Itrath Syed
A long-time social justice activist, well-known in B.C.’s Lower Mainland. He work history has focussed on anti-violence work. In addition to being involved with the Vancouver anti-war movement, Itrath has worked tirelessly to protest the attacks on civil rights and the slashing of social programs that have threatened health care, education and the services needed to build a strong, healthy an diverse Canada.
Anita Braha
A Vancouver-based lawyer, teacher, author and an activist, Ms. Braha has been making contributions in the field of women’s equality and Human Rights since the 1970’s.
Kiké Roach
is a Toronto-based civil Rights lawyer, author, activist and a member of the Community Alliance for Social Justice. Ms Roach has recently been involved in efforts to stop the criminalization of black youth in the City of Toronto, following the death of Jeffrey Reodica by a Toronto police officer in 2004.
Performers
Jayne’s Gang
Burnaby, B.C.’s Jayne Dinsmore performs at the opening night of CUPE’s first National Human Right’s Conference with her four-piece jazz/blues ensemble plays a diverse range of music genres including here forte, jazz and blues.
FootEdge Dance Company
FootEdge Dance Company is Vancouver’s premiere South Asian dance squad. Formed in 2005, FootEdge was the brainchild of five local women who had been dancing together for years. Their vision was clear - FootEdge would take South Asian dance to new heights in the Vancouver dance community. And their motto was strikingly complimentary to that vision; FootEdge would “Challenge Dance with Ingenuity”.
Today, FootEdge choreography is the fusion of various dance forms including bharatnatyam, bhangra, modern, kathak, ballet, tap, and bolly. According to the above motto, it is by no accident then that each production by FootEdge is an ingenious challenge against the conventional norms of dance. The result is a distinctive style that is brimming with energy, full of blockbuster entertainment and heart-pounding excitement! FootEdge has earned both popular and critical acclaim as the company’s talented dancers have left audiences breathless, time and time again.
Sara Kendall
Sara Kendall is a Vancouver-based artist and facilitator. Her work in spoken word, music and circus performance carry into her artistically informed facilitation processes with youth, community groups and non-profit organizations, bringing creative vibrancy into dialogues and problem solving. Sara is interested in fully-engaged group processes that are both personally meaningful and socially relevant; she brings her readiness for dialogue and learning to facilitation of all kinds.
Curtis Clearsky
Curtis Clearsky - Vancouver-based Indigenous hip-hop artist Curtis Clearsky has been named one of a handful of international Messengers of Truth, a United Nations initiative to reach younger audiences around the globe. Clearsky has performed hip-hop and spoken word for five years. His music expresses truth, empowerment, love, peace, reality and personal revelation, and address issues in his community.
Sherene Razack, Ph.D.
Sherene Razack is Professor, Sociology and Equity Studies in Education. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Her research and teaching interests lie in the area of race and gender issues in the law. Dr. Razack’s graduate level courses include racism and the law, race and knowledge production, race, space and citizenship, and marginality and the politics of resistance. Before obtaining her Ph.D. in education she worked in the area of human rights, teaching trade unionists, community activists, legal practitioners, government employees, teachers and students on a variety of social justice issues.