Migrant Justice in a Housing Crisis

This panel discussion will explore the intersection of migrant justice and the housing crisis, focusing on how systemic barriers disproportionately affect migrant communities and showcasing examples from around the world on how communities are organizing to confront the housing crisis. This discussion aims to highlight successful advocacy efforts, share strategies for inclusive housing solutions, and emphasize the importance of incorporating migrant voices in the broader housing movement.

Speakers

Varda Nisar (Vice-President, The South Asian Women's Community Centre)

Varda Nisar (she/her) is a mother, daughter, and sister. She is also a doctoral candidate in Concordia’s Department of Art History and Public Scholar (2022-23). She is a Fellow at the Social Justice Center Fellow and a Scholar-in-Residence in the Center for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University. Varda is also the co-founder of the Art History Decolonial Action Group (AHDAG), which actively challenges the silence around Palestine in academia. Her work diverges in several directions, including art education, community outreach and art education. During her time in Canada, she has consistently tried to foreground the work of artists from Pakistan and South Asia. In 2021, she convened a speaker series titled (Art+Micro)History: Contemporary Artistic Voices from the South, drawing attention to artistic resistance modes in Pakistan. In 2023, she co-curated a multi-venue exhibition, “re* imagining / créer / building / faire / mapping / connaissance /…” She was a 2015-16 Arthink South Asia Fellow and worked with Spark Arts for Children as part of her secondment. Her current research draws attention to cultural production under military regimes in Pakistan, mainly focusing on museums and archives. She currently sits on the executive committee of the South Asian Women’s Cultural Centre as the Vice-President of the Board and on Concordia University’s Graduate Student Association Council as the Director of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Mostafa Henaway (Community Organizer, Immigrant Worker's Center)

Mostafa Henaway, is a long-time community organizer at the Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal, where he has been organizing for justice for immigrant/migrant workers for over two decades. He is also a researcher and PhD candidate at Concordia University. He is also the author of Essential Work, Disposable Workers Migration, Capitalism and Class.

Syed Hussan (Organizer, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change)

Syed Hussan is the executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change and a member of the Migrant Rights Network

Facilitated by Abdulla Daoud (The Refugee Centre)

This event is part of the Housing Justice Convergence.