Saturday, July 27, 2019
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Toronto Regional Office, 31 Wellesley Street E.
The Region 5 Coalition of Racialized Workers (CoRW) invite all racialized local presidents and highest-ranking officers from Region 5 to attend a meeting at OPSEU’s Toronto Regional Office to strategize and mobilize racialized members to resist the Ford Agenda.
The leadership gathering will be a great opportunity to organize, mobilize and engage in open discussion regarding the union and the racialized members in Region 5. The day will include a presentation developed by Region 5 CoRW and OPSEU’s Equity Unit, including facilitated discussion to develop an operational definition of race and racism that can be used to guide our efforts.
Experts will also advise members on how to create racialized spaces where all are included and empowered to speak with their own voice about the daily realities of racialization.
The gathering is part of the CoRW’s strategic plan to engage racialized OPSEU members. The Social Mapping Project recognizes that in order to create an inclusive union for Ontario’s increasingly diverse workforce, the identification and removal of all barriers to participation must be an organizational priority.
Social identities like race shape the issues that are important to members. The CoRW seeks to truly represent those who identify as racialized members, especially at a time when politicians like Doug Ford take a “colour blind” approach to race-based complaints against employers. This approach only serves to further marginalize already precarious and vulnerable workers.
As the most diverse region, it is not surprising that Region 5 racialized workers are willing to take the lead in building a multi-racial and anti-racist response to the Conservative Agenda.
Please email [email protected] by July 19, 2019 to register for the event. Lunch will be provided. Please advise of any dietary restrictions. Parking, mileage, and transit will also be reimbursed.