The Wolf Hall Debates series (presented by the London Public Library, Urban League of London, London Community Foundation, and London Arts Council) is hosting an Oxford-style debate on Monday, October 17, 2016 (7:00pm – 9:00pm). The motion: ‘Be it resolved that political correctness has gone too far.’

The civic discourse on the concept of political correctness is particularly interesting from an equity and social inclusion lens:

In the shadow of the global refugee crisis, Islamophobia, #BlackLivesMatter, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Report, and the rhetoric of the American presidential election (19 days later), four debaters and three respondents take the stage to discuss an inescapable theme of our time: political correctness. Has it gone too far? Or do we need more of it? Does ‘correcting our politics’ actually change how we think and act as a society? In the end, does political correctness change the way we treat one another… for better or for worse? (Quoted from Wolf Hall Debates)

Political correctness drives us to examine fundamental questions about the way people in society frame the identity of ‘the other.’ At a broad social level, it is increasingly becoming difficult to talk about systemic marginalization and stigmatization without accounting for the rhetoric of political correctness. Furthermore, political correctness also has obvious and interesting implications for the academic/research sector.

Everyone interested in ‘taking the pulse’ of how our community is thinking about these big questions is encouraged to attend.

The debaters at this event are Ali Chahbar, Susan Toth, Mojdeh Cox, and Jeff Preston. Respondents include Tim Blackmore (Western University), Frankie Condon (University of Waterloo), and Sheri Doxtator (Oneida Nation of the Thames Settlement). The debate is convened and hosted by James Shelley.

Learn more and sign up if you are interested in attending. (Free. General Admission.)

On September 17, members of the London community gathered to discuss the issue of racism in the city.

Several members of the CRHESI community were present. James Shelley, CRHESI Co-Coordinator, shares some of his reflections on the event in a recent blog post, ‘When Inclusivity is Exclusionary.’ The post gathers together some points from the discussion (both live and on Twitter) and ponders how the language of inclusion is inherently related to power and privilege.

Mayor Matt Brown also issued a statement after the event. ‘We will devise an action plan to work with our community to combat racism in London. It is important for us to address this as it is, an anti-racism strategy,’ he said.

In other developments, London’s Diversity and Race Relations Advisory Committee (LDRRAC), organizers of the September 17 forum, received approval from City Council to change their name to the Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Oppression Advisory Committee (DIAAC).

Ontario’s Anti-Racism Directorate is holding a public community meeting in London sometime in October.

Stay tuned for further material, follow-up, and video related to the September 17 forum over the coming weeks.

Abe Oudshoorn, member of the CRHESI Steering Committee, has been announced as the recipient of the 2016 Western Humanitarian Award.

Abe Oudshoorn is Assistant Professor in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western University, the Department of Psychiatry Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and Associate Scientist with Lawson Health Research Institute. Having worked as a nurse with people experiencing homelessness, Abe’s research focuses on health, homelessness, housing policy, and poverty. Outside of the University, Abe has the privilege of chairing the London Homeless Coalition, is a board member with the United Way of London & Middlesex, and sat on the Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Poverty.

Peggy Sattler, MPP for London West, stood to acknowledge Abe’s achievement in Provincial Parliament.

On behalf of all of us at CRHESI, a big congratulations to Abe for all your hard work and dedication to our community.

September 19, 2016. Congratulations to Helene Berman, PhD, Professor in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, on her induction as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). The academy recognizes those who have a history of outstanding performance in the academic health sciences in Canada.

Professor Berman is also the Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Health Sciences and CRHESI co-director.

An internationally recognized scholar, she conducts community-based research focused on the subtle and explicit forms of violence experienced by women and children, social and structural inequalities, and health. She is Past President of the Nursing Network on Violence against Women International and lead editor of the ground-breaking report, In the Best Interests of the Girl Child, that has informed the development of numerous programs and policies in Canada. Her research has been funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and Status of Women Canada. Her current research incorporates arts-based approaches in a Youth-Centered Participatory Action Research methodology to examine structural violence in the lives of young people in Canada. Dr. Berman was a leading force in the establishment of the Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion and serves as its founding Academic Director.

A dinner honouring the 2016 inductees was held in Montreal on September 15.

About the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

The objective of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences is to provide assessments of and advice on key issues relevant to the health of Canadians. In order to achieve this role it will:

• Serve as a credible, expert and independent assessor of science and technology (S&T) issues relevant to the health of Canadians;
• Support the development of timely, informed and strategic advice on urgent health issues;
• Support the development of sound and informed public policy related to these issues;
• Enhance understanding of S&T issues affecting the public good by transmitting the results of assessments and providing opportunities for public discussion of these matters;
• Provide a collective authoritative multi-disciplinary voice of health sciences communities;
• Represent Canadian health sciences internationally and liaise with like international academies to enhance understanding and potential collaborations on matters of mutual interest.

For more information, visit: www.cahs-acss.ca