March 21- International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

LINGAP-Canada is commemorating the

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Sunday, March 21, 2021, 4 pm - 6 pm (Edmonton, MST)

[ 11 pm – 1 am, Coordinated Universal Time, UCT]

with a VIRTUAL FORUM on the theme of

Understanding Racial Discrimination, Promoting Anti-Racism:

Reflections on Experiences in Canada, USA & the Philippines &

United Nations’ Measures

The Virtual Forum is co-sponsored by: UP Alumni Association of Edmonton (UPAAE), Filipino-Canadian Saranay Association, Changing Together, and Global Action to Prevent War and Armed Conflict (GAPW).

REGISTER to ATTEND THIS FORUM at LINGAP-Canada’s website at:

https://www.lingapcanada.com/events/international-day-for-the-elimination-of-racial-discrimination/form

Speakers: Bernadette Iahtail, Funke Olokude, Dr. Glenda Tibe Bonifacio, Lynn Deutscher Kobayashi, DR. Robert Zuber, & Dr. Virginia Cawagas. Moderator: Dr. Lucenia Ortiz

Bernadette Iahtail is co-founder and executive director of Creating Hope Society, a society founded for the survivors of the “The Sixties and Seventies Scoop of Aboriginal Children in Care”. Bernadette is an active member of Edmonton Coalition for Human Rights, Aboriginal coalitions, the Edmonton Aboriginal Leadership Team and Stony Plain Wapekin Leadership Team. Bernadette holds a social work diploma from UNBC as well as many certificates including Indigenous Leadership certificates from the Banff Centre. A member of the Anti-Racism Advisory Council of Alberta, she will be reflecting on the impact of racism on Indigenous peoples in Canada and ways to overcome such discrimination.

Funke Olokude is an Intercultural relationship facilitator and educator working to highlight the complex intersecting realities of vulnerable and marginalized individuals and families. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, a Masters degree in Education and she is a registered social worker with the Alberta College of Social Workers. She currently serves on the board of the Edmonton Logos Society and the convener of a Community Leadership Circle for cultural minority and racialized groups. Funke will share experiences and concerns of racial discrimination faced by Black Canadians

Lynn Deutscher Kobayashi is President of the Greater Toronto Chapter of the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) whose objectives include “to strive for equal rights and liberties for all persons in Canada, irrespective of and not limited to race, colour, creed, national origin or sex” and “to promote and encourage Japanese Canadians to work together on matters of concern to all Canadians and undertake collective action for a better Canada and a world free from racism, poverty, inequality and war”. Lynn will reflect on how racial and ethnic discrimination has affected the lives of Japanese Canadians from their arrival in Canada in 1877 and how historical racism is relevant and connected to the current moment and what can be done now to address racism and discrimination.

Dr. Glenda Tibe Bonifacio is a full professor at the University of Lethbridge. She is the chair of the Department of Women and Gender Studies, co-founder of the Support Network for Academics of Colour Plus (SNAC+) in Lethbridge, and co-founder of the Filipino Academics Network Canada (FAN-C). Glenda is the author of Pinay on the Prairies: Filipino Women and Transnational Identities (UBC Press), editor of 4 books, and co-editor of 5 books related to gender, migration, religion, and feminism. Glenda will discuss issues of racial and ethnic discrimination experienced by Filipino-Canadians

Dr. Robert Zuber is Director of UN-based Global Action to Prevent War and Armed Conflict where he directs a team of researchers, advocates and interns monitoring all facets of the UN's work on peace and security. He also serves as consultant, adviser or board member to non-profit and educational organizations including Green Map System, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Cameroon, Global Connections Television, and the New York and California chapters of Women in International Security. He holds degrees in philosophy, theology, psychology and education from Yale and Columbia Universities and formerly worked with Human Rights Watch. Based in Harlem and long active in promoting culturally diverse communities, he will reflect on current challenges associated with identifying and combatting racial and ethnic discrimination in the United States. He will also assess UN measures to address such discrimination.

Dr. Virginia (Jean) Cawagas is Adjunct Professor in Educational Policy Studies, University of Alberta. She has a Doctorate in Peace and Development Education, MS in Educational Management and BS in Education. She has extensive teaching and research experiences in peace and development education, curriculum development, and multicultural education, among others. She has taught, lectured, and conducted workshops in these fields in various North and South countries like the USA, Australia, Costa Rica, South Korea, Uganda, Ethiopia, and the Philippines, where she was formerly Executive Secretary of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines. Virginia will present an overview of racial and ethnic discrimination in the Philippines and explore strategies to overcome such discrimination.

Dr. Lucenia Ortiz who currently works as a planner with the City of Edmonton’s Community Services department. She has extensive experience in the non-profit sector in the Philippines and Edmonton where she served as Co-Executive Director of the Multicultural Health Brokers Co-op. Lucenia is also a founding member of the Edmonton Multicultural Coalition in 2004, President of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Edmonton and a member of LINGAP-Canada. Her degrees include a BSc and MA (Philippines) and a PhD (Alberta). An active advocate for the health and well-being of migrants, she was appointed Co-Chair of the first Anti-Racism Council of Alberta.

Following the panelists’ presentations (10 mins each), Forum participants will be invited to share their comments, ideas, and questions on the issues raised by the panelists.

REGISTER to ATTEND THIS FORUM at LINGAP-Canada’s website at:

https://www.lingapcanada.com/events/international-day-for-the-elimination-of-racial-discrimination