Image: Jameela Jamil and Matt McGorry, from Earwolf I really struggled to pinpoint what I wanted to talk about for this last submission. There are so many social justice issues that I feel passionate about, I had difficulty narrowing it down to just one. So instead, I decided to do a nod to a couple of activists that I admire, as per May’s suggestion, and to recommend a podcast episode where they have an open and inspiring conversation with each other. Jameela Jamil and Matt

We should not have to hurt in silence anymore Disabled people are not tokens for your charity tours The world’s inaccessibility designates our reality It should not be that way but society has no neutrality And if you do not think that, then you are extremely out of date Sounds to me like you are still looking for a reason to hate Just because you do not see it, does not mean it’s not there You do not experience limiting healthcare and pitiful stares We experience barrier to

I have discovered very much about what it means to become an activist and the significant role that activism plays in my life...

Content warning: This post and the film it references discuss suicide. For my final blog post I have chosen a short film titled “Desiderium” directed by Maeve O’Haire. Before watching the film and reading this post further, I would like to mention that it may be triggering for certain people as suicide is the main theme. Produced in 2019, this film depicts life after losing a loved one to suicide. Being such a taboo subject, one that often makes people uncomfortable, I feel i

Image: collage by student I have created a small collage of images that represent disability. From past courses, I have learned that the disability is not within the person/body but rather the outside forces that do not allow the individual to participate in society. I have learned that society values abled bodies, so we tend to neglect the needs of people with disabilities. They deserve to feel comfortable and welcome in outside spaces just like everyone else. Stigma and lab

My art piece is based on the poem “Rise Like the Sun” by Ziysah von Bieberstein. Within the course Activists and Activisms, Ziysah’s poetry came up multiple times to display our main topics of solidarity and activism. With many other examples of solidarity and activism presented through course content and guest lecturers, the question of “what is activism” remains. Throughout this course, we have openly discussed what is activism and what it means to be an activist. Both ques

Content warning: This post discusses violence against women, sexual assault, rape, cat-calling, and unwanted male sexual attention. I’m going to get vulnerable, more vulnerable than I have ever been. In fact, you, the reader, will be the first to know about what I have gone through as a young woman, at the hands of a man and all the unwanted attention it brought. #YesAllWomen. When I was 14, after a Marianas Trench concert in downtown Hamilton, I was bent down tying my shoe.

Image: portrait of Syrus Marcus Ware by Jalani Morgan With school being online, many classes had guest lecturers come in and talk to students about their research or work within the community. One of these guest lecturers was Syrus Marcus Ware, who talked about the Black Lives Matter movement and his work around activism. Before Syrus Marcus Ware give his talk within my class, I was aware of him and his artwork. The BLM movement has grown tremendously over the years and a lot

Image: Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, and Danny Glover photographed in an embrace of unity as cast mates from ‘The Last Black Man in San Fransico.’ You see, I have no memories of my childhood with a two-parent home, but my parents were both individually active and present in my life. I grew up in an environment where broken families were the norm. Mothers were usually the sole parent to their children and fathers were absent – negligent, incarcerated, or dead. I, however, was

Content warning: This post mentions sexual assault. Free verse: #MeToo End our fear I know longer want to look behind me when I walk End our fear I know longer want to put my keys between my knuckles to feel safe End our fear I know longer want to cover my body because someone is always watching End our fear It may not be all men but trust me it is all women End our fear All women know women who have been sexually harassed End our fear All women know women who fear men End o