- This event has passed.
Environmental Racism
October 7, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Environmental Racism
Environmental racism in Canada and the actions needed to address the inequalities.
Canada has an environmental racism problem that is both blatant and systemic. Environmental degradation and the impacts of climate change have and will be felt the strongest by Indigenous and Black communities across Canada.
One of the most egregious cases is where a pulp and paper mill dumped toxic effluent directly into Boat Harbour, on the Pictou Landing First Nation in Nova Scotia for over 50 years. Dr. Ingrid Waldron – renowned author, professor, researcher, and advocate – will join eMERGE to discuss environmental racism in Canada and what is necessary to create lasting, positive, and equitable change. She will be joined by Guelph Black Heritage Society, Executive Director, Kween. Dr. Waldron and Kween will discuss Boat Harbour while looking at the issue of racism locally – environmental and otherwise.
Dr. Waldron’s book: There’s Something in the Water captured the attention of actor Ellen Page who produced a documentary about environmental racism that was featured at TIFF and is now available on Netflix.
The Book: There’s Something in the Water
The Film Trailer: There’s Something in the Water (now available on Netflix)
Join us as we host Dr. Ingrid Waldron and Kween for:
Dr. Ingrid Waldron , Ph.D., Associate Professor, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University
7:00 PM Wednesday, Oct 7
Resources
The Book: There’s Something in the Water
The Film Trailer: There’s Something in the Water (now available on Netflix)
_______________________________________________________________________
About our speakers:
Dr. Ingrid Waldron| Ph.D., Associate Professor, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University
Dr. Ingrid Waldron is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University, the Director of the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project (The ENRICH Project) and the Flagship Co-Lead of the Improving the Health of People of African Descent. Her research, teaching, community leadership and advocacy work are examining and addressing the health and mental health impacts of structural inequalities within the environment, public infrastructure, health and mental health care, and child welfare in Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities.
As the Director of the ENRICH Project over the last 8 years, Dr. Waldron has been investigating the socio-economic, political, and health effects of environmental racism in Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities. The ENRICH Project formed the basis to Dr. Waldron’s first book There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities, which received the 2020 Society for Socialist Studies Errol Sharpe Book Prize and the 2019 Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing.
The 2020 Netflix documentary There’s Something in the Water is based on Dr. Waldron’s book and was co-produced by Waldron, actress Ellen Page, Ian Daniel, and Julia Sanderson, and co-directed by Page and Daniel.
Dr. Waldron is currently developing the first national anti-environmental racism coalition that will bring together partners from multiple sectors to address and advocate around environmental racism, climate change, health inequities, and other social inequalities in Canada.
For more information on the work of Dr. Waldron, follow these links:
- Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University.
- Dr. Ingrid Waldron on LinkedIn
- Director, The Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project (The ENRICH Project)
- Healthy Populations Institute Flagship Project Co-Lead, Improving the Health Outcomes of People of African Descent
Kween| Executive Director, Guelph Black Heritage Society
Within the BIPOC (Black, Indegenious and Person of Colour) community in Guelph, Kween advocates for the rights of African and Caribbean people as Executive Director for Guelph Black Heritage Society and works closely on anti-racism training, social justice and policy change. She was the leader of Guelph’s June 6th BLM Protest and uses her platform to educate her community and elected officials. Dedicated to Carnival, helping promote black excellence through Caribana while giving her time back to the high schools during Black History Month.
Kween is a dance teacher, business owner, cannabis educator and activist. She grew up in Guelph attending the University of Guelph. She then migrated to Toronto graduating as Valedictorian from the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. She now owns two businesses: The Heels Academy and The Kween Company, teaches Soca/Dancehall and Afro at the University of Guelph and is the team coordinator and choreographer for The Guelph Nighthawks Flight Crew. She is honoured to hold an artistic residency for 2020/2021 with Guelph Dance to expand her creative ideas for the Black Community through dance.
She works actively with AHLOT on the Cannabis Curation Committee and Lyte Clinic as a Patient Educator and additionally gives back through her cannabis advocacy for the BIPOC community.
And
Bruce Weaver| Retired Teacher
Bruce Weaver is a retired elementary school teacher. He and his wife have lived in Guelph since 1983. Bruce has been active in indigenous circles since his discovery of his native heritage about 10 years ago. He currently facilitates a men’s circle, is a fire keeper for the community and is a member of Seven Generations Forward, as well as working with the Guelph Public Library to develop stronger relations with the local indigenous community. For the last 4 years, Bruce has facilitated the Kairos Blanket Exercise with local school boards, Faith groups and the University of Guelph and Ryerson University. Bruce is an active member of Nature Guelph and a keen birder.
_______________________________________________________________________
Our Sponsors
_______________________
About eMERGE
eMERGE Guelph Sustainability fights climate change to build a healthier society. It does this by engaging, and equipping Guelphites to transition to a 100% renewable energy (100RE) economy. It uses the narrative of achieving 100% Renewable Energy by 2050 as a positive goal to win this battle. This is done primarily by helping people reduce energy and water use through an individual residential focus along with community events, outreach and engagement that promote smart behavior, policy and improved efficiency to help Guelph build a road map to beat climate change and achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050.
