PROTESTS & PEDAGOGY
January 28, 2019 - February 18, 2019
Organized and curated by a collective of university and community partners,
Protests and Pedagogy's programming, along with the dialogue it activated,
is as timely and urgent today as ever.
In 1969, West Indian students at Sir George Williams University – one of Concordia’s founding institutions – occupied the university’s computer centre from January 29 to February 11. It was one of the most significant student protests in Canadian history because it awakened people to the idea of discriminatory pedagogical practices and institutional failures to effectively address student complaints.
EVENTS
ARCHIVAL IMAGES from February 1969
I074-02-150 Fire and smoke from the 9th floor of the Hall Building. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-150 Protesters walking on Mackay St. littered with debris, data cards, and printout sheets. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-037 Damaged computers from the Control Data room. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-121 Crowd outside of the Hall Building. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-121 Police escorting a person in the Hall Building. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-121 Demands of the Sir George Williams Black students to the Administration. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-119 Professor Chester Davis talking to students over the barridade of the Computer Centre entrance. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-118 Data cards descending from the 9th floor window of the Hall Building. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-117 Demonstrators holding signs in front of the Hall Building. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
I074-02-117 Police escorting a person in the Hall Building. Concordia University Records Management and Archives
EXHIBITION
Curated by Christiana Abraham with Nalini Mohabir & Kaie Kellough
PROGRAMMING
| Activity | Title | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCREENING | Ninth Floor (Mina Shum, 2015) | Screening with Cinema Politica. This NFB film reopens the file on the infamous Sir George Williams Riot - a watershed moment in Canadian race relations and one of the most contested episodes in the nation's history. | Jan 30 1-3pm |
ROUND TABLE |
Black Montréal Round Table. |
Panelists will speak to their experiences and adversities in the city of Montreal, and will be in conversation with the audience. |
Jan 30 5-7pm |
| WORKSHOP | Oral History | Stéphane Martelly and Stephen High present this two-hour bilingual workshop will provide introductory training in oral history. | Jan 31 10am-12pm |
| WORKSHOP | Black Canadian Education Tools | This workshop with Dorothy Williams introduces The ABCs of Canadian Black History - a pedagogical tool for educators. | Jan 31 1-3pm |
| SCREENING | An(other) Antilles (Imara Ajani Rolston, 2013) | A screening with Cinema Politica. This film explores the stories of and experiences of Black Caribbean immigrants that arrived in Montreal in the 1960’s.
|
Jan 31 4-6pm |
| WORKSHOP | Printmaking as an Activist Tool | Two-hour printmaking workshop with artist Charmaine Lurch focusing on printmaking as an activist tool. | Feb 1 12-2pm |
| TALK | A Visual Record of Events Unfolding | A talk with Charmaine Lurch explores the theme of textual and visual representations of the Sir George Williams Affair, connecting student protests and revolutionary events transnationally. |
Feb 1 4-6pm |
| BY INVITATION | Black Experience in STEM | This convsersation considers the black Experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and is by invitation only. | Feb 2 1-3pm |
| SCREENING | ’70 Remembering a Revolution (Elizabeth Topp & Alex Devertuil, 2011) | A screening co-hosted with Cinema Politica. A film on the legendary Black Power revolution in Trinidad, linked to the mishandling of the Sir George Williams Affair. | Feb 1-3pm |
| ROUNDTABLE | Protest and Gender Activism | This roundtable will explore relatively “absent” narratives of gender in student protests. | Feb 4 4-6pm |
| ROUNDTABLE | Multidimensionality of Black Experiences: Round Table | This bilingual round-table showcases the research and creative work of affiliates of Concordia’s Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling. | Feb 5 12-2pm |
| Telling Stories: Black Montréal Oral History Course | Come join this history department course for a day as we explore the history of Black Montreal. | Feb 6 10:15am-1pm |
|
| WORKSHOP | Beaded Prayers Workshop | You are invited to explore the intricacies between spiritual healing, your own experiences and the SGW historical affair. | Feb 6 4-6pm |
| SCREENING | Play The Devil (Maria Govan, 2016) |
Following the film, particiapate a discussion on queer Black/Caribbean community building with Massimadi Montréal. | Feb 6 6-8pm |
| ROUNDTABLE | Decolonizing Knowledge Across the English and French Caribbean | A discussion with the writers Raphaël Confiant and Nigel Thomas on the role of literature in decolonization. | Feb 7 1-3pm |
| READINGS | Join us for a series of literary readings by writers featuring Afua Cooper, H. Nigel Thomas, Clarence Bayne, and Stephane Martelly. | Feb 8 6-8pm |
|
| PANEL | Crisis on the Ninth Floor | A panel discussion about the Ninth Floor chaired by Beverly Bain, University of Toronto and including speakers Leslie Sanders, York University and Rinaldo Walcott, University of Torono. | Feb 9 8:45-10:15am |
| PRESENTATION | Groundings: The Way Forward, Towards a Reparative Framework | How do we think through reparations and reparative work (in a practical, implementable sense, where past traumas and inequities are addressed and material restitution is made) in light of 1969? | Feb 11 1-3pm |
PARTNERS & COLLABORATORS
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture
Centre for Teaching and Learning
Concordia Student Union
Department of English
Department of Geography
Department of History
Fine Arts Students Alliance
Intersectionality Hub
Office of the Dean (FAS)
Records Management and Archives
Risk Research Working Group
School for Community and Public Affairs
Simone de Beauvoir Institute
Vice Provost, Innovation, Teaching, and Learning
Office of the Provost, Concordia University
Office of the VP Research and Graduate Studies, Concordia University
Webster Library
BLACK HISTORY MONTH ROUND TABLE
Michael Farkas
Claire Anse St-Éloi
CENTER FOR ORAL HISTORY AND DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Steven High
Stéphane Martelly
CKUT RADIO
Louise Burns
CINEMA POLITICA
Svetla Turnin
Ezra Winton
DAWSON COLLEGE
Liz Charles
Myriam Dimanche
INDEPENDENT CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Clarence Bayne
Kevin Gould
Kola Magazine
Logos Reading Series
Doug Miller
Jason Selman
H.Nigel Thomas
Caribbean In/Securities
WEBSTER LIBRARY EXHIBIT
Anthony Mclachlan
Mitchell Cousineau
PROTESTS AND PEDAGOGY COMMITTEE
Nalini Mohabir
Kaie Kellough
Ronald Cummings
Christiana Abraham
Steven High
Magella Skerritt
David Austin
Oceane Jasor
John Bentley
Amanda Perry
Angela Kross
Kimberley Manning
Quentin Vercetty
Hannah Louisy
Mikayla Harris
Katie Obeda
Devon Ellis-Durity
Kiah Ellis-Durity
Lauren Laframboise
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO
Morgan Stanley
