CAUCUS OVERVIEW

Sunday, February 26

Free Our Minds: Policing Free Schools
2:00 – 3:30 PM EST, Virtual Panel
Black Lives Matter – Sudbury explored police presence in schools across Sudbury and Ontario, sharing data collected over the past year and a half on the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. The panel discussed the school-to-prison nexus and what “safety” really means for school communities.

Moderator: Isak Vaillancourt
Panelists: Andrea Vásquez Jiménez, MayaSpoken, Hailey Yasmeen Dash

ASL interpretation was provided by Interprétation signes et paroles, with French subtitles available. Participants had access to the moderated Q&A via Zoom Webinar.

Monday, February 27

Grandir pour s’épanouir | Grow & Flow: Dance Workshop
6:00 – 7:30 PM EST, McEwen School of Architecture – 85 Elm St.
The Grow & Flow dance workshop was led by choreographer Pierre-André Muila, winner of season 1 of Par ici le talent. Participants were invited to cultivate themselves and move with the music in a session blending art, activism, and expression.

Instructor: Pierre-André Muila

Tuesday, February 28

Zaagi’idwin: Black & Indigenous Solidarity
7:00 – 8:30 PM EST, Virtual Panel
Panelists explored love as a radical and anti-colonial practice central to both Black and Indigenous communities. The discussion highlighted intersections of Black and Indigenous identities, politics, and the work of solidarity.

Moderator: Connor Lafortune
Panelists: Tara Chapple, Cora-Rae Silk, Laura Hall, Zainab Amadahy

ASL interpretation and French subtitles were provided.

Wednesday, March 1

Dear Jackie, Film Screening
7:00 – 9:00 PM EST, Sudbury Indie Cinema – 162 Mackenzie St.
Dear Jackie traced the life of Jackie Robinson and the civil rights context of his 1946 minor-league season with the Montreal Royals. The film explored Montreal’s racial history through interviews, archival footage, and vérité storytelling, revealing both triumphs and ongoing inequalities in Black communities.

Thursday, March 2

Deadass: Reclaiming the Black Queer Experience
7:00 – 8:30 PM EST, Virtual Panel
This panel examined spaces that center Black queer experiences, addressing challenges to white supremacist norms, heteronormativity, and cultural appropriation. Panelists discussed taking up space, challenging the status quo, and reclaiming Black queer identities.

Moderator: Lewis Perdicou
Panelists: Tsholo Khalema, Shanese Anne Steele, C.G. Smith

ASL interpretation and French subtitles were provided.

Friday, March 3

SOUL & SPIRITS: Open Mic Night
8:00 – 10:00 PM EST, Alibi Room – 113 Durham St.
An evening of performances by Black, Indigenous, and racialized artists. The event was open to the community, 19+ due to venue restrictions.

Saturday, March 4

Keynote Discussion: Trust Black Women
2:00 – 5:00 PM EST, Laurentian University, Fraser Auditorium – 935 Ramsey Lake Rd.
A keynote conversation with journalist, professor, activist, and Halifax’s former Poet Laureate El Jones, and artist/professor and BLM-Sudbury co-founder Ra’anaa Ekundayo. The discussion centered on race, gender, and the leadership of Black women in social movements.

ASL interpretation was provided. The keynote was presented in collaboration with the Equity, Diversity, and Human Rights Office at Laurentian University.