Black Lives Matter – Sudbury will be hosting, Amplifying Voices on Turtle Island (AVTI) our second annual Intersectional Caucus on Saturday, February 26th and Sunday, February 27th, 2022 starting at 12 PM EST. This free online conference will once again center and uplift the voices of Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) and 2SLGBTQ+ activists, leaders, educators, and changemakers from across Turtle Island.

AVTI: An Intersectional Caucus will feature a total of six culturally responsive panels and one key-note presentation — each followed by engaging Q&As with panelists.

Audiences will be able to learn about the on-going journey towards dismantling oppressive systems of power, combating inequality, and imagining new futures for marginalized communities.

All panel discussions will include sign language interpreters provided by Interprétation signes et paroles inc (ISEP.) Language interpreters will be available for the french panel.

Registration is now open — use the button below!

Saturday February 26

12:00 – 1:10PM: Abolition & the Policing of Marginalized Communities

What does an abolitionist future look like? What are the socio-economic and political implications of defunding the police? Join experts in a conversation surrounding these themes and the ongoing institutional persecution of marginalized communities at the hands of oppressive systems.

This panel discussion will have ASL interpreters provided by the Canadian Hearing Services.

1:30 – 2:40 PM: AfroIndigeneity: Stolen People on Stolen Lands

On Turtle Island, the experiences of Indigneous and Black communities are often shared, however, in our neo-colonial society, settler-colonial systems try to divide marginalized groups and often pit them against one another. How is this reality experienced by those whose lives are connected to both Indigenous and Black communities? Join AfroIndigenous panelists as they contemplate the nuances of their identities and discuss the importance of Indigenous and Black solidarity.

This panel discussion will have ASL interpreters provided by the Canadian Hearing Services.

3:00 – 4:10 PM: Art & Activism: Artivism of Social Change

The intersection of art and activism, although recently coined artivism, has a longstanding global history embedded within social justice movements and combatting oppressive systems. Today, this growing practice is represented by a variety of multi-disciplinary artists across the world and northern Turtle Island. Tune into a conversation with emerging and seasoned artists on the implications of their practices within a larger socio-political context. 

This panel discussion will have ASL interpreters provided by the Canadian Hearing Services.

Sunday February 27

12:00 – 1:10 PM: BIPOC Queerness: Identity, Community & Resistance

Being a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community is associated with numerous challenges; lack of resources, judgment and isolation by cis-hetero mainstream society. For BIPOC queer folks, the barriers are increased as these individuals now must navigate the intricacies of intersecting aspects of their identity that each come with their own unique challenges.Tune into a panel on the navigation of multiple identities and the intersectionalities of the BIPOC queer lived experience.

This panel discussion will have ASL interpreters provided by the Canadian Hearing Services.  

1:30 – 2:40 PM: Dualité de l’identité : Les Réalités d’être Francophone et Noir

Although this country is framed from a bilingual standpoint, French remains a minority language across these colonized lands. For the often racialized Black francophones inhabiting these lands, there are several barriers and challenges associated with being part of a minority of a marginalized group. Tune in for a conversation around the realities faced by Afro-descendants francophone and the uniques implications of their daily experiences; let’s talk about this Duality, of being Black and Francophone.

This panel will be hosted in French, English translations will be available. ASL interpreters provided by the Canadian Hearing Services./em>

3:00 – 4:10 PM: BIPOC Health Matters: Pushing the Boundaries of Health Equity

In these pandemic times, more have been made aware of the ongoing inequities in our healthcare system that impact BIPOC communities. The panelists have all worked to bring light to those realities, and have worked diligently to bring these issues to the surface and to advocate for necessary change. If BIPOC health truly matters, what changes are needed to systems so that our communities can truly experience meaningful health equity?

This panel discussion will have ASL interpreters provided by the Canadian Hearing Services.

Thank you to our sponsors: