Building Bridges

Following last week's episode, Tarran Maharaj returns with a group of students that have worked on an upcoming food poverty conference this October 4th and 5th. They discuss the research, activism and work they've put into it and what to expect at for he Food Poverty Summit at the Saw Centre in Ottawa.

Food systems researcher Tarran Maharaj has been hosting 'lunch and conversation' sessions with students for years now. His aim is to help them understand nutrition and bonding over a meal. In this episode he shares why experiences like this are so vital, especially for international students who are more likely to experience food poverty.

This week, members of the Ottawa Transformative Justice Collective walk us through the alternatives to punitive justice. Jeff Bradley, Rachel Fayter, and Victoria Morris dive into the flaws of the current criminal justice system as it punishes people who experience criminalization, rather than addressing root causes and generational traumas. 

They touch on abolitionism, over-policing, halfway houses and prisons in Canada. Their collective formed after hosting workshops in Ottawa through OPIRG and they've been advocating for change in the capital ever since. 

In this episode, PhD candidates Karine Coen-Sanchez and Dina Idriss-Wheeler refer to their research to unpack the kinds of racism experienced by people in different institutions, like medicine and academia. They've hosted workshops through OPIRG to educate the community on anti-racism and learning about individuals’ social positionalities. 

These two have had conversations with friends, family, and colleagues to spread awareness about privilege and the responsibility to acknowledge it and call out anti-racism. In this conversation, you’ll hear them refer to scholar-activist Loretta Ross’ concept of Calling Out and Calling In, as well as her book with Rickie Solinger ‘Reproductive Justice.’