Still We Refuse! A Conversation on Anti-Black Racism, Police Violence, Feminism and Abolition
- Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 - 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Join the School for the Study of Canada in welcoming Dr. Beverly Bain as part of the Canadian Studies 50th Anniversary events. Bain is Assistant Professor in Women Gender and Sexuality Studies, Department of Historical Studies at University of Toronto.
This event is virtual.
The 2020 uprising ignited by Black Lives Matter in the U.S. that erupted across the globe following the police killing of George Floyd, led to loud demands for defunding and abolition of police. We saw a Black reckoning here in Canada which began with Black Lives Matter and numerous protests, Pride marches, teach-ins and campaigns to defund and abolish police, organized by the No Pride in Policing Coalition (NPPC).
During the calls for defunding in 2020 by the masses, there were public genuflections from the Toronto Police Chief, the Prime Minister and other public officials who found their way to these gatherings. However, as the pandemic continued to take its toll, a terrifying backlash from Mayor Tory and the Toronto Police Service ensued. The City and police escalated its attacks on the homeless and Indigenous peoples in encampments, Blacks, racialized, unhoused, poor and those with mental health issues. Mayor Tory has recently proposed a 50 million dollar increase to the Toronto Police Services (TPS) amidst protests from activists and members of the public.
This presentation will focus on the capitalist, racist and heteromasculinist context that continue to legitimize policing institutions and the on-going collective refusals by activists as we organize and work to create liveable futures.
Beverly Bain is a Black queer radical feminist anti-capitalist scholar and Professor. She teaches on Black queer diaspora, feminism, anti-racism, decolonialism, diasporic sexualities and gender and police violence in Women and Gender Studies, in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto/ Mississauga Campus.
For more information on other events, please visit the Canadian Studies 50th Anniversary webpage.
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Posted on November 8, 2022
