North America | Canada | Activism

Dancer Santee Smith offers a new way to consider indigenous women’s issues

Award-winning choreographer and dancer Santee Smith wanted to think about indigenous women’s issues in a new way. She wanted to incite a fresh dialogue on women, reconciliation and healing – and part of that dialogue meant reframing the idea of “truths.” By assembling a team of internationally renowned indigenous women artists, she’s put together an interdisciplinary show called Re-Quickening, which opens at Toronto’s Fleck Dance Theatre next week. The Globe and Mail caught up with Smith in Toronto. Read the full interview at the source.

North America | Canada | Activism

Eekwol Fights for Aboriginal Women’s Rights Through Hip-Hop

Source: Vice

Hip-hop’s roots are inextricably linked to political, socioeconomic, and racial inequality. Not that you might think of those things while turning up at a party or waxing poetic on a hoverboard. Enter the conscious rapper to remind us what’s real. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan’s Eekwol raps about her Canadian prairie surroundings and Cree culture. Born Lindsay Knight, she began performing in the late 90s with her brother Mils and five cousins under the banner of Innersoulflow. Eventually, the members went solo, but Eekwol continued to promote social change and the quest for knowledge and self

North America | Canada | Activism

Women fast to raise awareness about kids in child welfare system

Source: CBC News

Six women are going without food or water to raise awareness about the number of children in Manitoba's child welfare system. The women have set up teepees and lit a sacred fire on the Manitoba legislative grounds and will stay there until Thursday. The women are there in support of the efforts of The Manitoba First Nations Family Advocate, that was created in June in order to address concerns with how the province handles situations involving First Nations families. Morgan acknowledged the Truth and Reconciliation Report on Residential Schools, and the province's recent apology for th

North America | Canada | Activism

Topless rally in Waterloo for women’s rights

Source: 570 News

Women’s rights advocates will gather at Waterloo Town Square today to show support, and some skin, for the de-sexualization of women. The ‘Bare with Us Rally’ starts at noon today and was organized earlier this week after three Ontario women made news for speaking out after they were stopped by police for riding their bicycles topless. Alysha Brilla, musician and one of the sister’s involved, will be attending the rally but intends on being fully-clothed. She spoke to 570 news earlier this week about it.

North America | Canada | Activism

Campaign aims to make Vancouver nightlife safer for women

Source: CBC News

A night out on the town — time for a little fun drinking and dancing. But for women, along with the good times can come some awkward, at times awful interactions, involving unwanted touching and other forms of sexual pressure. Now a new campaign is trying to make nightlife a little safer. Good Night Out was started by Ashtyn Bevan and Stacey Forrester with the goal of stopping behaviours inside clubs that lead to sexual harassment. In order to do this, Bevan and Forrester audit clubs to see how safe they are for women.

North America | Canada | Activism

Groups press political parties for first women’s issues leaders’ debate in 30 years

Source: Global News

More than 130 organizations are hoping to hold a nationally televised federal leaders’ debate focused on women’s issues, but only two parties have committed to taking part. The NDP and Green Party say their leaders Tom Mulcair and Elizabeth May will participate while organizers have yet to receive a response from either the Conservative Party or the Liberals. The groups have banded together under the campaign Up for Debate, which has collected about 40,000 signatures on various petitions. While the debate format is up for negotiation, Oxfam’s executive director Julie Delahanty s

North America | Canada | Activism

Montreal foundation making reusable menstrual pads for women in Senegal

Source: Montreal Gazette

In 2009 when Shara Rosen and some Senegalese friends in Montreal launched the Fondation Sénégal Santé Mobile, which sends medications to community health centres and equipment to birthing centres in some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas. On Thursday afternoon, Rosen and members of the foundation will be in Phillips Square in downtown Montreal to show off their latest project — reusable menstrual pads for teenage girls and women. The event is being held on Menstrual Hygiene Day, which aims to raise awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene management among girls i

North America | Canada | Activism

Ask Her Talks giving African women a voice

Source: Montreal Gazette

A series of speeches at McGill University Monday night on the roles African women play in the face of crisis on their continent offered first-hand perspectives from people who are making change despite facing violence, illness and the tragedies that accompany both on a daily basis. The series, called the Ask Her Talks, was presented by the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which works with groups who treat people with HIV/AIDS in Africa. The theme of the series is to highlight the insights and opinions of women who are on the front lines dealing with problems like AIDS, the recent Ebola epidemic an