Ryerson University issued the following announcement on Oct. 22.

Ryerson’s Social Justice Week 2020 will expand its scope to look for intersectional approaches, international solidarity. Photo by Tandem X Visuals for Unsplash.

This year’s Social Justice Week at Ryerson speaks to the recurring themes of confinement, being unsheltered, needing to support each other's struggles internationally and needing to overcome barriers that divide and oppress us.

From October 26 to October 30, the Unifor National Chair in Social Justice and Democracy hosts the 10th Annual Social Justice Week - for the first time, virtually. But the week’s events play into the distance we may be feeling amid the pandemic and ask us to look closer at intersectional approaches to solidarity. The theme this year is “Beyond Walls, Beyond Borders” and the week features 10 events focusing on justice, critical geography, democracy, political mobilization, labour, global resistance and feminist activism.

"2020 has obviously been an extremely challenging year, with negative headlines about COVID deaths, people being killed by police, homelessness on the rise, racist attacks, massive job loss (especially for women) and inequalities laid bare in more and more stark fashion on a daily basis,” says Kikélola Roach, the Unifor National Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at Ryerson. “It's precisely because things often feel overwhelming and a lot of us feel isolated, that we decided it was important to keep Social Justice Week going.”

Roach says the planning committee talked about how the pandemic has been affecting people differently based on their social location, whether it be those displaced from their homes or denied housing, those confined to prisons or unsafe barracks on farms. “Many are facing unbearable conditions and it shouldn't be that way. We also talked about the global dimensions of fighting what we see as multiple pandemics: COVID-19 yes, but also systemic racism and other forms of discrimination that are equally threatening to people's lives and livelihoods.”

The week’s events

Social Justice Week is a time for reflection, learning and a chance to get inspired by all the people who are working hard to support better social conditions and affect change. Below is a shortlist of events taking place during Social Justice Week. For a comprehensive look at what the week has to offer, please visit the Social Justice Week website.

Monday, October 26 - Housing in Crisis will discuss how the lack of a COVID-19 plan for people who are homeless is only a continuation of decades of neglect on housing and shelter issues. Focusing on experiences in Toronto, the panel will also address how race and colonization intersect to further intensify the living conditions of those who have been denied the protection of a decent home to live in.

Tuesday, October 27 - Global Black Resistance will share what the different (and similar) human rights priorities are for Black people working in movements in different countries and examining what are the elements needed for greater and more effective international solidarity among peoples of African descent.

Wednesday, October 28 - Food Justice in the Time of COVID will draw links between barriers to food access and the precarious working conditions involved in food production to highlight the demand for “food justice”. It will also explore the ways in which the current global pandemic has intensified food injustice for marginalized communities.

Thursday, October 29 - Gendering the Political Landscape. The realities of gender inequality and sexist exploitation continue to be a daily lived reality. The global pandemic has brought with it an increase in domestic violence, massive job losses for women and an increased domestic workload. Panelists will share their views on the state of modern feminism, the barriers to broad-based mobilization, and the ongoing challenges involved in building an organized and intersectional movement against patriarchy.

Original source: https://www.ryerson.ca/news-events/news/2020/10/social-justice-week-is-breaking-down-walls-building-connections/