Poetic Justice Foundation (@PoeticJFdn) and UFV’s Race and Anti-Racism Network (@ufvran) invite you to a panel discussion and dialogue on Anti-Racism. With the rise in Anti-Chinese violence and hate crimes in Canada and the current race revolution brought about through the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the US, we wish to address the deep-seeded racism that exists in Canada, but also look to solutions and how we can work towards an anti-racist frame across many sectors – journalism, activism, education, and much more. Our panelists each provide their own unique experiences and viewpoints and we look forward to an engaging and honest dialogue with our attendees. This dialogue will be moderated by Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra (@SharnFTC) co-chair of the Race and Anti-Racism Network at UFV.

The Panelists:

Junie Desil (@juniedesil): Junie Désil is a poet. Born of immigrant (Haitian) parents on the Traditional Territories of the Kanien’kehá:ka in the island known as Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), raised in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg). Junie has performed at various literary events and festivals. Her work has appeared in Room Magazine, PRISM International, The Capilano Review, and CV2. A recovering academic, a UBC alumnus, and most recently a participant to Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio, Junie currently works in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, on the unceded and Ancestral Lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh) and lives on Qayqayt Territory (New Westminster), juggling writing and life.

Joanna Chiu (@joannachiu): Joanna Chiu is a Vancouver-based journalist for the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest newspaper, after previously serving as bureau chief of StarMetro Vancouver. Her specialty is China-Canada relations. Recently, she has tracked incidents of anti-Asian racism and hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joanna was previously a Beijing-based correspondent for Agence France Presse (AFP), covering China’s human rights, legal issues and social affairs. She has also served as China and Mongolia correspondent for the top German news agency DPA, and in Hong Kong, she reported for the South China Morning Post, The Economist and The Associated Press. She is the founder and chair of the NüVoices editorial collective, which celebrates the diverse creative work of self-identified women working on the subject of China (broadly defined).

Jagdeesh Mann (@JagdeeshMann): Jagdeesh is a Jack Webster Award winning journalist and media professional based in Vancouver. For a decade he was a partner (Executive Editor) in a media start-up that published the Asian Pacific Post, and South Asian Post - independent weeklies serving Vancouver's multicultural communities. Jagdeesh remains a regular contributor to various Canadian news outlets: The Toronto Star, Georgia Straight, Globe & Mail, Canadaland, and others. He currently owns and manages Sunflower Media, a boutique company that specialises in multicultural marketing, and editorial.

Mo Dhaliwal (@modhaliwal): Mo began his journey at the University of the Fraser Valley studying business administration. Over the course of a decade, his long standing passion for technology, and his hunger for new experiences led him to Silicon Valley where he honed his talents in software development and Internet marketing. He
returned to Canada with a newfound appreciation for the cultural diversity found in his home, and set out on a personal mission to shatter barriers and encourage cross-cultural understanding. In 2012, Mo was recognized for his contributions by Business for the Arts as the national recipient of the Arnold Edinborough Award, and in 2013 was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. As Director of Strategy at Skyrocket, Mo collaborates with creative minds across the country and continues to create moving experiences for clients and community.

**Please note that this panel will be recorded and all participants who pose questions will remain anonymous.