On a cold rainy January 20 evening, almost 80 people gathered in community to share a warm, educational, and uplifting event called: Exploring the Intersections between Colonialism, Racism, and Climate Change.
This was the first time that all four of the VU Action Teams (IPA, Environment, Social Justice, Refugee) collaborated and it showed in the variety of offerings throughout the evening.
- The photo exhibition Dispossessed But Defiant was set up in the alcove
- An amazing potluck dinner was set up which included vegetarian, vegan, teen friendly options, and a separate gluten-free table
- Four amazing, youngerish IBPOC speakers: Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Kwiis Hamilton, Kyi Min Saw, and Esther Leung-Kong. They talked about human rights, colonialism, capitalism, the immigrant experience, Indigenous knowledge, and how it is connected to the environment and Climate Change.
- VU members Vivian Davidson(emcee), Tamiko Suzuki, Huguette Sansonet and Rev. Shawn Gauthier spoke before dinner.
Parts of the evening were filmed and will be available on the VU website shortly.