The Martlet

UVic’s Social Justice Studies program is engaging students and the community, one conversation at a time.

“The series, ‘Conversations with Activists,’ is an example of our attempt to connect the social justice program as an academic program into the various communities of activism in Victoria,” said Bill Carroll, UVic’s director of Social Justice Studies. “The program is meant to provide opportunities for students to become politically aware as well as politically active if they choose to do it.”

Carroll said the series is meant to dovetail with Social Justice 200, Introduction to the Practice of Social Justice; and Social Justice 400B, Practicing Social Justice in the Field. While he hopes students from these courses come to the lectures, the series is also for other students, community members and concerned citizens.

The Social Justice Studies program and the “Conversations with Activists” series both began last year.

“The program is quite new, but there’s a lot of student interest,” said Carroll, adding that the university administration is supportive of the series as a forum for the university to become more engaged and connected with the community at large.

The series will be kicked off by Vikki Reynolds, who also started last year’s series.

Reynold’s lecture is called “Being Fluid and Imperfect Allies” and will draw on queer theory and the “criminalization of dissent,” particularly in the wake of events like the Olympics and the G20.

Reynolds will touch on how we can act as allies to each other in struggles for social justice across intersections of privilege and oppression, and how we can address intersectionality and bring all of our locations into ally work.

She will also discuss how people who are settlers in Canada can act as allies when we are on “land soaked in the blood of an unreconciled genocide of Indigenous people” that has gone unanswered, and how this prefaces all social justice work in Canada.

Other upcoming topics include Youth Activism on Feb. 1, Harm Reduction on Feb. 14 and Sunera Thobani on March 1.

Reynold’s lecture will be held Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. in Cornett B143.