3- Clothing Swap/ Free Store
4- Zine Making Workshop
5- Stitch 'n Bitch
6- Breakdance Workshop
7- So Ann Auguste
8- Discussion in the Centre
9- International Women's Day
10- The Vagina Monologues
11- New Books
12- Joe Doherty's Campaign Poster
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- Feminist Film Fridays
Beginning this Friday, The Women's Centre will be having regular screenings of documentaries starting with Black Mother, Black Daughter, in honor of African History Month.
Date: Friday, February 23rd
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Loyola 275
Cost: FREE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2- Capoiera Workshop
We will be continuing the capoiera workshops for women this week.
It is open to all skill levels and it is FREE!
Just come to the fitness room in the Tower on Friday, February 23rd at 1:00.
Don't forget your student I.D.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3- Clothing Swap/Free Store
Bring in your retired clothing or just bring yourself! This is a great opportunity to get rid of the clothes that you no longer wear, or just to spruce up your wardrobe for free.
Where: Ozmon Boardroom, 5th Floor Student Centre
Date: Tuesday, February 27th
Time: 12:00pm
Cost: FREE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4- Zine Making Workshop
In recognition of February as National Eating Disorder Awareness Month, we will be meeting in the Women's Centre to discuss the issues and create a zine with a focus on Body Image. Everyone is welcome.
Date: Wednesday, February 28th
Time: 2:00pm
Place: Women's Centre, 526 Student Centre
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5- Stitch 'n Bitch
In response to popular demand, the centre will be hosting a lunch hour of stitchin and bitchin. Open to knitters/sewers of all skill levels. Supplies provided.
Date: Thursday, March 1st
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Women's Centre, 526 Student Centre
Let's get knotty ;)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6- Breakdance Workshop:
There will be another breakdancing class for women taking place in The Fitness Room in The Tower. Open to all skill levels.
Date: Friday, March 2nd
Time: 3:30- 5:30pm
Cost: FREE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7- So Ann Auguste:
(media release)
Former Haiti political prisoner to speak across Canada"Even though they released me, I still am not free. There are other Sò Ann's still in jail."
HALIFAX – Haitian political rights figure and renowned folk singer Annette "Sò Ann" Auguste will speak in five cities across Canada from February 28 to March 6. Detained as a political prisoner in Haiti for more than two years, she will talk about her ordeal and about Haiti's present political situation. Her tour is organized by the Canada Haiti Action Network. Auguste will be speaking in Halifax at 6:30 PM on March 3rd at the Sobey Theatre Auditorium, Saint Mary’s University.
Auguste, 62 and a grandmother, was seized by US Marines on May 10, 2004 (Mothers Day) and spent the next two years and three months in a Port au Prince prison. She was one of several high-profile symbols of the repressive regime that followed a foreign invasion and violent overthrow on February 29, 2004 of the elected government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.In January 2006, Amnesty International declared Auguste a political prisoner. In August of that year, a judge dismissed flimsy charges against her. Her release was greeted with jubilation in Haiti and across the diaspora. In contrast, most Canadian government-funded human rights agencies and non-governmental organizations concerned with Haiti were silent during her two year-plus illegal incarceration.
During the 29-year Duvalier-family dictatorship and succeeding military juntas, Auguste lived in New York City where she was a democracy activist and protest singer. Upon returning to Haiti in 1994, she quickly became a prominent organizer and leader in the Lavalas Family party of Jean- Bertrand Aristide, whom she helped to re-elect in November 2000.Soldiers from Canada, France and the U.S. spearheaded the February 2004 overthrow (coup) of the elected government. U.S. soldiers kidnapped Aristide and his wife from their home on February 29 and flew them into exile in Africa. The post-coup regime drove many Lavalas Family leaders into exile; Auguste remained in the country.Canada provided extensive funding and political backing to the two-year, post-coup regime in Haiti. That regime and its RCMP-trained police agency, the Haitian National Police (HNP), were widely condemned for human rights atrocities. A September 2006 study published in the prestigious UK medical journal The Lancet reported 4,000 political killings and 35,000 sexual assaults against women in the twenty-two months following February 2004, most of which are attributed to the HNP or paramilitary death squads supportive of the regime. Canadian money has funded the justice system that, to this day, holds scores of other political prisoners in Haiti's crowded jails.
The new government of Haiti elected in February 2006 operates under severe constraints. It has 9,000 UN-sponsored foreign troops on its territory and is almost entirely dependent on foreign aid money to run its ministries and services. The Haitian government elected in 2000 had its foreign aid funding entirely cut when it resisted demands to privatize its state-owned enterprises and reduce its social services.
Annette Auguste will speak in Ottawa on February 28, Toronto on March 2, Halifax on March 3, Vancouver on March 5, and Victoria on March 6. For location of events and background on Haiti: http://canadahaitiaction.ca
For more information, contact:Jean Saint-Vil, Ottawa (613) 482-2549
Kevin Skerrett, Ottawa (613) 864-1590
Kabir Joshi-Vijayan, Toronto (416) 731-2325
Roger Annis, Vancouver (778) 858-5179
Stuart Neatby, Haiti Action Halifax (902) 405-9480, hah@nspirg.org
For more information on Annette Auguste, see this report:http://www.haitianalysis.com/2007/1/16/"i-still-am-not-free"-sò-Àn-meets-with-new-york's-haitian-communityFor a report on the current situation in Haiti, see this article from the February 12 edition of Counterpunch:http://www.counterpunch.com/carroll02122007.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8- Discussion:
At least 26 women, and as many as 49, have been brutally murdered in Vancouver by a pig farmer. As women, many of us specifically have very strong feelings about this tragedy, and we are holding a discussion group to share them with each other.
Date: Wednesday, March 9th
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Women's Centre, 526 Student Centre
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9- International Women's Day:
Putting Equality Back on Track
International Women’s Day Event
Date: March 8, 2007
Time: Starts at 6:00pm
Location: Olympic Centre on the corner of Cunard and Hunter St., Halifax
Mock trial of Stephen Harper, Protest March
and at 8 pm, a celebration of women’s talent and
feminist resistance.
Free Admission – Cash Bar
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10- The Vagina Monologues:
The Vagina Monologues are just around the corner! Get your tickets in advance at the Women's Centre, or at Venus Envy on Barrington St.
Ticket prices are as follows: Students, Un/der waged: $7., Fairly Waged: $10.
Saint Mary's, McNally Theatre Auditorium
Dates: March 9th and 10th
Time: 7:00pm
Khyber Centre for the Arts (With Christina Martin) 19+
Date: March 11th
Time: 7:00pm
The Radial Cheerleaders will be there too!!
Don't miss it!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11- New Books:
Just a reminder that we are now expanding our library on a monthly basis, and these books are available for anyone to use.
In addition to this semester's Women's Studies textbooks, and 2 gender neutral children's books (to help make our centre as comfy as possible for our awesome little visitors),we also have the following new additions to our library:
-The Unprocessed Child: Living without School, by Valerie Fitzenriter
-Pornified, by Pamela Paul
-Sex, Work and Sex Work: Eroticizing Organization, by Joanna Brewis
-Insecure at Last: Losing it in our Security Obsessed World, by Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues)
-The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood makes us Smarter, by Katherine Ellison
-Race against Time, by Stephen Lewis
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12- Joe Doherty Campaign Poster:
Concerning the recent SMUSA election, I would like to raise a point about a smutty campaign poster that was used in Joe Doherty’s campaign for President. The posters depicted him standing above an open mouthed woman, pouring “milk” into her mouth. At first glance, the image may be mistaken for a classic cumshot… after a closer look however, it becomes evident that it is in fact a campaign poster designed in poor taste to appeal to the male chauvinist population at SMU.
The posters were out of line. As a woman, I know that I am personally offended by the demeaning manner in which the female in his poster is portrayed, and I would be more comfortable knowing that I did not have to be subjected to such discriminatory imagery in the future.
This is the type of example that we do not want to set for students, and I encourage anyone who feels the same way to let SMUSA know.
With so much going on over the next couple of weeks, I hope to see lots of you!
Happy Reading Week!
Holly.
I hope everyone is having a super relaxing reading week, because the women's centre is going to be busy this week and next, which is International Women's Week!! Here's what is going on:
1- Feminist Film Fridays
2- Capoiera Workshop
3- Clothing Swap/ Free Store
4- Zine Making Workshop
5- Stitch 'n Bitch
6- Breakdance Workshop
7- So Ann Auguste
8- Discussion in the Centre
9- International Women's Day
10- The Vagina Monologues
11- New Books
12- Joe Doherty's Campaign Poster
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- Feminist Film Fridays
Beginning this Friday, The Women's Centre will be having regular screenings of documentaries starting with Black Mother, Black Daughter, in honor of African History Month.
Date: Friday, February 23rd
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Loyola 275
Cost: FREE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2- Capoiera Workshop
We will be continuing the capoiera workshops for women this week.
It is open to all skill levels and it is FREE!
Just come to the fitness room in the Tower on Friday, February 23rd at 1:00.
Don't forget your student I.D.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3- Clothing Swap/Free Store
Bring in your retired clothing or just bring yourself! This is a great opportunity to get rid of the clothes that you no longer wear, or just to spruce up your wardrobe for free.
Where: Ozmon Boardroom, 5th Floor Student Centre
Date: Tuesday, February 27th
Time: 12:00pm
Cost: FREE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4- Zine Making Workshop
In recognition of February as National Eating Disorder Awareness Month, we will be meeting in the Women's Centre to discuss the issues and create a zine with a focus on Body Image. Everyone is welcome.
Date: Wednesday, February 28th
Time: 2:00pm
Place: Women's Centre, 526 Student Centre
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5- Stitch 'n Bitch
In response to popular demand, the centre will be hosting a lunch hour of stitchin and bitchin. Open to knitters/sewers of all skill levels. Supplies provided.
Date: Thursday, March 1st
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Women's Centre, 526 Student Centre
Let's get knotty ;)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6- Breakdance Workshop:
There will be another breakdancing class for women taking place in The Fitness Room in The Tower. Open to all skill levels.
Date: Friday, March 2nd
Time: 3:30- 5:30pm
Cost: FREE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7- So Ann Auguste:
(media release)
Former Haiti political prisoner to speak across Canada"Even though they released me, I still am not free. There are other Sò Ann's still in jail."
HALIFAX – Haitian political rights figure and renowned folk singer Annette "Sò Ann" Auguste will speak in five cities across Canada from February 28 to March 6. Detained as a political prisoner in Haiti for more than two years, she will talk about her ordeal and about Haiti's present political situation. Her tour is organized by the Canada Haiti Action Network. Auguste will be speaking in Halifax at 6:30 PM on March 3rd at the Sobey Theatre Auditorium, Saint Mary’s University.
Auguste, 62 and a grandmother, was seized by US Marines on May 10, 2004 (Mothers Day) and spent the next two years and three months in a Port au Prince prison. She was one of several high-profile symbols of the repressive regime that followed a foreign invasion and violent overthrow on February 29, 2004 of the elected government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.In January 2006, Amnesty International declared Auguste a political prisoner. In August of that year, a judge dismissed flimsy charges against her. Her release was greeted with jubilation in Haiti and across the diaspora. In contrast, most Canadian government-funded human rights agencies and non-governmental organizations concerned with Haiti were silent during her two year-plus illegal incarceration.
During the 29-year Duvalier-family dictatorship and succeeding military juntas, Auguste lived in New York City where she was a democracy activist and protest singer. Upon returning to Haiti in 1994, she quickly became a prominent organizer and leader in the Lavalas Family party of Jean- Bertrand Aristide, whom she helped to re-elect in November 2000.Soldiers from Canada, France and the U.S. spearheaded the February 2004 overthrow (coup) of the elected government. U.S. soldiers kidnapped Aristide and his wife from their home on February 29 and flew them into exile in Africa. The post-coup regime drove many Lavalas Family leaders into exile; Auguste remained in the country.Canada provided extensive funding and political backing to the two-year, post-coup regime in Haiti. That regime and its RCMP-trained police agency, the Haitian National Police (HNP), were widely condemned for human rights atrocities. A September 2006 study published in the prestigious UK medical journal The Lancet reported 4,000 political killings and 35,000 sexual assaults against women in the twenty-two months following February 2004, most of which are attributed to the HNP or paramilitary death squads supportive of the regime. Canadian money has funded the justice system that, to this day, holds scores of other political prisoners in Haiti's crowded jails.
The new government of Haiti elected in February 2006 operates under severe constraints. It has 9,000 UN-sponsored foreign troops on its territory and is almost entirely dependent on foreign aid money to run its ministries and services. The Haitian government elected in 2000 had its foreign aid funding entirely cut when it resisted demands to privatize its state-owned enterprises and reduce its social services.
Annette Auguste will speak in Ottawa on February 28, Toronto on March 2, Halifax on March 3, Vancouver on March 5, and Victoria on March 6. For location of events and background on Haiti: http://canadahaitiaction.ca
For more information, contact:Jean Saint-Vil, Ottawa (613) 482-2549
Kevin Skerrett, Ottawa (613) 864-1590
Kabir Joshi-Vijayan, Toronto (416) 731-2325
Roger Annis, Vancouver (778) 858-5179
Stuart Neatby, Haiti Action Halifax (902) 405-9480, hah@nspirg.org
For more information on Annette Auguste, see this report:http://www.haitianalysis.com/2007/1/16/"i-still-am-not-free"-sò-Àn-meets-with-new-york's-haitian-communityFor a report on the current situation in Haiti, see this article from the February 12 edition of Counterpunch:http://www.counterpunch.com/carroll02122007.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8- Discussion:
At least 26 women, and as many as 49, have been brutally murdered in Vancouver by a pig farmer. As women, many of us specifically have very strong feelings about this tragedy, and we are holding a discussion group to share them with each other.
Date: Wednesday, March 9th
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Women's Centre, 526 Student Centre
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9- International Women's Day:
Putting Equality Back on Track
International Women’s Day Event
Date: March 8, 2007
Time: Starts at 6:00pm
Location: Olympic Centre on the corner of Cunard and Hunter St., Halifax
Mock trial of Stephen Harper, Protest March
and at 8 pm, a celebration of women’s talent and
feminist resistance.
Free Admission – Cash Bar
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10- The Vagina Monologues:
The Vagina Monologues are just around the corner! Get your tickets in advance at the Women's Centre, or at Venus Envy on Barrington St.
Ticket prices are as follows: Students, Un/der waged: $7., Fairly Waged: $10.
Saint Mary's, McNally Theatre Auditorium
Dates: March 9th and 10th
Time: 7:00pm
Khyber Centre for the Arts (With Christina Martin) 19+
Date: March 11th
Time: 7:00pm
The Radial Cheerleaders will be there too!!
Don't miss it!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11- New Books:
Just a reminder that we are now expanding our library on a monthly basis, and these books are available for anyone to use.
In addition to this semester's Women's Studies textbooks, and 2 gender neutral children's books (to help make our centre as comfy as possible for our awesome little visitors),we also have the following new additions to our library:
-The Unprocessed Child: Living without School, by Valerie Fitzenriter
-Pornified, by Pamela Paul
-Sex, Work and Sex Work: Eroticizing Organization, by Joanna Brewis
-Insecure at Last: Losing it in our Security Obsessed World, by Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues)
-The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood makes us Smarter, by Katherine Ellison
-Race against Time, by Stephen Lewis
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12- Joe Doherty Campaign Poster:
Concerning the recent SMUSA election, I would like to raise a point about a smutty campaign poster that was used in Joe Doherty’s campaign for President. The posters depicted him standing above an open mouthed woman, pouring “milk” into her mouth. At first glance, the image may be mistaken for a classic cumshot… after a closer look however, it becomes evident that it is in fact a campaign poster designed in poor taste to appeal to the male chauvinist population at SMU.
The posters were out of line. As a woman, I know that I am personally offended by the demeaning manner in which the female in his poster is portrayed, and I would be more comfortable knowing that I did not have to be subjected to such discriminatory imagery in the future.
This is the type of example that we do not want to set for students, and I encourage anyone who feels the same way to let SMUSA know.
With so much going on over the next couple of weeks, I hope to see lots of you!
Happy Reading Week!
Holly.
