NEW weekly programs & workshops

Greetings, the staff at Young & Potential Fathers (YPF) would like to share some information about our NEW weekly programs & workshops starting May 14th 2012 atUjima House 1901 Weston Rd unit 18

Lunch & Learn every Tuesday from 1-3pm

Every Tuesday afternoon if you are a young man or a father looking for an opportunity to get connected to fathering tips, resources and other services join us we talk about how to become a better dad, man and explore themes around self identity, empowering self and other topics related to supporting one another in their parenting role.

Money Talks every Tuesday from 6-7:30pm

Money Talks is a financial advancement program for fathers & young men.  Young fathers and men are encouraged to “learn how to get their money right” through FREE Financial Planning Workshops. Workshop topics include Managing on a Low Income, How to Make a Spending Plan, Living On Your Own, Saving & Interest, Saving to Build Wealth, Dealing with Debt, All About Credit, Payday Loans, Buying a Car, Budgeting for a  Baby. Upon completion participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Nobody’s Perfect every Wednesday from 5:30-8pm

Nobody’s Perfect is a FREE parenting program for fathers with children 6 years and under.  At our weekly workshops fathers will learn about children’s growth and learning, children’s behaviour, children’s health and safety, parenting stress and more. Upon completion participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Father Hood Talk every Friday from 5:30-8pm

Father Hood Talk is a support group designed to bring young and potential fathers together with mentors and elders from the community. Each session will take place in the Barber’s Corner of Ujima House and focus on engaging and empowering dialogue where the meaning of fathering and best practices can be shared. Professionals such as Lawyers and Health workers from the community will participate in these sessions to provide knowledge, support, resources and essential information to assist young men with the various realities and challenges that one might experience (on a daily basis).

As far as contemporary Jamaican artistes go, only Sean Paul, Shaggy and Gyptian have done it before.

Now add to the list Protoje, who was the fourth Jamaican artiste to perform in the United Arab Emirates this century. He reminisced about his recent performance on a rooftop in Dubai with the world-famous Burj Al Arab, the world’s fourth-tallest hotel, in plain view.

“While I was performing, I was able to look around and see these landmarks that I had only seen in books,” marvelled the St Elizabeth native.

“It let me know that reggae music is a powerful force, and I am determined to do my part to keep spreading it.”

On the trip with Protoje was ZJ Liquid, one of the first disc jockeys on a mainstream Jamaican radio station (ZIP 103 FM) to play his music.

New ground

In Dubai, Liquid also broke new ground by playing music live on Radio 1 for more than an hour. Radio 1 is Dubai’s leading urban radio station.

Protoje is becoming a seasoned force on the international reggae scene. His next move is the Rasta Love Tour, a 10-date series of events on the west coast of the United States, primarily in California and Washington State from May 17 to 27.

Soon after that, Protoje and his band InDiggNation will make their debut on the African continent as one of the headliners for the MBay Megafest on June 2 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. This is a special assignment for Protoje, as his wish is to travel the world with InDiggNation, playing and creating music.

The artiste is also billed for Rototom Sunsplash in Spain this coming August.

While I was performing, I was able to look around and see these landmarks that I had only seen in books.

SOURCE

Interview with Director-X via Rudy-Blair

“On May 26 some of Canadian music’s most important music and entertainment professionals will take part in the 2012 Toronto International Music Summit. One of the keynote speakers will be Toronto native Director X, know as the best music director in the business. 680News music reporter Rudy Blair speaks with Director X about the summit, his career and working on Justin Bieber’s new music video “Boyfriend.”  SOURCE

New Leaf is 5 years young… And we’re throwing a party with our friends from cirQlar!

Music by:
LAL (http://cargocollective.com/lal)
Zum One (http://www.zum1.com/)
Drumatix Six
DJ Kyle Marshall
DJ Wayuu

Visuals by: Siren Sativa and Jaxamuse

Art exhibit by youth from LOVE (http://www.leaveoutviolence.com/)

Tickets $25
Purchase tickets here: http://riseupparty.eventbrite.com/

Help us celebrate youth, community and yoga with a lively night of fun and friends, dancing and play. Enjoy live music and DJs, installations and circus performances, a youth art exhibit, raffle prizes, snacks and so much more. Proceeds will support New Leaf’s programs with youth.

7:30pm – Doors open
8:00pm – Pre-party yoga class with Nicole Madison and DJ Kyle Marshall
9:00pm – PARTY!

Raffle prizes include a gift certificate from Lululemon, yoga passes from Kula Annex, 2 all-access passes to Drop Festival from cirQlar, a massage treatment, an acupuncture treatment, jewelry, and more!

Snacks by A Couple of Squares (http://www.acoupleofsquares.com/)

For more information about New Leaf Yoga Foundation, visit http://www.newleafyoga.org/

Celebrating 9 years in Ur city, & 1 year @ les Bobards…

THE STRUGGLE 4 BEAUTIFUL ART & SINCERE STORYTELLING
CONTINUES!!!
KVC.

THIS WEEK’S LINE UP:
Sarah MK, Jjanice, X-Wam, Zach Framton(keys), Martin Heslop(bass), Nadine Altounji(gtr), Alex Dion(sax), Jahsun(time & cymbals)…& more!
+++Guest dj ANDY COUCHMAN on the 1′s & 2′s…Blazin’!!!! 5$ before 9pm, 8$ after…+ drink specials between 8-9pm & 11 -12am, so come thru & enjoy the VIBES!

Kalmunity Vibe Collective is a grassroots live music concept composed of poets , singers, MCs, dancers, djs and musicians. The collective was founded in 2003 by drummer & musical/artistic director Jahsun, and since has grown into one of the largest artistic collectives in Canada. Their performances are unique live experiences created through spontaneous composition also known as “Live Organic Improv”. Their musical style blends flavors of R&B, hip-hop, afrobeat, funk, reggae, soul and jazz. The lyrics reflect diverse perspectives and tell the stories of the voiceless offering an alternative to the mainstream. The result is incredibly creative, original music that is rich with cultural, spiritual and social content expressed in the moment. Kalmunity’s unique approach to music has both astounded and inspired their consistently growing audience.

Kalmunity Vibe Collective est un regroupement “grassroots” de poètes, chanteurs, MCs, danseurs, djs et musiciens se basant sur le
concept d’ ”organic live music”. Le collectif fut créé en 2003 par le batteur et directeur musical Jahsun. Depuis sa fondation, Kalmunity est devenu l’un des plus grands collectifs artistiques au Canada. Les prestations du Kalmunity sont des expériences “live” uniques crées par des compositions spontanées que le groupe surnomme ”Live Organic Improv”. Leur style musical mélange les saveurs du R&B, hip-hop, afrobeat, punk, reggae, soul et jazz. Leurs paroles
reflètent différentes perspectives, racontent les histoires de ceux qui ne peuvent s’exprimer librement et offrent une alternative
au courant ”mainstream”. Le résultat est pleinement créatif, original, culturel, spirituel et social. L’approche musicale de Kalmunity réussit constamment à émerveiller et à inspirer leur auditoire qui ne cesse jamais de s’agrandir.

KALMUNITY TUESDAY’S
@ Les Bobards,4328 st-laurent(coin marie-anne)
8pm-12am, 5$ b4 9pm, 8$ after

http://www.kalmunity.com/
http://www.youtube.com/kalmunity
http://www.myspace.com/kalmunity
http://twitter.com/kalmunity
http://www.facebook.com/Kalmunity
http://www.facebook.com/kalmunityjazz

That might well be true, since who doesn’t suffer from internalized racism?  I mean, even white people internalize racism. The difference is that white people’s internalized racism is against people of color, and it’s backed up by those who control societal institutions and capital.

But some folk have more on their minds.  They say that focusing on black and white reinforces a false racial binary that marginalizes the experiences of non-black people of color. No argument here. But I also think that trying to mix things up by putting non-black people of color in the middle is a problem because there’s no “middle.”

So there’s most of my answer. I’m sure I do suffer from internalized racism, but I don’t think that racism is defined only in terms of black and white. I also don’t think white supremacy is a simple vertical hierarchy with whites on top, black people on the bottom, and the rest of us in the middle.

So why do I expend so much effort on lifting up the oppression of black people? Because anti-black racism is the fulcrum of white supremacy.

A fulcrum is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the support about which a lever turns” or, alternatively, “one that supplies capability for action.” In other words, if you want to move something, you need a pry bar and some leverage, and what gives you leverage is the fulcrum – that thing you use so the pry bar works like a see-saw.

The racial arrangement in the U.S. is ever changing.  There is no “bottom.” Different groups have more ability to affect others at different times because our roles are not fixed.  But, while there’s no bottom, there is something like a binary in that white people exist on one side of these dynamics – the side with force and intention. The way they mostly assert that force and intention is through the fulcrum of anti-black racism.

Hang in there with me for a minute and consider this. Race slavery is the historical basis of our economy. Yes, there was/is a campaign of “Indian removal” in order to capture natural resources and that certainly is part of the story. But the structure of the economy is rooted in slavery.

Our Constitution was written by slave owners. They managed to muster some pretty nice language about equality, justice, and freedom for “men” because they considered Africans less than human. Our federal system is based on a compromise intended to accommodate slavery. Our concept of ownership rights, the structure of our federal elections system, the segregated state of our society,the glut of money in politics, our conservative political culture, our criminal codes and federal penitentiaries all evolved around or were/are facilitated by anti-black racism.

And this is not just about history.  Fear of black people drives our national politics, from the fight over Jim Crow in the 50s and 60s, to Willie Horton and the Chicago Welfare Queen in the 80s, and the War on Drugs, starting in 1982 right up to the present. Since 2001, the U.S. has spent about 1.3 trillion dollars on war. Since 1982 we’ve spent over 1 trillion dollars on the drug war.

About 82% of drug busts are for possession, while about 18% are for trafficking. Sound like an irrational way to wage a war on drugs? Not if it’s a war on black people.

According to Human Rights Watch, black males are incarcerated at a rate more than six times that of white males resulting in one in 10 black males aged 25-29 being held in prison or jail in 2009. The same report states:

And why a war on people?  The war on drugs is the cornerstone of the “tough on crime” messaging campaign that is key to the Republican Southern Strategy. It suggests that extending civil rights to African-Americans resulted in the crime wave of the 1970s, (and not the baby boom as is suggested by sociologists) in order to drive white Southerners into the Republican Party.

And that “tough on crime” thing, that’s not just against black people.  It’s a propaganda war that is weakening civil rights and civil liberties for all of us.

There’s no hierarchy of oppressions where race is concerned, but anti-black racism is the fulcrum of white supremacy.

Toronto, ON -Black Womyn Griots is a film that explores the black literary genre of spoken word. Toronto-based female poets share how they use storytelling as an act of resistance and language as a site of power. This film depicts spoken word as a powerful means to build communities, organize resistance and tell our stories as an act of healing.

“The Future is in the Ghetto >> Exhibit A Homeboiis ”
photo show and Fundraiser!

This is an invite to the first solo photo exhibit from Jon Blak

This is a first of mega series “The future is in the Ghetto” documenting innovation in focusing on but not limited to the urban peripheries (inner-cities) yes i said inner cities lol

HOMEBOIIS is a celebration of black masculine camaraderie
Images were taken in Nairobi, Port Antonio and Toronto from 2008-2011

Prints and Drinks will be sold
Light refreshments should be provided (i’ll really try!)

Proceeds go to support my return trip to Nairobi Kenya to reconnect with young leaders and document youth programs that I connected with on my 2008 with Emerge!

Please come out and support, buy a piece if you are moved to do so

Location: 823A Bloor St West
Dates: May 9-12th

Wednesday May 9th,2012 Times: 8:00pm -10:00pm*opening*
Thursday 12:00pm :7:00pm
Friday 12:00pm-7:00pm
Saturday 12:00pm-6:00pm
Sunday 1:00pm-5:00pm

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

SFA exclusive footage! Wednesday May 9 2012- West Coast First Nations ‘Yinka Dene Alliance Freedom Riders’ and community supporters gathered in front of the Enbridge’s annual general meeting of shareholders at the King Edward Hotel here in downtown Toronto,to send a clear message of disapproval for Enbridge’s plan to build pipelines and oil sands through out Sacred First Nations territory. Led by 11 year old activist/ singer from vancouver Ta’Kaiya Blaney. Check out our photo gallery! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.352833811443585.82135.1285944838675…

The Yinka Dene Alliance is one of the leading groups of First Nations in opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway oil pipeline and super-tanker project. We are six Dakelh (Carrier) and Tse Kay Nay (Sekani) Nations in the interior of what is known as British Columbia, and we are where the unbroken wall of opposition to Enbridge’s dangerous tar sands pipeline begins.
 

Background:

We are taking an historic journey — the Freedom Train — from our territories to Toronto. We will make stops for rallies and ceremony in Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg along the way, and will gain strength as we travel across Turtle Island. Remembering the Constitution Train of 1980, we will be travelling from our lands to the Canadian centre of financial power – Bay Street – to send the pipeline companies, oil companies, banks, financial media and the government an unforgettable message: tar sands pipelines and supertankers will not be permitted in our lands and waters. For more info about the Freedom Riders Train and the Yinka Dene Alliance see: http://freedomtrain2012.com/ For more info on the Indigenous and allied movement Against Enbridge’s Tar Sands Pipelines and Tankers, and the Tar Sands themselves, see: http://yinkadene.ca/ http://pipeupagainstenbridge.ca/ http://www.ienearth.org/tarsands.html