Category Archives: Race and Racism
Why Gupta’s Casual Racism Should Worry You
Gupta has said the right things about UBC’s role in society, but his actions from the Band Aid video to his allocation of tens of millions in research funding at a time when the Board of Governors is hiking students fees and complaining about a lack of funding for the university, say far more about his plans.
Social Justice Synonyms #13: “Pig” and other Speciesist Terms
This week’s SJS article examines the harms of speciesist language – and why we shouldn’t propagate it even if animals can’t understand us.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month Launches at UBC
January is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) at UBC, an initiative spearheaded by the University and the AMS. Access & Diversity and the AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) are taking the lead in organizing and running events during SAAM, in partnership with many other campus organizations. All throughout January, members of the UBC community […]
Social Justice Synonyms #12: Indigenous Identity and Terminology
In our first Social Justice Synonyms article of 2015, writer S.M. looks at what it means to use the terms “Indian”, “Aboriginal”, and “Indigenous/People[s].”
President Gupta Accepts Racist Christmas Challenge
Every year at Christmas, a bunch of celebrities get together to ponder whether or not the predominantly Christian continent of Africa is aware that it is the annual celebration of Christ’s birth*. More accurately, they get together to question whether their stereotypical Africa – the hopeless, starving, disease-ridden continent of uneducated people suffering from malaria, […]
Photo Essay: Vigil for Phuong Na (Tony) Du
On November 22, at the intersection of Knight Street and 41st Avenue in East Vancouver, Phuong Na (Tony) Du was shot dead by Vancouver police. He was unarmed and had been tapping a fence with a piece of wood. Witnesses say that he was shot within a minute of the police arriving on the scene, sparking the hashtag […]
I Lowered My Hands to Write This
“He was the leader of the pack for my [children]. He was meek. He was humble. He was tall. He was a man. He loved dogs. He loved people. He loved anything that had life in it; a plant. And that’s why I can’t understand why that happened to my child.” – Lesley McSpadden, Michael […]
Ayotzinapa Protest and the Importance of Solidarity
These atrocious acts of censorship and abuse of institutional and political power mirror the recent Burnaby Mountain protests and the acquittal of Darren Wilson. There are clearly many layers of injustice here; why has there been so little investigation on the whereabouts of these 43 students? Why is police brutality still so prevalent when they are meant to protect us? Why does the Canadian government still consider Mexico a “safe country” for refugees? Why have so few Vancouver publications reported on the protests that happened in the heart of Downtown?
Soundtrack to the Revolution: A Term Paper Season Self-Care Mix
Welcome to The Talon’s ‘Soundtrack to the Revolution.’ After I posted this lovely Iron & Wine album on my Facebook wall, describing it as “ritualistic posting of healing songs,” the brilliant Lucia Lorenzi responded by suggesting that The Talon editors write up a playlist for their “soundtrack to the revolution.” Lucia is a PhD candidate in the Department […]
A Note on Remembrance Day
Certain aspects of Remembrance Day make me uncomfortable, and I don’t think I’m alone in this. The white poppy (sometimes called the peace poppy) is worn as an alternative to the red poppy, and is meant to ensure that remembering past conflicts doesn’t involve glorifying or simplifying war. Traditional Remembrance Day ceremonies honour the victims […]
