When Taq Kaur Bhandal moved back to Halifax near the beginning of the pandemic, she craved a space for women of colour that fostered community, nourishment and open conversation. After spending time with barely any human interaction during isolation, she was excited about finding a group open to the idea of creating solidarities and discussing […]
BIPOC
Posted inNews + Opinion
Buy Black Birchtown wants to create retreat centre for BIPOC folks
“Why are all retreat spaces owned by rich white folks?” and “Why can’t we own our own spaces?” were the questions Lauryn Guest and Jessika Hepburn asked themselves that led to the initiative Buy Black Birchtown. When Guest was a child, she didn’t always feel she was prioritized in the camps she attended. “Camps should […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Diversity of Nature is making falling in love with the sciences more accessible
Did you know that half of the photosynthesis that happens in the world occurs in oceans and lakes? You’d think it happens on land where there are trees and plants, but no! There are zillions of microscopic plants called phytoplankton that consume carbon dioxide and sunlight to get their own energy—and these microscopic beings are […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How a doula training for Black women and non-binary people became a lesson in intersectionality.
We are constantly asked about our identities: Our gender, sexuality, abilities, disabilities; our ethnic, religious, cultural backgrounds; our style, economic status, trauma and sociological ideologies. Often, our identities are systematically categorized into neat little societal constructs, which many of us are frequently struggling to fit within. These identity checkboxes can be helpful. For example, self-identifying […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Pushing beyond the glass ceilings of BIPOC political representation
I was asked to reflect on the lack of people of colour running in the four federal ridings in Halifax Regional Municipality. This statistic is so unsurprising—I didn’t think it was worth writing about—but I do think it’s an important statistic to know, so here it is: There are no people of colour running for […]
Posted inArts + Music
Holding space for BIPOC artists in the Halifax art world
Nocturne applications will now include a series of optional self-identification questions about race, gender and religion, as a direct result of discourse about the gap in representation and visibility of Black, Indigenous and Persons of Colour within the local visual arts community. Kelly Markovich, the programming director for October 14’s Nocturne festival, says this year […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Trans exclusionists target Halifax trans women
Over the past two weeks, Halifax transgender women have been experiencing intense and persistent harassment from local trans exclusionists. Readers should note that this piece will discuss acts of transphobia and transmisogyny (discrimination targeting trans feminine individuals) in detail. A trans exclusionist, otherwise known as a transgender exclusionary radical feminist (or “TERF”) excludes transgender people—particularly […]