Laboratory of Feminist Memory: Reclaim the University Edition

April 6, 2023

The event, hosted by Steen Starr, brings together activists and academics to experiment with ideas & memories about feminism, the archive, and academia – where they converge, where they don’t, and how to build feminist futures everywhere.

Featuring

Leen Amarin is a Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian and newly Canadian author, creative, researcher, and human rights advocate. Born and raised in Amman, Jordan, Leen immigrated to Turtle Island (Canada) in 2013. Now based in Tkaranto (Toronto), she attempts to reconcile with her identity as a migrant-settler through her creative practice and advocacy. Committed to equity and anti-oppression organizing, she has held leading roles in the fight for Palestinian, migrant and refugee human rights, and the empowerment of marginalized creatives and intellectuals. She is currently a student of Human Rights & Equity Studies at York University, and is interested in further exploring concepts of indigeneity and belonging, and problematizing citizenship in imagining decolonized futures. 

Dr. Jonathan Petrychyn is an Assistant Professor at Brock University in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture, and Film. He is a former Mitacs Accelerate Postdoctoral Fellow at Toronto Metropolitan University (in partnership with the Toronto Queer Film Festival). His research focuses on the intersections of sex, activism, and media and seeks to explore how media technologies bring queer, feminist, and other marginalized communities together.

Sarah Dennis-Kooji (Dibiki giizhigataa waasonibi) is an urban Anishnawbe Kwe with strong ties to Toronto, Northern Manitoba.  Sarah is a member of Nipissing First Nation.  Sarah is a mother of 2 beautiful children, Waasnodeh (age 14) and Waseskwan (age 10).  While obtaining a BSW here at Toronto Metropolitan University, Sarah has acquired experience in Indigenous community birth work supporting Indigenous families’ access to culturally safe reproductive health care and referrals.  Some of Sarah’s previous involvements include organizing with Toronto metropolitan University’s Indigenous Students’ Association and Independent student group, Indigenous Students Rising.  In her spare time loves creating tarot inspired you tube content and operates a small business creating natural products for self care and pain management using traditionally foraged ingredients and cannabis.

Michael Palamarek is a Sessional Assistant Professor in the Gender and Women’s Studies and Sexuality Studies Programs at Glendon College, York University. He is a longtime union activist in the post-secondary sector.

Keneisha Charles (they/them) is an organizer and artist who strives to dream and co-create liberation through all they do. Their work centres around the intersections of Black, queer, trans, and disability liberation, especially through collective care and abolitionist justice. As a poet, storyteller, musician, and bookbinder, they’re also passionate about the role of community art in revolution. On campus, they’ve organized against sexual violence with the Consent Action Team and are currently visioning non-police approaches to safety with an emerging coalition of students. They’re in their final year of a Bachelor of Social Work degree with a focus in Caribbean Studies and Disability Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Chris Ramsaroop is an organizer with Justicia for Migrant Workers. He is also an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and Coordinator of the Community Engaged Learning ( New College, U of T) and Co-Director of the Migrant Worker Clinic at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law. He also teaches in the Centre for Caribbean’s Studies at U of T. Ramsaroop is working to complete his PhD at OISE/University of Toronto. He is also a member of the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance.

Rasiqra Revulva is a disabled queer femme writer, artist, editor, musician, and performer; developer and co-editor of the Hybrid/Experimental Section at The Ex-Puritan; and half of the experimental electronic duo The Databats (Slice Records). She has published three sold-out chapbooks of glitch-illustrated and/or augmented poetry: Cephalopography (words(on)pages, 2016), If You Forget the Whipped Cream, You’re No Good As A Woman (Gap Riot Press, 2018), and Sailor, C’est l’heure (The Blasted Tree, 2021). Cephalopography 2.0 (Wolsak & Wynn, 2020), is her award-nominated debut collection. 

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