Culturally speaking, being colour blind has long been held as the ultimate goal: a world where skin colour no longer matters. Which is nonsense, according to Janet Rogers. Rogers is a workshop facilitator at Embracing Shades of Action (she’s also Victoria Poet Laureate, 2012-2015), an event for girls of colour (including indigenous girls) between the ages of 13 and 17 happening at UVic on May 5.
“Cultural identity, when accepted within yourself and when we understand it completely in terms of who we are—culturally—can be worn as a badge of honour,” said Rogers in a press release. “I don’t believe anyone can be, and should not be, colour blind. Creator made us different colours so we can see beauty in others.”
The event, which aims to empower girls to take action within their communities, will include a series of workshops, a youth panel, and opportunities for networking.
Whitney Archer, one of the event’s organizers, says that the day could be of interest to Camosun students if they happen to be parents who have children in the event’s targeted age range.
“Also, it’s important for students to realize that within our locality of Victoria there often are not spaces for indigenous girls and girls of colour to talk about their lived experiences as a racialized body in a predominately white locality,” says Archer.
Letitia Annamalai, one of the youth panelists at the event, echoes Archer’s comments, saying that it’s important to have events like this so girls of colour can have a safe space in the community to support each other and the work they are doing.
“It can be isolating working in mainstream organizations and in the colonial contexts in which we live and play,” said Annamalai in a press release. “This time is ours to engage, and to speak truthfully.”
See embracingshadesofaction.wordpress.com for more information; note that people going must register in advance at the website below.
Embracing Shades of Action
11:30 am-6:30 pm May 5, free
First Peoples House, UVic
embracingshadesofaction.eventbrite.com