[Image-1] On Wednesday of last week, the annual general meeting of the Halifax Pride voted down a controversial resolution that proposed to remove all mentions of Israel from the festival and parade, an 11-day long event attended by more than 200,000 people. The argument: Israel is using LGBTQ+ rights to sweep crimes against Palestinian people […]
Voice of the City
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax Pride stands at a crossroads
[Image-1] We stand at a pivotal moment in 2SLGBTQ+ history in Halifax. We ask important questions: If our community spaces do not create a safe enough environment for our most marginalized members to contribute fully and we force conversations to continue on without them, who is being served? If our membership and decision making processes […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
We can encourage diversity and keep democracy
[Image-1] On Friday I read a Voice of the City piece by Rhys Alden (“Don’t encourage the edgy, white liberals running for council”). I’m not sure where the strong reaction comes from as Rhys has never met me or attempted to make contact. In the end, the voters will decide, and that’s how our democracy should […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Don’t encourage the edgy, white liberals running for council
[Image-1] Last week in the north end I came across a large storefront freshly painted in blue. It wasn’t yet another curated artisan gift store, but a campaign office, now manspreading itself along Gottingen Street on behalf of prospective councillor Brenden Sommerhalder. In April, Sommerhalder announced he would stand for District 8 after other candidates dropped […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
We’re young Jews, and we support Queer Arabs of Halifax
[Image-1] For the past few years, Queer Arabs of Halifax (QAH) have asked Halifax Pride to counter pinkwashing efforts that portray foreign states as queer-friendly tourist destinations, distracting from these states’ human rights violations and the traumas that queer folks of colour have experienced as a result. This year, QAH put forward a motion to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
On the question of “Where are you really from?”
[Image-1] When I came to Nova Scotia 26 years ago, I always welcomed the seemingly innocent and simple question “where are you from?” as an opportunity to tell people about my beautiful country, its cultures and its painful history. As the years went by I started to see Canada as my home and began to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Equity educators are often the ones in need of education
[Image-1] I am a Dalhousie student for whom Masuna Khan’s article evoked familiar themes. (“The struggle of a Muslim woman of colour in Halifax”). As a woman who uses a wheelchair, I too have experienced countless disappointments in Halifax when applying for jobs. After submitting resume after resume to employers who claim to “welcome applications from […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Take a well-earned bow, Atlantic Fringe Festival
[Image-1] What would possess a person to want to spend a beautiful summer’s day inside a dark theatre, watching show after show after show? Well, when it’s the Atlantic Fringe Festival and there are performers from all over the world in town, you shouldn’t let an opportunity to see fantastic theatre pass you by. Even […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
When your race is a passport to all the best freedoms
I’m a member of the school board and during a recent debate I used a word that angered members of the audience. The word was privilege. In particular I was referring to white privilege. What the anger made clear is that the word requires explaining. Some still think privilege refers exclusively to material advantage. It’s […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Canadian universities are becoming divestment dinosaurs
[Image-1] This summer, members of the Canadian Association of Geographers made a unanimous decision to divest their financial holdings from the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies. In the process, CAG became the first academic organization in Canada to divest from fossil fuels. While joining hundreds of organizations, municipalities, churches and universities that have committed to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Defending a wilderness
[Image-1] In the hot and dry days of summer, when most people were out searching for some relaxation at the lake or the beach or wherever, 1,420 of your fellow residents were busy writing letters to city hall. What’s even more extraordinary about this, aside from so many folks proactively participating in a municipal planning issue […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The struggle of a Muslim woman of colour in Halifax
[Image-1] “You’re not from here,” a phrase that has been said to me so many times, I can’t count. Simple tasks such as running to the bank, filled with stares. Stares that say more than words—expressing emotions and passing judgment. Much like that kid in the playground that gets chosen last to be part of […]
