David Leyton-Brown
McLaughlin College will host an event to mark social justice and Black History Month on Feb. 24 from noon to 2pm in the Junior Common Room, 014 McLaughlin College.
“UN World Day of Social Justice & Black History Month Celebrations” will feature a panel of guest speakers who will touch on social justice as the root of thriving, peaceful coexistence among different nations.
“We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants,” reads the description scribed by the UN for the 2016 theme for World Day of Social Justice. “We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.”
David Leyton-Brown, master of McLaughlin College and professor of political science at York University, will be the event moderator. He will introduce panellists, including:
- Alvin Curling, former speaker of the Ontario Legislature, MPP, Canadian Envoy to the Dominican Republic, and educator, who will take the broader international perspective and consider developments in various parts of the world;
- Zanana Akande, former MPP, former educator and school principal, who will address the issue of carding;
- Debbie Douglas, executive director for the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), who will discuss immigration and refugee matters, and how agencies are coping with new demands on the resettlement sector in Ontario; and
- Olivia Chow, distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University, and former MP and city councilor (Toronto), who will focus on how to mobilize social action for positive constructive change in Canadian society.
Each speaker will be limited to about 15 minutes, and the event will close with a Q&A.
Light refreshments will be provided.
The event is co-sponsored by the Office of the Master, McLaughlin College, and the School of Public Policy & Administration.
For more information, contact Vicky Carnevale at vcarneva@yorku.ca, ext. 33824.