Forum looks at social and economic isolation of Black women, York U

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TORONTO, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 – Black women fighting back against social and business exclusion in Canada, France and Brazil is the topic of a forum tomorrow at York University, the first day of Black History month.

Many Black women have come as immigrants to Canada and France with the hopes of seeking a better way of life for their families, but instead are faced with isolation and economic hardship. Black French-speaking women in Ontario share similar experiences, marginalized racially, linguistically and by their gender.

WHAT: 2018 Business and Society Forum: Black Women Resisting Social & Business Exclusion in France, Canada & Brazil by the Centre for Feminist Research, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies,

WHO:

  • Associate Professor Gertrude Mianda of the Gender and Women’s Studies Program, Glendon College, York University, will discuss Francophone African immigrant women in Toronto & Ottawa and their difficult quest for economic integration
  • Assistant Professor Felix Germain, Africana Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, will look at the isolation and economic hardship of Caribbean women when they immigrate to France
  • Associate Professor Simone Bohn, Political Science, York University, will discuss the marginalization of Black French-speaking women in Ontario
  • Associate Professor Melanie Knight, Sociology, Ryerson University, looks at the powerful use of cooperatives, Quilombos, in Brazil to meet the economic and social needs of Afro-Brazilians and to push against systemic racial bias

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 1 at 2:30pm

WHERE: 519 Kaneff Tower, York University. See number 95 on Map.

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York University champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, York University Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097, sandramc@yorku.ca