For OPSEU Staff And Members
Anti-Black racism is not new.
The brutality of current events, heightened by social media’s incredible power to share and motivate, has shifted the world into action. Systemic racism is deadly real. It is deeply rooted in a painful history that has disproportionately affected Black communities for generations.
OPSEU recognizes this and will be a leader in effecting change. We are inviting all staff and members to take part in this important conversation.
Together we will create real, meaningful change – change that does not leave anyone behind.
The town hall will be hosted by well-known personality and anti-Black racism activist Farley Flex, and will feature a panel of OPSEU members – including President Warren (Smokey) Thomas and First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida – and OPSEU staff.
To accommodate different schedules, the town hall will take part in two sessions:
- Noon to 1:30 pm EST on Tuesday, July 7
- 7 to 8:30 pm EST on Tuesday, July 7
All members and staff are welcome to participate in one or both of the sessions.
How to participate
There are a variety of ways to participate in either English or French.
If you’re an OPSEU member and OPSEU has your up-to-date phone number, all you have to do is pick up the phone. We’ll call you around 10 to 15 minutes before the session starts – just stay on the line and you’ll be connected to the call. (To ensure OPSEU has your most up-to-date number, please call 1-800-268-7376.)
Please note: OPSEU staff members will NOT receive one of these calls.
OPSEU members and staff can also participate anonymously by dialing in directly or over the web. Here’s how:
English
- 877-229-8493 (ENGLISH)
- ID code: 112847
- Web streaming (English, audio-only, closed-captioning is available)
French
- 877-255-5810 (FRENCH)
- ID code: 117019
- Web streaming (French, audio-only)*
*Please note that closed-captioning is not available in French.
You can also send comments, suggestions, or recommendations about anti-Black racism before, during or after the town halls by emailing them to [email protected]
Panelists
Shauna-Kay Cassell
Shauna-Kay graduated with a MBA in General Management, a graduate certificate in Public Administration, and an Honours B.A in Criminology and Political Science. Currently, she works as a Court and Client Representative at the Toronto Superior Court of Justice, writes for online magazines, and serves in community organizations.
Carlotta Ewing
Carlotta is a member from OPSEU Local 228 and currently works as a Court Clerk and Registrar for the Ministry of the Attorney General. She strives to create opportunities through education that enlighten and empower others about the importance of tolerance and compassion in the workplace so that things such as homophobia, islamophobia, and systematic racism become unbeknownst to places as diverse as the OPS and OPSEU.
Peter Thompson
Peter has worked as a Property Valuation Specialist for 30 years for the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. He is the current Chair of OPSEU’s Coalition of Racialized Workers (CoRW) and he has been active within OPSEU in various capacities since 1992.
Evan Wickham
Evan is a Customer Service Representative for the LCBO, President of OPSEU Local 376, and the Region 3 Representative on OPSEU’s Provincial Young Workers Committee (PYC). He is a strong believer of Mahatma Gandhi’s mantra, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” and has applied it to his union activist life for the past five years.
Andrea McCormack
Andrea McCormack is a longtime OPSEU staff member. She is a staff rep in the Hamilton office and is currently temporarily reassigned as an Employment Equity Lead. Andrea also sits on the board of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, representing Canada and the Eastern U.S.
Joscelyn Ross
Joscelyn came to OPSEU’s Health and Safety unit as a full-time staff member in 2016. Before that, he’d been an active OPSEU member since 1990. He has served as the local Vice-President at the Roy McMurtry Youth Centre, Vice-chair to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Youth Justice Divisional Health and Safety Committee, and he also proudly represented the members on the Anti-Discrimination and Systemic Change Committee (ADSC).
Farley Flex – moderator
Farley is a community-capacity builder, social activist and entertainment industry entrepreneurial pioneer. He is the co-creator of the very successful Just Think 1st anti-violence/anti-gun violence awareness campaign, and the SAY IT LOUD national initiative to promote Black Pride and Positive Cultural Identity to Black youth funded by the Canadian Department of Heritage.