The image is of Jennifer Kasiama’s words from “Emergence from Emergency,” a series of poetic installations in Toronto, curated by OCAD U’s Creative Writing Chair Catherine Black and instructor Ian Keteku, with student-artists: Jennifer Kasiama, Leaf Watson, Meighan Morson, Ehiko Odeh, Chris Markland.
The image is of Jennifer Kasiama’s words from “Emergence from Emergency,” a series of poetic installations in Toronto, curated by OCAD U’s Creative Writing Chair Catherine Black and instructor Ian Keteku, with student-artists: Jennifer Kasiama, Leaf Watson, Meighan Morson, Ehiko Odeh, Chris Markland.

Dear OCADFA members,

#ScholarStrikeCanada has gained support from OCUFA and CAUT in the last 48 hrs. We are rapidly developing public digital teach-ins that you can use and direct students to.  Information about the program is on this page and will be updated soon to provide zoom upload links for the teach-ins.

We recognize the precarious labour status of many of our colleagues in academia, and we invite university workers to participate in this labour action as much as you are able to engage.  Some will not be able to participate fully, but there are many ways to engage with this protest, from amplifying the message on social media to using the digital public teach-ins during class time.

Ways to Get Involved

  • Walk away from Teaching/ Administrative duties for one or both days in solidarity with those suffering from unjust policing and racism in Canada, America and beyond. 
  • Amplify the message on social media using the #ScholarStrike #ScholarStrikeCanada by writing posts/threads on issues surrounding race and racial justice. 
  • Use the digital public teach-ins during class time.
  • Step away from your normal teaching/ administrative activities to teach your students and others on your campus about racialized violence in Canada, America and beyond. 
  • Use this template on your email away message to let people know you are participating in this action:

“I will not be answering emails or teaching my regularly scheduled class today because I am  joining thousands of academics in higher education in a labour action known as Scholar Strike to protest anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and racist police brutality in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere. Scholar Strike Canada will take place on Sept 9& 10, 2020.  For these two days, we will pause our teaching and all administrative duties.  We will use this time to organize public digital teach-ins on police brutality and violence in our communities from both historical and contemporary perspectives.”

If you’d like to boost this action here is text you can share with your networks:

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Dear Colleagues,

Scholars across Canadian universities are outraged at the relentless anti-Black police killings of Black people in the U.S. and in Canada. As athletes have done, so, too, must academics.  We will be joining thousands of academics in higher education in a labour action known as Scholar Strike to protest anti-Black, racist and colonial police brutality in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere. Scholar Strike for Black Lives in Canada will take place on Sept 9 & 10, 2020.  For these two days, we will pause our teaching and all administrative duties.  We will use this time to organize public digital teach-ins on police brutality and violence in our communities from both historical and contemporary perspectives.

Scholar Strike originated in the U.S from a tweet by Dr. Anthea Butler who, inspired by the striking WNBA and NBA players, put out a call for a similar labour action from academics. The Canadian action is aligned with the one in the U.S., in its call for racial justice, an end to anti-Black police violence and it adds a specific focus on anti-Indigenous, colonial violence.  

Recognizing the precarious labour status of many of our colleagues in academia, we invite university workers to participate in this labour action as much as you are able to engage.  Some will not be able to participate fully, but there are many ways to engage with this protest, from amplifying the message on social media to using the digital public teach-ins during class time.

The program of events for Scholar Strike Canada can be found here.  The Scholar Strike Canada website with a background to the initiative, how to get involved, and the full statement of support can be found here. To add your name to support the statement please fill in the form here.

Sincerely,

Min Sook Lee

President, OCADFA