Sisters in the Struggle

On Friday, March 2, the Network for Pan-Afrikan Solidarity hosted a film screening of Sisters in the Struggle (1991), a documentary directed by Dionne Brand and Ginny Stikeman which "features Afrikan womyn who are active in community organizing electoral politics, labour and feminist organizing" in the late 80s. The film still resonates today with themes of racism, police brutality, sexism, and homophobia both in the mainstream and within social movements.

The screening was part of a month long film series and panels for Afrikan Liberation Month. The organizers wanted to look beyond the past and multiculturalism of Black History Month and see the work that still needs be done to liberate Afrikan people. An article by Wangui Kimari written in rabble provides further details.



The film was followed by a panel discussion with Angela Robertson, Yolisa Dalamba, and Wariri Muhungi focusing on the theme: Toward a Resurgent Afrikan Womyn's Activism in Toronto. The evening's MC was Ijeoma Ekoh.

Angela Robertson, Director of Equity and Community Engagement, gave an overview of black women organizing in anti-racist, feminist, and queer communities in Toronto. She says that the organizing that black women have done contributed to the building of community services and the anti-racist, gender and queer analysis that exists today. Black women have organized around access to employment and the fight for fair labour practices. She gave nursing as an example.

Angela spoke about police brutality recalling the spate of killings by police in the late 80s and mid 90s of young black men and the case of Sophie Cook that became a catalyst for black women organizing against police brutality.

She talked about the organizing around Caribbean domestic workers and the fight against deportations and unjust immigration policies. Other topics that she touched on included black women organizing in education, violence against women, the LGBTQ community, the sexism and exclusion within the black community, and the racism in the feminist community including the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.

As well as the importance of taking to the streets, she said it was also important to create institutions. She named institutions that black women established: Sister Vision Press, the Black Women Collective, ZAMI, Black CAP, Blackorama, and Black Lesbians of Toronto.

Angela Robertson by FTGU

Yolisa Dalamba, Executive Director of the Association for Part-Time Undergraduate Students at the University of Toronto, gave a framework to challenge white supremacist values. She started her talk about her personal history of leaving apartheid South Africa and finding apartheid in Canada. The apartheid in South Africa was modeled on Canada's reserve system for aboriginal people. She said Afrikan communities are segregated all across Canada particularly in Nova Scotia.

Yolisa talked about the ways Afrikan have been dehumanized by the dominate culture and the importance of resistance, but also the importance of self-care.

Yolisa Dalamba by FTGU


Wariri Muhungi, member of Network for Pan African Solidarity, spoke about building sustainable organizations and mobilizing resources and the challenges and opportunities around that building. She emphasized the importance of inter-generational knowledge sharing and talked that organizations need to take the time to lay out the foundation that brings people together in organizing. She also touched on the NGO Industrial Complex and how the State controls social justice movements through funding.


Wariri Muhungi by FTGU

In the discussion, questions were asked around coalition building while ensuring space for black women, internalized racism, and self-care and caring for others. The first question was asked by Janaya, followed by Kimalee and the last question was from Kalmplex.


Q and A by FTGU