Dear friends,

Thanks for signing up for Scholar Strike Canada.  Over 3,000 University workers signed our statement and took part in historic labour action at the start of the fall term in 2020.  During the two-day action, our live-streamed public digital teach-ins garnered over 60,000K views in 48 hrs.  You can still view  ALL OUR TEACH-INS HERE on our Scholar Strike Canada YouTube Channel. Many thanks to OCUFA for their tech support.

We saw something extraordinary come together during those 48hrs.  We know there is a hunger for political conversations and action in this moment of change. We want to continue the momentum and be part of that change with you.  Beverly (Third Wave, CIUT 89.5 FM) and I (News Director, CKLN 88.1 FM) are both community activists with experience working in campus community radio. We have decided to continue programming and co-hosting teach-ins featuring activists, academics & artists on our channel and would like to invite you to stay connected through this group. We know now is the time to grow, connect and mobilize our activist/academic communities across Canada through actions, teach-ins and social media. 

We will also use our newsletter to update you on upcoming teach-ins and spread the news of actions & events. If you don’t want to continue hearing from us, please send a note with the word ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject heading. 

In Solidarity,

Min Sook & Beverly

Action Alerts Below:

September 30th Virtual Strike against anti-Black and anti-Indigenous Racism in PSE

Save the date! On September 30th, we will come together in a virtual strike, to commemorate Orange Shirt Day and honour the experiences of Indigenous children that were stolen and lost to the Residential School System. On September 30th, we will strike against anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism in our institutions. 

As a long-overdue conversation occurs nationally and globally on the persistent and systemic nature of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism within our societies, we know all too well how complicit our post-secondary institutions are. Our institutions “pride” themselves on equity, diversity, and inclusion while simultaneously targeting, harassing, and oppressing Indigenous, Black, and Racialised bodies on their campuses. Enough is enough. 

The #alloutseptember30 core team consisting of Black, Indigenous, Racialised, and allied students, staff and Faculty from across the province have come together to hold administrations and the provincial government accountable for their complicity and active perpetuation of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism on university campuses and amongst our society. This group, having led and organized many campaigns, actions, and protests against racism over the years now believes it is time we all strike. They have been inspired by the growing global movement against anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism, including the recent strikes by professional athletes in Canada and our recent #ScholarStrike Canada. 

On September 30th, we’re going ALL OUT virtually to support Black and Indigenous students, staff, and faculty! #AllOutS30!

Follow @allouts30 on Instagram and FB for more information!

Statement on Palestine Speech Suppression and University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Deadline to sign is Wednesday, Sept 23 by 10AM

The time is now to have a conversation about attacks on academic freedom on Palestine.   Scholarship on Palestine should not be thwarted by donors, judges and lobby groups at institutions tasked to practice robust research and scholarship free of interference.  

Please find attached an open letter outlining these concerns that we hope you will support, sign and share with your colleagues.  We hope to have a critical mass of supporters in order to publish this letter in a national newspaper.   Deadline for signatures is Wednesday Sept 23. 

Letter for signing: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSequFh6r-FJdpe875P--bXBnJ4jjOEw0A5yPwiFcK-E2GxRzg/viewform

Canadian Universities: Divest From Fossil Fuels

Use your voice to demand universities and colleges #DivestFromThePast

Across Canada, students are calling for urgent action from their educational institutions regarding the climate crisis. Here is how you can make your voice heard:

http://www.divestcanada.ca/

Our demands:

1. Divest from the past

Commit immediately to fully divesting from companies involved in the extraction, processing and transportation of fossil fuels, and ensure all funds are re-allocated by 2025. Initiate divestment campaigns from other harmful industries, including police foundations, private prisons, arms manufacturers, and any corporation that, through their operations, violate the rights of Indigenous peoples to free, prior, and informed consent, as outlined in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

2. Reject false solutions

Recognize that the incorporation of environmental, social, and governance factors (ESG), as well as the simple reduction of the “carbon intensity” of an institution’s investment portfolio is an illegitimate alternative to full divestment. Educational institutions must supplement these insufficient responsible investing practices with full divestment from fossil fuel companies.

3. Invest in the future

Take meaningful leadership in the adoption of a Canadian Just Recovery by investing at least 5% of investment funds in community projects that advance racial, economic, environmental and social justice.