Issue 19 (BHM Issue), Volume 143 (February 27, 2023)

Art, Culture, Identity

T HE VAR SI T Y

T HE VAR SI T Y

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The Varsity would like to acknowledge that our office is built on the traditional territory of several First Nations, including the Huron-Wendat, the Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit. Journalists have historically harmed Indigenous communities by overlooking their stories, contributing to stereotypes, and telling their stories without their input. Therefore, we make this acknowledgement as a starting point for our responsibility to tell those stories more accurately, critically, and in accordance with the wishes of Indigenous Peoples.

Letter from the Black History Month Issue cover artist

Joanna Bakyaita Varsity Contributor

Being Black or African, it is common to receive questions about whether you have done enough to resist, reform, and fight back. Have you spoken up enough about the injustice around you? Have you used your resources to fund and supply the community? Have you done enough to represent your identity? And all these questions are framed to fit the realities of the highly melanated. Without context, any reader could determine

which race these questions are directed at — a perplexing truth, but a fact, nonetheless. Thus, this cover represents the reality that, for some, the most significant resistance can be the expression of joy. Black artists are tapping into the portrayal of Blackness as is — that our existence in space already merits documentation. It can be a communion of people whose sole intent is to BE. Loudly or quietly. I took these images at the AfroCarib fest. That was where I witnessed the most prominent display of the vast Black-Afro-Caribbean diaspora in Toronto. A display that warmed my heart, and I hope it does the same for you in this design.

U of T Governing Council approves amendments to UMLAP,

effective March 1

Renamed Supportive Leaves Policy to only apply to students posing harm to others

Lexey

Deputy News Editor

Content warning: This article mentions suicide and self-harm.

On February 15, U of T’s Governing Council voted to accept recommended changes to the University-Mandated Leave of Absence Policy (UMLAP), which will come into effect on March 1. The amendments include renaming the policy to the Supportive Leaves Policy (SLP), which cannot be enacted if a student poses harm to themselves and not others.

The Governing Council originally approved UMLAP in June 2018, allowing the vice-provost to place a student on a mandated leave of absence if their “behaviour poses a risk of harm to self or others” or if they are “unable to engage in the essential activities required to pursue an education at the University.” The UMLAP was invoked 17 times between its initial approval and the end of the 2021–2022 school year.

reflect the policy’s supportive intent and highlight that the SLP, like UMLAP, includes a voluntary option along with the mandated option.

The SLP also clarifies that “mere discomfort” about a student’s behaviour does not qualify as psychological harm and is not grounds to use the policy. In addition, the university has recommitted to publishing a companion guide for the policy. During consultations in the UMLAP review process, students mentioned that the university had promised to publish a companion guide when the policy first passed in 2018, which has not happened so far.

The SLP further mandates divisions that do not currently have a voluntary leave of absence policy to create their own voluntary leave policies. The Vice-Provost must also collect and report additional data on the SLP, such as demographic information, and review the policy in three years.

with some calling for the university to revoke it. The 2019 Report of the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health noted that the policy may prevent students from seeking mental health services because they fear that the university will invoke the UMLAP.

In 2021, the university initiated a review of the policy. According to the university, the policy reviewers gathered feedback from major student unions and groups on campus.

The university administration consulted two external experts on the revised draft of the policy: lawyer Raj Anand and Dr. Juveria Zaheer. Zaheer, a psychiatrist and faculty member at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine with expertise in suicide risk assessment and prevention, provided feedback from a clinical mental health care perspective. Anand, former chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, focused his feedback on ensuring the policy legally complied with the university’s human rights obligations.

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Supportive Leaves Policy

While the UMLAP could be used to put a student on leave if they were at risk of self-harm, the SLP restricts mandated leaves to cases where a student may pose harm to others or actively interfere with other students’ education.

According to Sandy Welsh, vice-provost, students, the university proposed the new name to

In her speech at the February 15 Governing Council meeting, Welsh said the administration is “hopeful” that changing the policy’s language will ensure students that U of T will not invoke the policy if students disclose thoughts of suicide or self-harm.

“The policy has never been applied in this way, and these revisions make clear that it could never be applied in these circumstances,” said Welsh.

Revision process

Students, student unions, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission have criticized the UMLAP,

In January, the University Affairs Board and the Academic Board recommended that the Governing Council approve the SLP.

Reactions to the proposed changes

On February 14, the University of Toronto Law Union published an open letter addressed to the Governing Council, criticizing the SLP and urging the university to revoke the policy. 15 groups and organizations, including student groups from U of T and other universities across Canada, also signed the open letter.

“No form of kind mandated leave should be imposed on a student,” the U of T Law Union wrote.

UTSU officially announces election results for 2023–2024 term

Elizabeth Shechtman elected as president, CHESS referendum passes

Jessie Schwalb Assistant News Editor

On February 21, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) officially announced the results of spring elections for the 2023–2024 academic year. Voters elected Elizabeth Shechtman as President. Among the candidates for vice-president positions, students elected Fatima Sohail as VicePresident Equity, Samir Mechel as Vice-President Operations, Al-amin Ahamed as Vice-President Professional Faculties, Aidan Thompson as VicePresident Public and University Affairs, and Fiona Hewes as Vice-President Student Life.

With a 58.5 per cent approval vote, students passed a referendum to create a two-dollar levy financing the Community Housing and Employ-

ment Support Services, an initiative intended to help students navigate housing and employment. Proposed elements of the initiative include lease inspections, career-planning supports, a portal where students can post and find jobs and housing, and online guides to obtaining housing and employment.

The voting period lasted from February 14 to February 17. Within this time period, 4,464 students — approximately 11 per cent of those eligible to vote — cast their ballots. In comparison, roughly seven per cent of those eligible voted in the 2022–2023 election. For the elected positions, a sizable proportion of voters abstained, with abstention rates between 43 and 58 per cent.

In 2022, no student submitted the necessary materials to run for president within the nomination period, forcing the union to hold a separate

by-election. The candidates for vicepresident operations and vice-president professional faculties both ran uncontested, with thirteen candidates running for the five vice presidencies.

This year, 20 students ran for the five vicepresident positions, with every position contested. Three students ran for president, with Shechtman — current vice-president student life — securing the position after receiving 42 per cent of the vote.

The vice-presidents and president, which collectively make up the UTSU executive committee, will begin the onboarding period in the first week of May.

At the 2022 Annual General Meeting, students approved changes to the union’s Board of Directors structure, reducing the number of board members and introducing a student senate. Fourteen students ran for the ten board member-at-large openings, with Nelson Lee, Rayan Awad Alim, Helena Zhang, Serenity Bui, Eva Karulina, Nolan Chisholm, Tala Mehdi, Jane Lee, Isabella Gouthro, and Ron Ulitsky receiving sufficient votes to secure a position. These students’ terms begin on May 1, 2023.

Silence is Loud”: Turkish students protest U of T’s lack

did not.

Content warning: This article discusses death.

On February 6, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale destroyed parts of southern Türkiye and northern Syria. Hours later, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Türkiye added to the destruction. As of February 24, more than 50,000 people have died as a result of the earthquakes. The death toll continues to rise because some people remain trapped in the debris while others remain homeless in subzero weather.

On February 21, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake and a second measuring 5.8 hit Türkiye’s southern province of Hatay. According to Türkiye’s interior minister, Süleyman Soylu, at least three people were killed and 213 wounded.

More than 600 Turkish and Syrian citizens are currently enrolled at U of T. According to numbers from the 2021–2022 academic year, Türkiye is the eighth most common country of origin for U of T international students.

Student reactions

On the day of the earthquake, Yasmin Din — a Turkish fourth-year UTSC psychology student — received a call from her father, who was in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. Din recalled that her father sounded “very anxious and stressed,” and told her that an earthquake had just struck the area. As they were ending their phone call, her father told her that another earthquake had begun and the building he was in had started shaking.

While her father remained safe, Din told The Varsity that she had lost a friend in Malatya, one of the provinces in Türkiye most severely hit by the earthquakes. She also has another friend — a U of T alum — whose father was among the casualties of the earthquakes. “After 10 days, [rescuers] were finally able to pull the dead body of her dad out of the debris,” said Din.

Sude Bakal — a Turkish second-year UTSC management student — also told The Varsity that one of her mother’s friends passed away from the earthquakes.

“Being away from my home country is causing emotional distress itself, and we have friends who lost their homes in Turkey,” wrote Elif Mercan Akyildirim — a Turkish third-year UTSG mechanical engineering student — in an email to The Varsity . “I am in deep sorrow.”

Silent protest at UTSG

Following the earthquakes, U of T students have since organized fundraising and donation events to send aid to Türkiye and Syria. Turkish and Syrian students at U of T also organized a silent protest on February 16 against what they call a lack of action from U of T.

At the silent protest, individuals handed out flyers that read “UofT has done concerningly little to help both our efforts and the general well-being of its student body.”

A U of T spokesperson wrote to The Varsity that the University of Toronto community continues to “follow the humanitarian response, as well as local support efforts from students, staff and faculty.”

Over 100 people attended the event, which was also supported by the U of T Turkish Students’ Association, UTM Turkish Students’ Association, and the Syria Solidarity Collective, a Toronto-based grassroots organization that seeks to establish a secular democratic republic in Syria.

Organizers chose to hold a silent protest in order to reflect U of T’s silence on the issue. “Our silence does not represent a lack of emotion, but an excess of it. Silence is what the university gives us,” said Can Ay — a Turkish second-year UTSG mathematics and economics student — in a speech he gave at the protest.

The protest started at Queen’s Park, where protestors gathered in a half circle and held up a large, white banner that featured scenes of devastation from the earthquake along with the words, “Your Silence is Loud.” Some protestors also held up scenes of the earthquake’s destruction on cardboard papers.

Protestors then marched toward Simcoe Hall, where the Office of the President is located. Along the way, they stopped on the steps of Sidney Smith Hall. Outside the president’s office, organizers gave speeches, then invited attendees to stand in silence for two minutes to mourn the earthquake’s victims. In the end, protestors left all their banners and cardboard papers at the steps of the office.

Beliz Zorvoza — a Turkish second-year UTSG industrial engineering student — attended the silent protest. She didn’t have any family in the region where the earthquakes happened, but has volunteered after school to help organize the protest.

“I feel very proud,” Zorvoza said in an interview with The Varsity . She explained that she didn’t know most of the other Turkish students prior to the earthquakes, but after spending hours with them organizing the event, “I’ve become close with them, and we just bonded together in this time of need.”

She said that if the university had been more willing to supply resources, “we could have done so much more.”

Students’ demands

“We, as Syrian and Turkish students of U of T, could not catch our breath and grieve for our victims,” said a participant in a speech at the protest. “We noticed the lack of resources dedicated to supporting affected students.”

The Varsity did not obtain the participant’s name.

In an interview with The Varsity , UTM Turkish Students’ Association founder Talha Çelik called for U of T to provide financial assistance and academic support to Turkish and Syrian students. “There needs to be more than a statement,” said Çelik.

Meanwhile, Bakal called for special extensions on course assignments for Turkish and Syrian students. She said that at UTSC, Turkish students sometimes skipped their classes and assignments because their priority was to raise donations for earthquake victims. She and her friends tabled every day at the Bladen Wing from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and even volunteered in warehouses on the weekends to pack donations. Bakal said that some professors were understanding and gave extensions to students who were affected as well as those who were volunteering, but some professors

Multiple Turkish students also criticized U of T for not providing them with support for their donation drives. “U of T didn’t even… help us; they put active obstacles in our way,” said Ay in an interview with The Varsity

He highlighted that students had initially used a student lounge in the Lassonde Institute of Mining Building to store donations. After two days, however, they had to relocate because their stored items prevented caretakers from cleaning the space, according to Ay.

Students then moved donations to a public study space in the same building but were asked to vacate the space after one day. Students stored the donation boxes in the basement of Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship for two days until February 17.

Turkish students also said that the majority of university officials they had sent emails to about the earthquake did not respond to them.

Ay said that out of all the deans, college supervisors, provosts, and other university officials that Turkish students have emailed, only “a handful” responded to them, all of which just referred them to mental health resources.

“We are hurt and feel like we don’t belong here,” wrote Akyildirim. “We had to send countless emails so that [university officials] could post something about what is happening.”

“There’s a lot that [U of T] could do, starting with creating a fund for donations,” said Muge Berber — one of the attendees at the silent protest and a Turkish first-year life science student.

U of T’s response

In an email to The Varsity , a U of T spokesperson confirmed that the “very small number” of U of T students currently in Türkiye on university activity are safe, while no U of T students are currently in Syria on university activity. More than 170 U of T alumni are living in Türkiye and Syria.

On February 6, Joseph Wong, U of T’s vicepresident, international, published a message addressed to the community. “On behalf of the University of Toronto, I would like to express concern and sympathy for those here and abroad who are affected by this disaster,” he wrote. On February 22, Wong encouraged affected students to access the university’s emergency grants.

The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union, Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, and U of T Graduate Students’ Union have also issued statements of solidarity with those affected by the earthquake.

A U of T spokesperson also highlighted the student groups across the three campuses that had been fundraising and collecting donations. The statement read, “We encourage groups to post their events on the Student Organization Portal to broaden awareness.”

Donation collection

After the earthquake, Ulaş Güler — a Turkish UTM student studying economics and communication, culture, information and technology — and other Turkish students formed a group to support victims. “This is a time that we need to be… united, and caring for all of those millions of people that are under the rubble right now,” Güler said.

According to Güler, the group tried to raise awareness of the damage from the earthquake by putting up posters around campus, but UTM policy prevented them from doing so because the group is not a UTM-recognized club. The academic society or club non exclusionary policy highlights certain requirements for posters going up around campus, including the size, how and when they are put up, and being approved and “stamped” by the UTM Centre for Student Engagement.

Güler said that this policy has limited fundraising efforts. He said that the International Education Centre is one of the only groups, including university services, organizations, and student groups at UTM, willing to help the students raise donations, but the centre cannot accept cash or e-transfer donations, which are sometimes easier for students to give.

Through five bake sales hosted by Turkish students across the three campuses, the students managed to raise approximately $22,000. Outside organizations that the students have negotiated with have matched many of these fundraising efforts, so Güler believes the donations will total around $50,000.

“The student community has been amazing,” Güler said in an interview with The Varsity after a bake sale at UTM on February 13. He highlighted that a lot of students had attended the bake sale and they had sold 90 per cent of their items that day, but students had also dropped by to donate. Individual students donated up to $150.

Güler explained that the Turkish fundraising donations will not only go toward general relief efforts, but also toward students in cases where “their families are affected by the earthquake.”

He explained that once U of T students donate their fundraised money to non-governmental organizations, “it’s [also] going to supplies or the families that need [it] in that specific area.” Güler highlighted that these non governmental organizations cannot aid the people that are leaving the affected cities and relocating to different places. “They’re trying to start a new life, basically, because they’ve lost their families, homes, and ways of income.”

Next steps

After the silent protest, Ay told The Varsity that students will wait for U of T to respond to their demands. If U of T communicates with them, Ay said that Turkish and Syrian students will “try to meet in the middle with [administrators] and see what we can do to further our efforts.”

Meanwhile, Din said that the Turkish Students’ Association at UTSC plans to host a larger fundraising campaign in collaboration with other Turkish students’ associations across U of T and other clubs at UTSC.

She also said that Turkish student associations across U of T are considering asking the Dean’s Office or the Office of the President for emergency funding and waiving tuition fees “to some extent” for Turkish international students.

“We probably have families who are not able to provide their kids’ international tuition fees anymore, because they have been probably affected,” she said.

“Your

of action after earthquakes

Over 50,000 people have died since the February 6 earthquakes

Lexey Burns

Deputy News Editor

Students silently walked from Queen’s Park to Simcoe Hall holding a banner and signs. LEXEY BURNS/THEVARSITY

Ukrainian U of T students reflect on one year of Russian invasion

Students discuss university responses, future of the conflict

Je Ho Cho Varsity Contributor

On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that, as of February 21 of this year, millions of Ukrainian civilians have sought refuge outside of the country. Hundreds of thousands have arrived in Canada as a result of the conflict.

In interviews with The Varsity, Ukrainian students at U of T reflected on the actions the university has taken to accommodate displaced Ukrainian students and on their country’s prospects for victory.

Nadiya Kovalenko, the president of the Ukrainian Students Club at U of T, spoke positively about U of T’s effort to financially support displaced students from Ukraine but also voiced criticisms regarding the lack of continued support provided for these students.

After the war broke out, U of T offered Ukrainian students assistance through the Emergen-

cy Grants program. Beyond financial aid, U of T offered a summer research program for computer science students from Ukraine in 2022 and plans to hold the program again this summer. The university has also welcomed over 200 Ukrainian students as part of an exchange with the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Citing the safety risk for students who return to Ukraine after their program is completed or their funding has elapsed, Kovalenko noted that, while the university’s efforts have been commendable thus far, “[U of T] can do more. They can do better.” Kovalenko suggested that the university offer U of T students from Ukraine additional opportunities to continue their education, like scholarships or grants, “because a lot of them are literally just going back to the war zone.”

Other Ukrainian students held the university’s public relations efforts in support of Ukraine in high regard. Anna Lysenko, a third-year international relations specialist, said the Munk School of Global Affairs’ various events hosting promi-

nent pro-Ukranian speakers was “important to making sure that Ukraine stays in people’s consciousness.”

The university hosted several speakers of note, including current Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in June 2022. U of T President Meric Gertler also released a statement on March 1, 2022, shortly after the invasion, strongly condemning the Russian invasion and highlighting the university community’s “special connection to Ukraine.”

Despite the current static nature of the con-

flict, Lysenko is among several Ukrainian students who expressed optimism about the outcome of the war to The Varsity. She explained that her assessment of the outcome of the invasion comes from two conflicting viewpoints: the perspective of an international relations student and the perspective of her Ukrainian identity. While believing in Ukraine’s ultimate victory, Lysenko acknowledged that “it’s unlikely the situation will end anytime soon, or at least end in a way that satisfies both sides, both right and wrong.”

Group of GTA doctors launches privacy complaint against U of T-based data network

Doctors allege university research network violated Ontario law, didn’t obtain patient consent

Jessie Schwalb Assistant News Editor

On January 23, Global News published an article detailing a privacy complaint submitted by a group of doctors against a U of T research network. The complaint, which triggered an ongoing investigation by Ontario’s privacy commissioner, alleges that the University of Toronto Practice-Based Research Network (UTOPIAN) violated Ontario privacy law when it collected more than 600,000 patient records without patients’ consent. However, Bernard Dickens, a bioethics and legal expert, explained that the rules governing privacy in research are far less stringent than those that govern the doctor-patient relationship.

The database

Established in 2013, UTOPIAN is one of the largest primary care research networks in North America, according to a spokesperson from the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (TFM). A 2019 report from the network noted that the UTOPIAN database includes patient records from more than 500 Ontario family physicians, with 390 participating sites located within the GTA. At the time of the report, the project included records from approximately 186,000 patients between the ages of 17 and 40, as well as 90,000 records from patients younger than 17. According to the spokesperson, U of T’s Health and Wellness Centres do not contribute data to the project.

The UTOPIAN database does not display patients’ names but details patient information including family medical history, demographics such as education and ethnicity, health conditions, medications, allergies, and age.

Researchers interested in using the database must submit their clinical research proposals to UTOPIAN for approval from the network’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). SAC members include 14 representatives from the sites participating in UTOPIAN, individuals associated with U of T’s Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM), and three patient and community representatives, which the network added in 2016.

Researchers have used UTOPIAN data in large-scale projects researching diabetes, depression, and treatments for Alzheimer’s dis-

ease. According to the UTOPIAN website, researchers could also use these data to identify patients who may be eligible to participate in clinical trials. To maintain privacy, a UTOPIAN analyst uses a list of traits identified by the researchers to identify potential candidates, then contacts the family physicians associated with those records. The physician then contacts patients, asking if they’d like to receive information about the trial.

UTOPIAN contributed data to the Primary Care Ontario Practice-based Learning and Research Network (POPLAR), a dataset containing almost two million patient records from six university research networks across the province and the Alliance for Healthier Communities.

The network also shared data with two national networks: the Diabetes Action Canada Data Repository, which aims to improve outcomes for patients living with diabetes, and the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network, which collects data for research on a variety of conditions.

After Global News reached out to U of T with questions about the network, UTOPIAN paused data collection and transfer. Currently, the network is not approving new projects. In an email to The Varsity, the TFM spokesperson wrote that UTOPIAN paused data collection and transfer after the most recent UTOPIAN research pro-

tocol ended because the network is currently developing a new protocol in preparation for its integration into POPLAR.

Legal issues

In summer 2022, a group of GTA doctors submitted a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) against UTOPIAN. The doctors allege that, by failing to obtain patient consent, the network broke patients’ trust as well as Ontario privacy law. In an interview with Global News, one of the doctors who helped file the complaint also claimed that they did not receive adequate explanation of UTOPIAN’s process before agreeing to sign over patient data.

In an interview with The Varsity, Bernard Dickens — professor emeritus of Health Law and Policy in the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto — noted the differences between doctor-patient confidentiality followed by family doctors and privacy laws governing health research. According to a document from the IPC, the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), which governs patient privacy in Ontario, “permits the collection, use or disclosure of personal health information for research purposes without an individual’s consent” due to the “importance of health research.”

Dickens echoed the importance of large da-

tabases of patient charts and noted the difficulty of obtaining patient consent for inclusion in such databases, particularly when the data collected may be used for a variety of different projects. “The public health system depends on mining aggregate data,” he said. According to Dickens, requiring researchers to obtain consent from hundreds of thousands and even millions of patients would “make it prohibitively expensive to get the information that can be health preserving and even life saving.”

Although the PHIPA allows researchers to collect data without patient consent, their research must meet certain guidelines. Researchers must submit proposals to a research ethics board, which must consider whether the research requires the use of patient data, is in the public interest, and includes adequate safeguards to protect patients’ privacy. The ethics board must also consider “whether obtaining consent is impractical,” according to the IPC. Researchers can disclose data to other researchers provided that the disclosure is part of a research project approved by a research ethics board.

According to Global News, which obtained a copy of the complaint, the doctors alleged that UTOPIAN did not meet the guidelines necessary to circumvent obtaining patient consent. The complaint argues that “Taking private and confidential medical data to simply populate another corporate entity’s privately-owned database is not research.”

The complaint also alleges that UTOPIAN collected patients’ credit card information, which is often used to pay for services not covered under Ontario Health Insurance Plan. “Many, if not the majority, of patients, would be outraged if they found out that this [project] has happened,” reads the complaint, as relayed by Global News

In a statement to The Varsity, the spokesperson for TFM wrote, “Like similar research networks across Canada, UTOPIAN adheres to the highest standards of data collection, storage and use to ensure the security and privacy of individual patient information.” According to the spokesperson, the faculty is working with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario to address any questions arising from the complaint.

The Ontario privacy commissioner’s investigation is ongoing.

KYANNA VELASQUEZ/THEVARSITY

Justin Trudeau appears at a protest marking the one-year anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine.

AUGUSTINE WONG/THEVARSITY

OISE hosts conversation about how Black faculty are building community

Black faculty and educators discuss systemic racism in academia

Kamilla Bekbossynova Varsity Staff

On February 15, the Centre for Black Studies in Education, the Centre for Leadership and Diversity, and the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies at U of T hosted a webinar titled “Building belonging between, within, and across Black communities and spaces.” At the event, Black faculty from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) shared their experiences bringing Black stories and issues into academia.

Introductory remarks

To begin the event, three OISE professors presented comments about their experiences and efforts as Black educators.

Professor Erica Walker, dean of OISE, presented introductory remarks, where she reflected on growing up in a majority Black neighbourhood. She told the audience that the vibrant community and multiple social and cultural spaces shaped her education within and beyond school.

“It goes without saying [that] I am deeply troubled by movements to erase Black narratives and histories from our systems of education —

considered broadly from libraries, from schools, [and] from the media discourse — when all evidence shows that our narratives and histories have been too often obscured and underrepresented,” said Walker.

Recently, the United States’ College Board removed topics such as Black Lives Matter, as well as authors associated with critical race theory, Black feminism, and Black queerness, from the curriculum for their new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies, following backlash from some conservative leaders.

Njoki Wane — professor and chair of the Department of Social Justice Education at OISE — and Ann Lopez — a professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at OISE — emphasized the importance of collecting, archiving, and disseminating Black stories as a process of healing.

Wane and Lopez co-direct the Centre for Black Studies in Education, which the OISE Council approved in December 2021 and which acts as a new Extra Departmental Unit. Wane expressed their hope that the centre would be a space where Black people can liberate their minds, work together, and challenge each other.

U of T community members attend Strawberry Ceremony for missing and murdered Indigenous women

U of T’s First Nation House attends 18th annual ceremony

Lexey Burns

Deputy News Editor

Content warning: This article discusses death, antiIndigenous racism, and racist and sexist violence.

On February 14, more than 500 people gathered in front of the Toronto Police Services (TPS) headquarters to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women across Canada. U of T’s First Nation’s House organized a walk from their location at 563 Spadina Ave to the event’s location at TPS headquarters at 40 College St.

According to the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Indigenous women experience disproportionate rates of violence and sexual assault as a result of racism and colonialism.

Statistics Canada reported that from 2015–2020, the rate of Indigenous victim homicides was six times higher than the rate of homicides involving non-Indigenous victims. However, the Native

Women’s Association notes that community-led research tends to find higher violence rates than those reported by the government.

The ceremony

No More Silence, a community-led initiative honouring the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and two-spirit people, organized the February 14 event. The group, cofounded by documentarian Audrey Huntley, collects the stories of murdered women and aims to build communityled alternatives to the police.

Many people held signs displaying the names of women who had been killed, including Rebecca Contois, Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris, Doreen Leclair, and Patricia Carpenter. Volunteers offered to smudge participants and handed out cups of water and strawberries.

Mi’kmaw Elder Wanda Whitebird led most of the ceremony. She highlighted that the ceremony’s symbol, the strawberry, arose from the Ojibwe

Belonging in a Black community

The three panelists — Assistant Professors Linda Iwenofu and Qui Alexander, as well as lecturer Marie Green — focused their discussion on the theme of belonging in the Black community.

Iwenofu highlighted the importance of raising awareness about Black people’s mental health struggles and the obstacles they face when seeking help. “Because of the barriers to getting the help that people need — like stigma [and] lack of access to providers — their sense of belonging as they try to navigate these community spaces really suffers, and along with it, their mental health outcomes,” she said.

Alexander discussed their experiences as a Black queer person and their investment in furthering abolition and liberatory movements outside formal classrooms. They spoke about the role that community organizing plays in ensuring Black queer people feel accepted. “People are afraid of things that they don’t know. People are afraid of identities that they’re not familiar with,” they said.

Alexander highlighted how building relationships and sharing experiences can combat marginalization. They said that it’s important for

Black people — especially those who are trans — to not only speak about the violence they experience, “but also the joy and the love and the reverence and the care that we’ve created, despite being isolated from our communities.”

“Find your community, find the people who you feel safe with and start there,” Green told the audience. “But most importantly, please just know that you deserve it.”

word for strawberry — “ode’min.” “Ode” means “heart” in Ojibwe. Whitebird explained that many Indigenous cultures view strawberries as a woman’s medicine. Additionally, strawberries represent the transition period of a person’s growth from a young girl into a woman.

Organizers held the event outside of TPS headquarters to protest what Huntley described as “the state’s complicity” in the murders. “We’re at police headquarters not only because of their inaction, but because sometimes they are perpetrators of violence against Indigenous women, girls, trans, two-spirited and people in general,” Huntley told CBC News.

Stories

Whitebird highlighted the importance of this year’s Strawberry Ceremony, which follows the 2022

murders of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg. In December, the Winnipeg police service arrested Jeremy Skibicki for the murders of Contois, Harris, Myran and a fourth unidentified victim currently known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.

Police concluded that Harris and Myran’s remains are likely within the Prairie Green landfill, located north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Despite pressure from the community and advocates, police refused to search the landfill for these remains because searchers would “have no starting point,” according to the Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth.

After an hour in front of TPS headquarters, the attendees walked to Yonge and College. Organizers occupied the intersection, singing and dancing.

Black Student Association hosts Y2K Ghetto Fabulous party

Event kicks off Black History Month

On February 1, the Black Student Association (BSA) hosted a Y2K Ghetto Fabulous party at the Come See Me club in Toronto to mark the beginning of Black History Month. The event celebrated Black joy, fashion, and history. The BSA hosted the event in collaboration with UTM’s Black Students Association, UTSC’s African Students’ Association, and the Caribbean Studies Students’ Union. In an interview with The Varsity, BSA Equity Officer Doyin Adeyemi spoke about the event’s planning process, turnout, and goals.

Ghetto fabulous

The term ‘Ghetto fabulous’ characterizes a fashion marked by glitter, low-rise jeans, baby pink, and graphic t-shirts. Uptown Records founder Andre Harrell first coined the term, which came to encapsulate much of Black aesthetic in the 1990s and continued to influence Black style

throughout the 2000s. Adeyemi told The Varsity that the organizers “wanted to honour that subsection of the early 2000’s… [and] celebrate Black people.”

According to an article in Today, many Black people have reclaimed the word “ghetto” — which white Americans have used pejoratively — to imply resilience and creativity. Attendees honored these connotations by dressing the

part, and the club was filled with glitter, glam, shiny gloss, and gold chains.

The party

Hundreds of people, including Black-identifying students and allies of all backgrounds, showed up to the Come See Me club for the party. According to Adeyemi, DJs, photographers, and videographers also attended to set the vibe and

capture the night. The organizers held a ‘best dressed’ contest, which all attendants who arrived between 10:00–11:00 pm automatically entered. Although the competition proved fierce, U of T student Egypt Williams won with a fur coat, low rise jeans, and blinged out purse. “People showed out,” Adeyemi said. “It was incredible to see everyone dressed up.”

One student attendant, Sophia Abolore, told The Varsity, “I love that we started off Black History Month with a party just celebrating Black people and our culture, and inverting a negative stereotype.”

What’s next

The BSA held other events to celebrate Black History Month, including a ski trip. Upcoming events include an open mic and poetry night hosted with University of St. Michael’s College on February 28 and an anime convention on March 3. According to Adeyemi, the BSA may throw another party in the near future.

Makena Mwenda Creative Director

Students gather in an act of reclamation. COURTESY OF BLACK STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

Signs placed in front of the Toronto Police Services. LEXEY BURNS/THEVARSITY

OISE building. STEPHANIE XU/THEVARSITY

The Breakdown: What John Tory’s resignation means for students

Reflecting on Toronto’s former mayor’s actions over the past nine years

Selia Sanchez Associate News Editor

On February 10, after admitting to an extramarital affair with a former member of his office staff, John Tory announced his official resignation as mayor of Toronto, effective February 17.

According to the City of Toronto Act, the current Deputy Mayor — Jennifer McKelvie — will take over some of the mayor’s responsibilities until a byelection is held.

On February 16 at Toronto City Hall, McKelvie assured Toronto residents of her focus on a “smooth transition” and “good governance.” She plans to continue delivering on Tory’s priorities, including “keeping our city safe, getting housing built, getting transit built, and making sure the nuts-andbolts city services continue to be delivered in the best possible way.”

At the upcoming City Council meeting on March 29, the mayor’s office will be declared vacant. The city clerk will set a deadline for mayoral candidates to file their nominations, and elections will occur 45 days after the nomination deadline.

Over the next few days, Tory will continue to

Dalla Lana School of Public Health introduces Black Health Masters program

New program

Alana Boisvert Associate News Editor

Starting fall 2023, the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) will offer a new Black Health program as one of its Masters of Public Health (MPH) offerings. The program’s first cohort of 10 students will engage with courses on topics such as Black health through a sociohistorical lens, decolonizing health research methods, transnational Black health policy, and Black resistance in the healthcare field.

The addition of this program follows the introduction of DLSPH’s Indigenous Health program in 2018. The MPH Black Health founding director, Roberta Timothy, worked with the Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health to obtain

approval for the program in one-third of the usual time according to a press release from the DLSPH.

Program origins

Timothy has worked in the healthcare sphere for 30 years. In an interview with The Varsity, she said that creating and directing the program is the next step in her long service to marginalized communities. She hopes this program will teach new practitioners “to do work that doesn't harm their communities but actually provides wellness and healing.”

Race-based data demonstrates that Black people around the world continue to consistently experience discrimination in health care. In 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada published

work with city staff and McKelvie to help provide a smooth transition.

Tory’s mayoral term

Tory was first elected to the office of mayor in 2014, and one of his initial campaign’s focuses was public transit. However, despite his promise to freeze TTC fares, they have increased nearly every year since he took office, rising from $2.65 for a single adult ride to $3.25 in nine years. During this time, TTC fares have only been frozen during his re-election year in 2018 and from 2021 to 2022 due to the pandemic. The fare increased again in January 2023.

While Tory recommended increases in TTC fares to cover improvements to the transit system, lowerincome Toronto residents are disproportionately affected by the changes, along with many commuter students.

When addressing housing affordability, Tory promised to “explore financing and incentives” to encourage the development of home ownership and affordable rentals.

In 2016, the City Council approved the Open Door Affordable Housing Program, which aims to “accelerate affordable housing construction by providing City financial contributions.”

The Open Door Program aims to aid the City in accomplishing the objectives of the Housing TO 2020–2030 Action Plan. The Plan seeks to gain approval for 40,000 new rental homes and up to 4,000 new affordable homes for people to purchase by 2030.

As the cost of living continues to rise in Toronto, housing affordability remains a concern for Toronto residents. As of 2022, the average rent in the city

increased by 24 per cent, and students have been subjected to unfair practices like upfront rent payments.

In response to recent reports of violence on the TTC, students who rely on public transit are becoming more concerned for their safety. Tory said increasing the police force on public transit is a part of addressing the issue. After the 2023 municipal budget increase, a $48.3 million increase in Toronto Police Services funding was proposed and accepted to the budget. The former mayor has also linked the reported attacks on the TTC to issues with access to mental health support in Toronto.

In January, Tory called for a national summit to tackle the mental health crisis in the city. The proposed summit would include a discussion between mayors, ministers, premiers, and the Prime Minister regarding how to better support residents living with mental health and addiction challenges.

Student impact

Students are only able to vote if they are above the age of 18, live in Toronto, and have Canadian citizenship. Students who are non city residents but meet the other two criteria may still vote if they or their spouse own or rent property in the city. As well, students are only allowed to vote in the ward where they live.

The City of Toronto website explained that in previous elections, Residence Housing Administrators have issued letters to students living in U of T residences to provide their voting eligibility details.

If a student is a Toronto resident studying outside the city, they may appoint another elector as a proxy to vote on their behalf.

an article recognising the systemic discrimination that Black people experience in hospitals and other healthcare institutions, which Timothy describes as a form of “health violence.”

“Many folks stop going to doctors because we feel like we're not going to be treated well,” she added.

Timothy believes that this program is the first of its kind in the world. “It’s way overdue,” she said. “The next generation cannot suffer the same way.”

The Black Health program

Timothy consulted Black community elders — both from inside and outside academia — when creating the program. The creators of the Indigenous Health program, the only other minority-

UTGSU February General Assembly meeting fields course associations’ questions

Representatives discuss hiring a CRO for elections

UTGSU Chair Sandhya Mylabathula, who noted that the meeting would abide by a two-strike system, where the chair would remove any members who received two strikes for disobeying the Equity Statement. Mylabathula also explicitly stated that yelling and shouting, which occurred at previous meetings, would not be tolerated.

Course unions then presented their reports for information and discussion. Representatives posed questions and presented issues faced by their associations, while other association representatives provided answers and suggestions.

focused MPH offered by the DLSPH, allowed Timothy access to the proposal they created. According to Timothy, this helped her navigate the approval process for the Black Health program.

In an interview with The Varsity, Timothy expressed her desire to “prioritize Black practitioners” when crafting the first cohort. Additionally, she noted the importance of teaching others who are also working to create a justice-centered healthcare system in solidarity with Black people.

She also highlighted that the six program-specific classes will include some space for students that are not enrolled in the program. Timothy hopes to expand the program but mentioned that the program’s size depends on “U of T putting money where their mouth is.”

and funding for the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) divisions 3 and 4, said the union is planning a financial literacy workshop. To address issues of discrimination, she recommended getting in touch with Dhanela Sivaparan, the vice-president of academics and funding for the SGS divisions 1 and 2, to discuss advocacy and other resources.

Elections hiring updates

The UTGSU general assembly also received updates regarding the Elections & Referenda Committee and CRO hiring processes.

During the January 2023 Board of Directors (BOD) meeting, board members voted to allow nominations for Elections & Referenda Committee members from the general UTGSU membership, since the union had trouble finding BOD members to fill the committee. The Elections & Referenda Committee is tasked with hiring the CRO.

Emma Livingstone Graduate Bureau Chief

The University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) held its monthly General Assembly meeting on February 21. The meeting largely consisted of a course union discussion and information

session, along with a brief update about the process for hiring an Elections & Referenda Committee and a Chief Returning Officer (CRO) to administer the UTGSU’s elections.

Course union discussions

The meeting began with comments from the

One representative from the Classics Graduate Student Union asked if the UTGSU planned to host any professional development opportunities. They also mentioned that instances of discrimination based on gender and ability occurred in their department and asked where they could go to discuss these issues.

Danielle Karakas, vice-president academics

Karakas said that the union extended the deadline to apply to the Elections & Referenda Committee to encourage “as many applications as possible.” The union also extended the hiring period for the Board of Appeals Chair, who receives and reviews complaints that the BOD cannot address.

The UTGSU plans to hold elections in late March or early April.

aims to combat “health violence” against Black people

John Tory served as Toronto’s Mayor for eight years before resigning a few weeks ago. COURTESY OF HARVEY K/CC FLICKR

The Dalla Lana School of Public Health will host the new Black Health MPH. NICHOLAS TAM/THEVARSITY

The UTGSU pub. NICHOLAS TAM/THEVARSITY

Hit the slopes! Ski trip presented by Black Students’ Association

During reading week, students traveled to Mount St. Louis Moonstone Ski Resort

Saron Nigusie Varsity Contributor

“Hit the Slopes!” they said. “It would be fun!” they said. Truer words were never spoken.

The Black Students’ Association (BSA) has held numerous events throughout the years, from movie and trivia nights to art shows and workshops. Ironically, last Wednesday, during Black History Month, the BSA decided to embark on an activity with a history that includes very little to no Black representation — both professionally and recreationally. Skiing!

I started off the day of the ski trip leaving home promptly at 5:30 am for our 6:45 am departure from Sidney Smith Hall. In Toronto, the forecast warned of a potential winter storm approaching Southern Ontario. Luckily, we were heading north, and I naively crossed my fingers, hoping to be greeted with sunshine upon our arrival at Mount St. Louis Moonstone Ski Resort located in Coldwater, Ontario, a warm commu-

nity roughly an hour and a half north of Toronto.

Despite the early rise, the excitement on the bus was palpable. We passed the time with music, countless rounds of a modified Heads Up!, conversing with friends and, unashamedly, lots of power naps.

At the resort, our adventure began with introductory lessons provided for skiers and snowboarders. The Magic Slope and Kinder Slope both required a carpet lift to get to the top of the hill. Once one masters the two slopes, then they may proceed to the traditional ski lift, which will lead you to a point with diverging paths, each varying in length and steepness.

We took a brief break from skiing and snowboarding to eat lunch, and headed to the cafeteria, where lovely chefs and service workers welcomed us to a delicious menu selection.

On the hill itself, even though many of us started out as beginners, we left the resort beaming with confidence, proud of the new skill we had acquired.

Colin McCurdy is U of T’s knight in shining armor

The third-year fencer never fails to stab at success

You don’t understand how intricate fencing is until you’ve seen a fencer’s gear.

A wire mesh mask, jacket, breeches, socks, gloves, fencing shoes, a sword, a body cord, and shoes: these were the items U of T veteran fencer Colin McCurdy had stuffed in his duffel bag as he walked into the studio at The Varsity The equipment looked like it had been through a lot, and that’s because McCurdy has. The épéeist and physics and astronomy major started fencing as a Blue when he was a first-year student in 2019, and is now a seasoned veteran. While U of T’s fencing team is known for its dominance and has won seven championships in a row as of 2023, it didn’t take long for McCurdy to make a name for himself on the team. During the 2021–2022 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships, McCurdy won the individual épée event, helped his team win the épée relay, and propelled the Blues men’s fencing team to a sixth OUA championship.

In that same season, he was awarded a George Tully trophy — a skill, style, and sportsmanship award given out by OUA — for his efforts and U of T named him the Frank Pindar athlete of the year on. Long story short, he has swept both the scoreboards and the trophy cabinets.

“I was surprised,” McCurdy said when asked about his prolific performance at the OUA 2021–2022 championships. “I remember my mindset [during the 2021–2022] season was really more focused on school… I could have lost and I wouldn’t have felt bad but [I thought] ‘why not just keep going?’ ”

He kept going, and if you’re a fan of the Varsity Blues, you’re glad he did.

The 2023 OUA Championships

McCurdy’s secret may be his nonchalant attitude — a laissez-faire outlook on the sport that he is so gifted at. Varsity sports can be filled with pressure, expectations, and anticipation. McCurdy doesn’t buy into any of this. He shows up and fences. His tranquility is his greatest weapon, and that’s saying a lot considering that he carries a sword around.

During my conversation with McCurdy before the 2023 OUA championships that took place between February 17 and 19, he told me he wasn’t sure whether he was going to

compete in the individual tournament or not.

There are set spots for both the individual and team groupings to go to OUA championships, and considering he’s a fourth-year student, he

was hoping to give his spot to a new member, as his chances of winning back to back OUA individual championships were slim.

He then went to the OUA championships in February and won a Desjarlais Trophy as men’s épée individual champion. He also helped the Varsity Blues men’s fencing team win its seventh straight OUA title.

When he spoke to The Varsity after the OUA championships, McCurdy attributed his success to two main reasons. First, he said that he was glad he didn’t fence any of his teammates. Due to the fact that the Blues are so good at fencing, McCurdy’s kryptonite is likely to be one of his own teammates. McCurdy got ranked in the middle of the board after the round robin portion, and in his second match, saw himself going up against Rick Wu, the top-ranked fencer of the day from Western University. After beating Wu, McCurdy said he had “the easiest route to the finals.”

In the finals, McCurdy beat Nicholas Gutierrez Sarabia from Brock University, a fencer he lost to in the round robins. “It was a tough match,” McCurdy said. “I had my team behind me and they were coaching me a lot so I really didn’t have to think too much. I just was told what to do and I tried my best.”

Looking into the future McCurdy is looking to come back and fence for another year. He says that his goal now is to coach students coming into the sport as a veteran. He also said that he wants to start trying a bit more.

McCurdy used the same s-word to describe his reaction to this year’s OUA championships as he did the year before: “Surprised,” he said. “I’m definitely not going to relax during the offseason now.”

As a personal achievement, McCurdy aims to ‘three-peat’ OUA’s championships and win the individual épée award again. He’s focused on improving his athleticism and his fencing so that the next time he wins, it won’t be as surprising to him.

While it may be surprising for McCurdy to see his own success, it’s obvious to onlookers that he is extremely talented. Once he starts trying as much as everyone else, good luck getting a stab at him.

Mekhi Quarshie

Sports Editor

Colin McCurdy

MEKHI QUARSHIE/THEVARSITY

Four students cheerfully pose together before their journey down the slopes. SARON NIGUSIE/THEVARSITY

Callum Baker’s story: Where it all started How Baker’s passion for basketball got him where he is today

Victoria Paulus Varsity Staff

Callum Baker led his team both on and off the court throughout an outstanding 2022–2023 Ontario University Athletics basketball season.

He attacks the key with speed and aggression, sets up strong offensive plays and counter attacks for his teammates, and finishes scoring opportunities with ease.

Callum led the Blues in points and three pointers, with a total of 389 points, 57 of those being three pointers. He finished with a total of 71 rebounds and 64 assists.

After tough losses, Callum encourages his team to stay positive, hold their heads up high, and focus on what’s next, showing true sportsmanship and leadership.

He is an honourable athlete who has worked tirelessly to get where he is today and is constantly looking for ways to improve as a player and a person.

Goal-driven, humble, and passionate, Callum, a powerful point guard for the University of Toronto men’s basketball team, sat down with The Varsity to discuss how his career in basketball began, what factors have led to his success, and who inspires him most.

His childhood

Callum was born in Toronto. He then moved to Mississauga and finally to Oakville, where he has lived for the past 15 years. Callum is a natural born athlete; however, basketball was not his first passion. He played ice hockey at a very young age and was skating far before he laced up his first pair of basketball shoes.

It wasn’t until the sixth or seventh grade that basketball really started to take over his life.

As Callum’s passion for the game grew, so

high school. “I learned how to be independent at a young age since I was in a boarding school in ninth grade,” said Callum.

He also said that he learned time management skills, which have helped him succeed as a young athlete balancing a heavy workload at the collegiate level. “Being in a boarding school away from your family, you kind of have to... learn how to rely on yourself a little bit more.”

Throughout his high school experience, Callum explained that staying true to himself and his values is what helped him get to where he is today.

University experience

“My experience in university is kind of unique, with [U of T] being the third university that I am at right now.” Over the course of four years, Callum had gone to three different schools, two of which were in the states.

He spent his first two years of university at Fairleigh Dickinson in New Jersey and played in the NCAA division one. Coming out of high school, he was recognized as a Top 10 point guard in the nation by ESPN in grade 10, a most valuable player and a Wash County second team all-star in grade 11, and an Allegheny County first team all-star and a top 12 recruit in the state of Maryland by ESPN in grade 12.

However, he recalls his freshman year of college as a time when he faced the biggest type of adversity he had to overcome in his basketball career.

“I thought I was going to be able to come in and succeed from the first day, but it went the complete opposite way,” Callum said.

Like many freshmen, Callum did not play too much and instead learned a lot from the veteran players around him: “That’s something in my whole career that I hadn’t been used to, so

Callum was ready to make the big transition to Toronto.

On top of the university’s reputation for being one of the best schools in the world, Callum said a big factor in him wanting to come play for the Varsity Blues was that his parents were U of T alumni. Family is very important to Callum and being away from not only his parents, but his little brother Rylan, motivated his decision to move back home.

The Varsity Blues’ Twitter announced that Callum committed to the Blues on May 25, 2022, where his long, successful journey in Toronto would officially take off.

Callum said that the transition to his new team was smooth because he already knew the team pretty well and was really close with the Blues’ head coach, Madhav Trivedi.

“I was able to come to U of T and workout with the guys every summer, so just building that relationship over the years really made the decision to come home a lot easier,” said Callum.

What has led to his success

The saying “hard work pays off” is proven true through Callum. On top of the Blues’ consistent training schedule and daily practices, a day in the life of Callum consists of waking up early in the morning to get shots up with his dad and younger brother before school and coming home after a long day of classes and training to work out again.

Throughout the week, his team also takes part in practices, lifts, individual workouts with the coaches, and watching game film.

“As much basketball as possible that I can get in every day is really what I look for,” he said. “Before I go to sleep, I’ll do stretching and try to take care of my body in the best way possible.”

On top of practice, Callum said that his teammates and coaching staff putting trust into him

abroad professionally, he would love to travel around Europe and see places that one does not get to see every day.

Callum also aspires to go into law school after playing basketball professionally. “I would like to go into criminal law or corporate law,” he said.

Who inspires him the most?

There are three people that inspire Callum the most in life: his father, Martin Baker, his mother, Charmaine Baker, and his younger brother, Rylan.

“The first person is my dad,” he said. “Just seeing how he’s raised us, my whole family, my brother and I, and everything he does for us basketball wise… It really inspires me to see how hard he works and instills that work hard mentality into myself.”

The second person who inspires him is his mother, who Callum said is the rock and foundation of their family. “Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do really anything that I’ve done today.”

Callum appreciates how supportive his mother has been throughout his basketball career and how she is always there for her family. "She’s the loudest person out there [at every game], and any age from when I was a little kid, even now, she’s always at every game, every practice.”

Lastly, Callum said his younger brother inspires him to be the best person he can be. “I know how much he looks up to me, so I want to be able to set a good example for him and be the type of person that he wants to be when he grows up.”

Looking ahead, Callum is excited to use the off-season to continue training, working hard, and spending time with his family.

Keep up with him on his socials to support him in his goals of playing in the CEBL this

Baker wears number 11 for the Varsity Blues proudly. VICTORIA PAULUS/THEVARSITY

How a former student athlete set out on an entrepreneurial journey

Building my clothing brand, Motus Studios

Malik Pottinger Varsity Contributor

I am a former Varsity Blues athlete from the men’s basketball team and I recently gave up basketball for my clothing brand, Motus Studios.

The journey to becoming an entrepreneur has been filled with several bumps and learning experiences but, with the help of my sisters, I have been able to channel the end of my basketball career into a flourishing business.

From student athlete

to entrepreneur

Eliminating basketball from my life has been an interesting experience. For most of my life, I was always an athlete or a basketball player. Some days I miss it, but most days I don’t. Exploring entrepreneurship gave me the chance to expand my identity to include being a big brother, an entrepreneur, an avid music enthusiast, and more.

Creativity has always been a part of me. When I was an athlete, creativity would appear in the form of game study, training, and then using my imagination to bond game study and training together. Being an entrepreneur has let me explore a different avenue of my creative self.

At the end of 2022, my sisters and I started the clothing brand @motusstudios.ca. We

found great success in our first collection, Motus Beanies Volume One. We sold out 90 per cent of our inventory within 72 hours of the release and are now working on our next project, which will be a full tracksuit with unique detail ing and innovative features.

A passion for fashion

Within the Motus team, my sister Sydnie, a former Varsity Blues athlete on the women’s volleyball team, oversees the design innovations, color coordination, and order manage ment. My youngest sister, Callie, has taken on the role of creative director for our projects, photo shoots, and handling of our social media marketing.

Pursuing a busi ness has been quite challenging to manage along side school and work. One of the

most significant challenges I’ve faced is my lack of experience. When starting, I lacked the general knowledge required to know how to operate a successful business, manage finances, create a business plan, or build a customer base. This led to a lot of trial ror, which was very time consuming, but enriching, as we saw through each part of the pro-

Creating an e-commerce platform, buying the domain, copyrighting our name, and creating a social media presence were other challenges we faced. My priority on weekends and weekdays after class has been working on the structure for the business and creating designs — all while being a full-time student.

Starting a busi-

ness is a high-risk, high-reward endeavor. Detailed scheduling and prioritization are very important to maintain deadlines for my releases and sample production. Flexibility and adaptability are also important as an entrepreneur, especially when dealing with manufactures from overseas. Factors such as shipping time, unexpected costs, and production delays are all variables that need to be regularly dealt with.

Motus to the moon

Outside of my athlete friend groups, I have not found much of a Black community at U of T. I hope to use Motus Studios to connect with students from different backgrounds who are interested in clothing and other creative endeavours.

I’m proud of the growth my siblings and I have achieved this year. We are a very tight-knit family who can always count on each other. Motus Studios is a representation of redefining yourself through passion and unity. When one door closes another door opens, and I encourage everyone to avoid being boxed in and to find things you enjoy outside of your daily routine; it might just change your life!

With aspirations to be a dentist, I’m hoping the skills I gain from being a young entrepreneur can assist me on my journey of owning multiple dental offices in the GTA in the future.

Black Ice unpacks anti-Black racism within Canada’s

favourite sport

Director Hubert Davis discusses racism in hockey with Professors Simon Darnell and Janelle Joseph

Kunal Dadlani

Associate

Sports Editor

On February 23, Innis College hosted a screening of the documentary Black Ice, in collaboration with the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) and the Cinema Studies Institute. The screening was followed by a discussion between the director, Hubert Davis, and KPE Professors Simon Darnell and Janelle Joseph.

Black Ice premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, winning the People’s Choice Documentary Award and is now available on Crave. Davis has previously explored the social and cultural impacts of basketball in the Oscar-nominated documentary Hardwood and in Giants of Africa. In Black Ice, Davis turns to hockey with executive producers Drake and Lebron James.

After the viewing, Darnell, Joseph, and Davis discussed the major themes of the movie and how it connects to the real world.

“[Hockey] is an integral part of our identity,” Davis explained. “If we can talk about some of the issues going on in hockey, then we [can] have the chance to talk about some of the issues going on in the country.”

With impactful stories, Black Ice highlights the challenges Black hockey players face, ultimately exposing the systemic racism within the sport.

Historical contributions

“When we look at history, we have to understand that the Black experience is often in the margins,” Davis explained. “[If] we can actually recentre those stories, then the history won’t get lost,” added Joseph.

When looking into the past, Black Ice identifies the contributions of Black hockey players, which the hockey community has overlooked. The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHLM) pioneered both the slap shot and the rule enabling goaltenders to drop to the ice to block shots and often don’t get credit for these contributions.

Furthermore, the documentary highlights the historic discrimination faced by Black hockey players like Herbert Carnegie, considered one of Canada’s best hockey players despite the fact

that he never played in the NHL. In 1938, Conn Smythe, the general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs, stated that he would pay $10,000 for someone to make Carnegie white, despite being clearly impressed by Carnegie’s skills. In a piece of archival footage, Carnegie breaks down into tears when discussing this incident. He later founded the Future Aces Hockey School, the first hockey school in Canada. Carnegie’s contributions have continued to be underappreciated — he was only inducted posthumously into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.

“I assumed that [this history] wasn’t important because I wasn’t taught about it,” Davis said about the historic Black communities and individuals explored in Black Ice. “I was actually quite embarrassed [or] kind of ashamed… [that I] didn’t know this.”

Nevertheless, by focusing on this history, Black Ice unpacks how hockey’s issues with diversity are not as complicated as many believe. “[I learned] even after the CHLM ended, we didn’t stop playing [hockey]. It’s always been part of our culture,” Davis said. So, why has hockey failed to embrace this community?

Abuse and alienation

Black Ice highlights that racism persists in hockey, providing numerous visceral examples of racial abuse. Former Calgary Flames player Akim Aliu received racial epithets from his coach, Bill Peters. A teammate of the Toronto Six's Saroya Tinker directed a racial slur at her in their locker room when she was 12. Some parents directed monkey noises at the Florida Panthers’ Anthony Duclair when he was 10. Wayne Simmonds from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Matt Dumba from the Minnesota Wild are among other hockey players who share similar stories.

Davis noted that the lack of accountability for the players involved in such incidents made it seem like the players did not have allies within hockey. The lack of a support system resulted in a growing sense of alienation amongst Black hockey players.

“Hockey culture being so strong and so teamoriented… hammers down on athletes to not speak up on these issues,” Darnell said. “Hockey culture does not open that space easily at all.”

Yet, while Black Ice successfully evokes emotions like anger and frustration, it also creates a greater sense of respect — these players never

gave up, with their love for hockey overpowering the hatred they faced. “I thought that was interesting,” Davis reflected. “The idea of loving something that doesn’t always love you back.”

Canada’s game

With these stories, Black Ice emphasizes that racism directed towards hockey players is evidence of a larger system of racism. Hockey is deeply embedded in this country’s cultural fabric. Davis’ film doesn’t just expose hockey’s systemic racism, it also exposes how Canadian society has helped make it more pervasive. These problems can’t be ignored.

“Change in hockey is going to require an actually anti-racist approach,” Darnell suggested. This includes putting forward proactive policies and approaches within hockey organizations that break down racial stereotypes and structures. For example, Kirk Brooks runs the Africville Seasides program in Scarborough that aims to make hockey more accessible for youth from diverse backgrounds. “They’re making this diversity thing too difficult,” Brooks said in Black Ice. “The NHL has been talking about diversity since 1993. They still don’t know what to do about it.”

Furthermore, Darnell added, “What goes along with the anti-Black racism in hockey is the normativity of whiteness in hockey… Kids go through a hockey season and really only see other white kids.” Black Ice highlights how increasing representation is essential to changing the racist structures that exist, and for inspiring others.

“Making sure that everyone who is there, is represented and is part of the storytelling [is important],” Joseph said.“[Then] we can change our ideas of who is a hockey player.”

Additionally, Joseph highlighted another approach to facilitating change — education. “Many of us have heard these stories,” she explained. “But some people haven’t, or haven’t heard it in a way that makes them feel as though this is their problem.”

Black Ice ensures everyone is aware of the systemic racism that pervades hockey. If hockey wants to survive in Canada’s increasingly diverse demographic, it should not belong to any one group — it should belong to everyone.

Panelists Simon Darnell, Hubert Davis, and Janelle Joseph discuss the movie Black Ice KUNAL DADLANI/THEVARSITY

On Upcomings: Introspections of a young Kenyan photographer

A reflection on being a young creative in Nairobi, Kenya

Alexander Osodo Varsity Contributor

Photographers, models, and cops: the holy trinity of downtown speed chases in Nairobi.

I clasp the dangling strap of my camera, my leather loafers steaming against tarmac as I frantically make away from two enemies: the hoard of policemen dashing toward us and the unsparingly hot rays of the midday sun. Soon concealed under a dingy establishment off Tom Mboya Street, we successfully evaded the claws of the unforgiving business district police officers, who regularly hunted down photographers under the delusion of “societal disturbance” — a disturbance willingly ignored at the appearance of a few shillings. Following the speed chase and now in a temporary calm, the models once again unveil their stylish stilettos from their carryon bags, the photographers mount their heavy lenses, and we quickly transform the abandoned space into a makeshift photography studio. We continue to turn the town into our creative playground, a regular weekend-afternoon affair.

As a photographer, my world comes to life between roads and alleys, where trees become props and street lights are rendered by soft boxes and speedlights. My craft was nurtured in the streets amidst a community of diverse freelance creatives who religiously convened in the Nairobi business district for artistic exchanges.

Plagued by a lack of advanced equipment, funds, expertise, and a professional platform, we found community in each other — aspiring models who found a lens; self-taught makeup artists who found faces yearning to be layered; stylists who lacked a haute platform but had willing bodies to work with; and photographers, like myself,

eager to digitally immortalize this conglomerate of creative efforts one frame at a time.

In utilizing and twisting otherwise ordinary items — for example, placing toilet paper rolls in front of camera lenses to create a faux fisheye effect — we learned how to creatively adapt our crafts to produce satisfactory results under our circumstances. I found this in itself to be a form of resistance to the inaccessibility of art’s upper echelons that shut out the young, hungry, but unconnected artist; the financial barriers that dictated one’s limit to equipment; the customary expectation of an African youth to pursue a life in traditional fields of academia and rebuke for art; and most importantly, a counter to the internalized excuse not to try due to a perception of one’s own inability.

In such a process, we grew together, expanding our networks and sharpening our crafts as we captured the essence of Kenyan life at its grassroot levels. I learned how to create art on the spot, diversify my style, and aggressively market my skills within Nairobi’s dynamic art scene. Such values and skills would stick with me as I aged, travelled, and explored the artistic worlds outside of my home.

My identity in art is nothing without my upbringing in such a fast-paced, experimental background. I owe it to the creatives that let me dictate their postures and guide their movements despite being half their age; the mentors that sharpened my social skills and taught me how to communicate the value of my work; and even the police that cartoonishly chased a child like me around, bolstering my tact, intuition, and composure under pressure. Though I am currently far from home, home will always be within me, and its teachings reflected are in my art.

Arts & Culture

Untethered and far from home

away from home, I realized that I had to put in work, unlike before.

Growing up in Nigeria, the idea of living abroad always fascinated me. The glamourous movies and TV shows painted North America as the land of dreams — the place to be. Young and naïve, I fell into the idea that Canada was, indeed, the dream. So, when my parents told my siblings and me that we were moving here, I was elated. I was a bright-eyed 12 year old ready to hightail it out of Nigeria and leave everything and everyone I knew and loved for the possibility of more. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that the loneliness and feeling of being untethered was something that Hollywood had conveniently left out.

Although the West has its advantages, and there’s merit to the idea of it being a ‘land of opportunities,’ the individualistic culture can be a shock to the system for immigrants, as it was for me. As someone who moved to a predomi nantly white city when I immigrated here, the feeling of being an outsider because of my race was overwhelming and one I had never expe rienced before. Even though Toronto is much more diverse than my first hometown in Can ada, Black students may still share the feeling of being an outsider in search of community. For the first few weeks of being in a new country, out of your comfort zone and without your support system, walking through the halls can feel like drowning in a sea of people who all seem grounded, leaving you feeling isolated at times unwanted. It can be a lacklustre experience, realiz ing that all you had dreamed up was just that: a dream. To rebuild a community

So, as Black students, how do we bridge the gap of being far from home but still feeling a sense of community and belonging? To understand what this adjustment process looks like, I spoke with a few Black immigrants and international students at different campuses at U of T. A common theme across all students was that as Black people, we’re all looking to find each other.

UTSC student Temmy Olajide mentioned in an interview with The Varsity that, in recent years, he’s found it easy to meet other

are clubs… that help bring Black people together,” Olajide said.

Nimi Adeyeri, another UTSC student, noted that she was very intentional about seeking community when she moved to Canada for school. She expressed that it was important to her to find people who shared similar values as she did. “Church was definitely a big one for me, [as it helped with] building community and meeting other people who share the same faith as I do,” Adeyeri said .

In a world where it’s harder for Black people to achieve as much as their non-Black counterparts due to systemic discrimination, it’s important to have mentors and others ahead of you to help you on your way up. UTSG student

Ayo Akinpelu shared this sentiment, mentioning that the low number of Black students on campus was jarring. “I would sometimes be the only

students or Black students that have other immigration statuses. Although one can assume most of the African students are Black, the report does not specify this.

With such a small population of Black students, U of T is making efforts for Black students to feel connected to one another, through multiple clubs and initiatives like the Black Student Engagement at UTSC, or career support events like the Black Career Conference that is held annually at the UTSG.

Akinpelu noted that, although the school is trying to present itself as a possibility for incoming Black students, there is still a long way to go. “The university is making very concerted efforts to regulate this issue. With events like the high school outreach program… where they are reaching out to some of these minority groups and trying to make change that way,” said Akinpelu. “I will say that we’re not there yet, but the ball is rolling a little bit!” These outreach events are part of U of T’s Defy Gravity Campaign.

After spending years trying to reconcile what home is to me — and although I’m still on the journey — I’ve learned that there’s hope, and that in the same way that Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is a community. Don’t be scared to go up to other students and introduce yourself! It might mean sticking it through a couple of awkward conversations, but the reward is worth it. It could be helpful to find clubs or associations with people that share your interests, whether that be a faith-based club, a Black student association, or a club catered to a hobby you have. There’s something for everyone! So, to all readers searching for a place to call home, remember that you’re not alone and that, in time, you’ll find your people and your place.

Content warning: This article contains racist, ableist, and homophobic slurs.

Being raised in Oakville, Ontario — a predominantly white, suburban town in the GTA — by African parents that were not huge fans of rap music meant that, for the majority of my childhood and adolescence, I was not very immersed in rap culture. Top 40 pop songs and hall party Afrobeats comprised the majority of what I listened to. It wasn’t until I came to university that I precisely discovered what I’d been missing out on. My most listened-to artists on Spotify changed seemingly overnight from Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, and the like, to Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, and Migos — and, obviously, still Beyoncé.

What excites me so much about the genre is the way it makes me feel — I am never more confident or having more fun than when I am listening to rap. There’s something addictive and invigorating not only about the pounding bass and the lyricism, but in the knowledge that hip hop was made by and for the Black community. Since its inception in the Bronx in the ’70s, rap has skyrocketed to become one of the most popular genres of music and has continued to push boundaries in terms of creative freedom, artistry, and as an outlet for political protest and intracommunal discourse.

With all this being said, listening to rap — especially at full volume with my windows down or blasting in my headphones as I’m walking to my classes — brings with it a sense of occasional cognitive dissonance. Listening to rap as a Black woman, I’m constantly exposed to lyrics like “Man, she keep on b*tchin’, all that naggin’ and sh*t / H*e shut the f*ck up and just gag on this d*ck” in NLE Choppa’s “Camelot”; “I sent that girl

a DM / She ain’t answer me so I gotta shoot two at her,” in Lil Uzi’s “Futsal Shuffle 2020”; “Take a n*gga b*tch and then I pass her to the clique” in YBH Nahmir’s “Bounce Out With That”; and so many more.

First, I must acknowledge that the presence of these misogynistic lyrics does not mean that I agree with the instantaneous rejection or denial of

including sex with women and violence against women, is harmful to me as a Black woman.

While these lyrics are being used artistically, and I’m not suggesting that they should be taken literally, they nonetheless disclose certain prejudices that are prevalent within the Black community — namely, that women are akin to property that can be passed around and manipulated at will, or that

and Lil Wayne, there has historically been a cavalier disregard for rap listeners who may be disabled, part of the LGBTQ+ community, or both.

While Black female rappers — such as Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, the City Girls, Latto, Flo Milli, etc. — and Black LGBTQ+ rappers — Young M.A, Tyler the Creator, Lakeyah, Saucy Santana, Lil Nas X, etc. — can be said to be posing a sort of counter resistance to misogynistic and homophobic rappers through their own commercial success within the industry, the fact remains that much of mainstream hip-hop continues to perpetuate discriminatory ideology shared by the larger Black community that do not experience further marginalizations from a disability, LGBTQ+ identity, neurodivergency, and more.

With rap being such a quintessential genre of music and having become one of the genres that have launched Black artists into the entertainment industry on such a massive scale, it is of the utmost importance that we consider the themes, images, and expressions used in modern rap and their potential to alienate certain members of the Black community. Although I wholeheartedly love rap and will never stop defending it from naysayers who would have us label it a nonsensical genre with no artistic merit, I must also acknowledge the ways in which it has been alienating and disconcerting to hear discriminatory lyrics that hinder my enjoyment of my favourite songs.

the artistic merit of these songs. I strongly believe in the power of media literacy and critical engagement with art; it is the only thing that allows me to thoroughly enjoy all of the songs mentioned — I pulled all of them straight from my liked songs on Spotify — but also to acknowledge the ways in which the language they use to describe women,

we exist to serve the male sexual agenda.

Two other areas in which hip hop falls short are its casual ableism and homophobia. From “You crazy? B*tch I’m r*tarded” in Cardi B’s verse on “Shake It” and “I cannot vibe with q*eers” in Offset’s verse on “Boss Life” to the use of the f-slur and d-slur by several rappers, including Eminem

The art of rapping itself is something that holds so much power — what was created as an art form over 50 years ago continues to give its Black listeners a sense of boldness, fearlessness, and power that I, for one, rely on to get me through the mundanity of day-to-day life. My greatest wish is for this power to be harnessed in such a way that it brings the Black community — Black people of all genders, abilities, and sexual orientations — together and allows us all to collectively revel in the celebration of our culture and talent.

JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

JESSICA LAM/THEVARSITY

On Clueless and Blackness

Deconstructing Dionne and Murray’s relationship

Aïsha Philippe Varsity Contributor

Okay, so, I love Clueless (1995). I’ve probably seen it countless times, yet my enjoyment level never decreases. Although I am a fan of the romcom genre, and always up to see teenagers act ridiculous, one would probably expect me to hate the movie. Every character is chock full of privilege-induced ignorance and would likely be unbearable to have an actual conversation with. Josh, Cher’s love interest and the one character with any semblance of societal awareness, is the classic white liberal whose convictions rely heavily on the fact that he will never actually have to struggle for anything. Despite all of this, I love Clueless and have taken to thinking about it too much.

There is obviously a heavy dose of satire present in the movie, with Alicia Silverstone delivering lines that are laughable in how close they get to Cher actually exhibiting self-awareness. One of the most absurd moments happens about five minutes in when Cher participates in a class debate about the Haitian refugee situation and, using the analogy of an overly full garden party, argues that, “if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians.” Somehow, despite its ridiculousness, or maybe because of it, Clueless manages to make a lot of points that I agree with, while veiling itself in the musings of a silly teenager. Really though, aren’t all teenagers a bit silly?

Yet, among a series of brilliantly paced scenes, I think about this one scene incredibly often:

MURRAY: Woman, lend me five dollars.

DIONNE: Murray, I have asked you repeatedly not to call me woman.

MURRAY: Excuse me, Miss Dionne.

DIONNE: Thank you.

MURRAY: Ok but, street slang is an increasingly valid form of expression. Most feminine pronouns do have mocking, but not necessarily misogynistic undertones.

TAI: Wow. You guys talk like grownups.

CHER: Oh, well this is a really good school.

Dionne (Stacey Dash) and Murray (Donald Faison) are side characters in Cher’s shenanigans, providing levity or emotional revelations whenever she needs them, but the film nonetheless manages to make them relatively actualized individuals. One of the earlier mentions of their relationship comes when Cher compares them to Ike and Tina Turner, referencing the biographical movie, What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993), which revealed the intimate details of an incredibly abusive relationship that devastated Tina. Through her series of critical essays in Black Looks: Race and Representation, bell hooks looks into Ike and Turner’s relationship, considering how Ike foisted upon Tina the image of sexual promiscuity that many Black women have been shackled with.

But Cher supposedly only references the famous duo because of the frequent dramatics in her friend’s relationship, and likely because Ike and Turner were one of the few mainstream celebrity Black couples at the time. It is only in recent years that I’ve developed enough of a ’90s pop-culture background to understand why the reference is out of place in Clueless, a movie full of satire that rather successfully hits its target. There seems to be no thought or goal behind Cher’s line other than to reduce Murray and Dionne to the bare bones of their identities — their race — to make an ineffective joke. However, in a film where characters are teenagers typecast according to their social standing — jocks and skaters — Cher’s comment typecasts Dionne and Murray as Black in a reductive move reminiscent of common stereotypes, such as the

Mammy or the Jezebel.

So, Murray’s retort to Dionne in the above scene was definitely written for laughs, but the longer I think about it, the longer I wonder whose laughs it was meant for. I wonder what audiences looked like when the movie first came out because I genuinely find that to be one of the funniest moments in the movie, but in a way that makes me feel like the joke was written for me — a Black girl — first, not for me as an afterthought. Yet, I’m still torn, because would any high school boy really have the words to express himself the way that Murray does in that moment? Or did he deliberately plan it to mess with Dionne? The possibilities are endless.

Much of Clueless is Cher simply stating things

grown up to be a liberal herself, chose to simply express her own thoughts through the vehicle of Murray. Does the language you use to defend your culture matter as much as what you are defending?

Personally, this scene is a source of much contemplation because every moment in Clueless that Dionne and Murray are in — apart from their fight at the beginning — is actually full of mutual love and care; the movie goes so far as to have Cher realize that she can learn about care and kindness from their relationship. So is Clueless revolutionary in its portrayal of a loving and nuanced Black relationship or is Murray’s voice hijacked to make an inaccessible argument that is straight from the voices of white

Praising the white man I CAN’T BREATHE

Learning of another white man on this cold Wednesday morning

Feeling idiotic because my peers understand him better

Learning about morality from a white man

Learning that he thinks I’m subhuman

Simply because I’m black

Learning to be a moral human from someone who believes I’m not one; that is, a human.

“But just his methodology.”

Because the others of his kind recognize his hatred

But this methodology was used to justify his hatred

His justification for my ancestor’s suffering

The origin of mine

This world-renowned scholar

This pioneer of rational morality

That thinks my existence is proof of humanity’s imperfection.

I’m not meant for this polar place.

I’m not meant for his numbing disregard of my worthiness.

I am meant for righteousness in an institution that sees sympathy as irrational.

I’m tired of the white man’s tests.

I’m tired of being forced to think like a white man

I’m tired of him setting up hoops for me to jump through Then proving his point when I can’t jump high enough To prove that I meet his level of inhospital intellect

In the white man’s world, I’m a statistic

A token in his institution

Not a candidate for being a renowned intellect

“No, that’s for the white man.

Not the subhuman,” he rationally justifies.

I can’t breathe

A warning cops have yet to heed. Say her name, say his name, But don’t you dare take the blame.

Why do we live in poverty?

Because of all that y’all are willing to see Our hair, our lips, our melanin; When did my Blackness become a sin?

My Blackness is cool when it’s not on me

While y’all drop bills on Kylie Lip Kits trying so hard to be To be hip, to be street, to be cool, to be woke.

Why is the colour of my skin the butt of every joke?

I can’t breathe.

Coloured, negro, nigga, nigger.

Y’all see Black and pull the trigger.

The breath robbed from the lungs of my brother; Stealing sons and daughters from their mothers. When did my Blackness become a crime?

Your rationale, I have yet to find; For the killing, the violence. When will it end?

What are y’all trying to defend?

I can’t breathe.

Our music, our food, our drip, our swagger; But when the shit hits the fan, y’all thrust the dagger Straight into the hearts of my people.

When did my Blackness become illegal?

I can’t breathe!

My Blackness isn’t a choice.

Yet I am robbed of my voice; To show self-love, to bear my pride While the fate of my people, you decide.

I CAN’T BREATHE.

How many more have to die?

Will y’all ever see me eye to eye?

When will the air leaving my lungs; Be enough for a change to come?

I can’t breathe…

Because every Black life, every Black breath, Should not warrant a sentence of death.

George Floyd couldn’t breathe and neither can we. Because the our does not exist in your society.

Clueless features Stacey Dash as Cher’s best friend, Dionne Brand.

Mya Brathwaite Varsity Contributor

Amara Phillips Varsity Contributor

U of T’s Hannah Montana

As the seventh hour of our midterm study session hit in a grim, uncommonly cold Robarts Commons room that we miraculously weren’t kicked out of, we needed to somehow break up the monotony of Quizlet cards about foreign policy. A friend of ours eagerly made a suggestion: “Play that new Parzival,” prompting Sam to plug in his USB-C to HDMI adapter on his MacBook Air to use the speaker. As Parzival’s “Signs,” —which was new at the time—, started to play, the room melted like the scene in Arthur when Binky is transported to a new realm by in-world band Bang on a Can AllStars. The triumphant beat, great writing, and fantastic singing and rapping swept us off our feet.

“Signs,” a love song for the ages, sports an earworm hook and deceptively intelligent wordplay that will make you feel the same way that rapper Parzival does about the woman he’s singing about. By day, Parzival is an undergraduate student at U of T named Jojo Ashun. From the way he speaks in class, it’s clear he commands prose like an artist. One glance at his Letterboxd account, and you’d know he’s passionate about all forms of art, so finding out he made music was a pretty natural discovery.

“I write everything. In fact, music was the thing I wrote the least throughout my adolescence,” he said in an interview with The Varsity. We believe him to be the Hannah Montana of U of T, but does he believe that of himself? In the interview, Ashun discussed his Ghanaian heritage, his studies at U of T, the benefits of having an artistic outlet, and the struggles in balancing life, artistry, and school. The Varsity: What pushed you to start making music?

Jojo Ashun: This is always a funny question... it’s

not like I haven’t been making music my whole life as well, just for fun. Take, for example, when I was six, when me and my brother made a random songs because my brother is very musical. In middle school and high school, I freestyled. In grade 10, my friend told me he wanted to lock in and make an album. He would make random beats in FL studio, and since I was always a writer first and foremost, I just wrote. I didn’t like the beats so we went to Youtube and rapped to some Youtubetype beats. Me and my friend, Agye, would make bullshit trap in grade 10.

TV: Do you remember the first type beat you’ve ever written for?

JA: Yes. Well actually, I can’t remember what the type beat was called, but the song is called “Black and Blue Boys.” It was about police brutality and Black people. That was in 2018, and I was in my Kendrick Lamar, political-activist era.

TV: You were talking about how you’re a writer first and foremost. Does your writing expand to anything else? Do you write short stories? Screenplays?

JA: I write everything. In fact, music was the thing I wrote the least throughout my adolescence. Up until I was 16, I barely wrote any music. When I was 14, I tried to write some. I never had FL studio or any musical tools when I was that age so I never thought to make any. All the music I made was just sounds in my head. I wrote movies, television, essays, critiques, and it extended to most things. For most of my life, I primarily wrote novels and stories. I always heard it in my head but I didn’t know how to necessarily make it. I can play piano decently. I could play certain instruments decently, but not enough so that I can make beats out of them because the music I listen to wasn’t just like

piano shit.

TV: Being a student at U of T, is there anything in your immediate surroundings that helps you put the music from your head into reality and that you draw from to make your music?

JA: Not really. I feel like most of the sounds in my head are influenced primarily by the music I listen to. My emotions and feelings based on experiences I’ve had also influence my music. Whenever I hear a beat, I just think, “Oh my god. This is perfect for this thing that’s going on in my life [right now], and this thing that has happened to me.” My immediate surroundings don’t influence me as much as music in general.

TV: From the research we’ve done, we found out you spent some time in Ghana. Does any of your time in Ghana, your decision to go to U of T, your experiences at U of T on campus give you any sort of musical inspiration or add any type of influence into your artistic creation?

JA: [For sureYeah.] I’ve told a few people this but, one day, I really want to make this magnum opus that is very much influenced by Ghanaian historical music, throughout the ages. One day, I will have my To Pimp A Butterfly of Ghanaian music. I don’t see that anytime soon, though, as I want to have a strong foundation first before I do that. As far as living in Ghana, it definitely influenced me so much in making music because of my peers.

TV: Where can we find your music?

JA: You can find it on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, wherever you listen to music. My socials are @methatguy5 for my personal account and @parzivalthaknight for my music account.

TV: When are you releasing music next?

JA: My next song, “Ain’t Her” should be dropping on the 10th of March. [As for my performances, I might have a couple in March and April, so look forward to those.]

One day in March 2016, for a reason that escapes me now, my friend Ali and I split from our friend group to get chai karak. The rest of the group stayed by the two main cars that transported us. They bantered among themselves with sharp Egyptian jokes.

On our way back to our friends, Ali and I encountered a group of Sudanese youth. The sag of their pants, blasting of gangsta rap and abundant exchange of the n-slur dismayed Ali.

“Homa leih mesh 3aysheen 3eeshet ahlohom?” he asked — Arabic for “Why are they not living the life of their parents?” In other words, he was saying, why were they pretending to be someone that they’re not?

I scrunched my lips at the right corner of my mouth; Ali didn’t get it. I tried to explain to him how they were just trying to express themselves and their Blackness in a way that makes them comfortable. He still didn’t understand how tales of the rough realities of Compton had anything to do with Sudanese kids living in the Arabian gulf. We eventually reached our friends, but never reached an understanding.

What does it mean to be Black?

My understanding of my Blackness was conceived through an understanding of all the things I’m not. The world around me made me aware of my Blackness, mainly by othering me. The world around me defined my Blackness for me, and reminded me of it every time it wanted to ‘humble me.’ My Blackness meant poor marriage prospects, a lineage of servitude, and inferiority.

Soon I learned that Blackness can differ in different parts of the world. America’s best export is

its entertainment. When I was growing up, African American culture was on the come up, whereas in my dear Egypt, Blackness was being represented as ‘ugly prostitutes’ and ‘weird accents.’ In Egypt, Blackness didn’t look like the punchline in Ameri can media. My brother collected G-Unit albums in admiration, my cousins and I discussed things like T-Pain’s cool hat. I saw an alternate reality where Black folk were the protagonists, and their Black ness wasn’t always a curse.

So I studied American culture, and made an identity out of what resonated. I introduced “ain’t” and the n-word to my lexicon, and used the same bastardized version of African American English (AAE) that stan Twitter uses. I was, in my mind, reclaiming my Blackness.

But then I left home, and I came to Canada. As expected, I was not embraced by the Arab crowd I found. I didn’t care for them anyway. I shifted my energy to the Black community in my school. And I waited until I felt accepted.

But outside of questioning whether I was “re ally Black,” nothing happened. Nothing came out of trying to fit in with the Black community but a slow and very painful realization: I had nothing in common with them.

What does my Blackness mean to me?

As the reality of my situation became clearer, the isolation of my predicament stung sharper. How could it be that my conception of Blackness drove me farther away from other Black people? I re membered the words of Mafaz, one of my Suda nese friends in my senior year of high school: “I have an aunt that looks like you. She lives in the Netherlands. Oddly enough, she’s too Black for the Arabs and too Arab for the Blacks, so she’s not really in a community.”

I wondered, would that be my life?

Blackness is not a monolith

He doesn’t have a closet of wigs, but he still has the best of both worlds

On identity and my journey to understanding my own Blackness

David Okojie and Sam Aktefan Varsity Contributor

Rola Fawzy Varsity Contributor

Clueless features Stacey Dash as Cher’s best friend, Dionne Brand. COURTESY-OF-DAVID OKOJIE AND SAM AKTEFAN ZOE PEDDLE-STEVENSON/THEVARSITY

Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora

A tour of the AGO in honour of Black History Month

Kyleeanne Wood Varsity Contributor

On February 16, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) and U of T’s Black Students’ Association (BSA) visited the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) to take a tour of the gallery’s Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora collection in honour of Black History Month. The tour included artwork from the Murray Frum Gallery of African Art, along with photography from the You Look Beautiful Like That exhibition and paintings from the Denyse Thomasos: Just Beyond exhibition.

Established in 2020, the Department of the Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora aims to “address historic gaps and erasures related to the representation of Africa and its diasporas through programming, acquisitions, and exhibitions,” according to the AGO. Including both historic and contemporary artworks, ranging from sculptures and installations to prints and paintings, this AGO collection works to share the stories of African and Black artists.

To learn more about the Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora, The Varsity attended the museum tour alongside the UTSU and the BSA, and interviewed Curatorial Assistant Emilie Croning, who worked on the You Look Beautiful Like That exhibition.

You Look Beautiful Like That

You Look Beautiful Like That: Studio Photography in West and Central Africa is a current exhibition at the AGO and is on view from now until June 11. This exhibition commemorates the history of photographic practices in Africa from the 1860s to the 1980s and features artwork from Black artists such as Malick Sidibé, Seydou Keïta, Michel Kameni, and Paul Kodjo,

among others.

In an interview with The Varsity , Croning said, “We are bringing in the focus on modern African studio photography with a strong focus on the Western central regions.” By including modern and contemporary artwork, Croning affirmed that a key purpose of this collection is “expanding how we see and interact with African art and art by artists who identify as African or are a part of the diaspora.” Additionally, she explained that this exhibition serves as an introduction to these photographers and the photographic techniques and technologies they used to capture their subjects.

As a relatively new department, the Arts of

Global Africa and the Diaspora worked closely with other lenders and collectors outside the AGO in order to assemble this collection. In part, this decision demonstrates the significance of the artistic community in the formation of such exhibitions.

Croning also spoke about how her curatorial practices more generally aim to support and showcase the work of emerging and local artists, specifically racialized artists and women artists. “It’s important that these works are shown to a wider audience,” said Croning on the AGO exhibition. “It’s a matter of physically inserting them in these spaces that have

a long history of exclusion… It’s important to have those spaces and showcase that work.”

“The most rewarding part is the outcome,” Croning added. “Once your vision comes to life and folks are able to see it and enjoy it and spend time in the space.”

Denyse Thomasos: Just Beyond Housing more than 70 paintings, most of immense size and fortitude, this exhibition — held from October 5, 2022 to February 20, 2023 — celebrated the artwork of the late Trinidadian-Canadian artist and UTM alum Denyse Thomasos.

When asked about her favorite artwork from the tour, the UTSU’s Vice-President Equity Sarah Rana said that Thomasos’ entire collection was very moving. In particular, Rana liked how Thomasos used the concept of rigid lines in order to talk about the motif of imprisonment.

The BSA’s Equity Officer Rayan Awad-Alim also found Thomasos’ work incredible. She expressed her interest in Thomasos’ portrayal of gentrification in her portraits, as well as the artist’s representation of a locked-up mind frame.

Rana noted that “It’s important that we take the time to educate people about different kinds of art that the Black community has contributed.” Additionally, Rana expressed the importance of student clubs finding artistic and creative ways to celebrate Black History Month.

From left to right:

Michel Kameni. Untitled (Girl with hair styled). Vintage gelatin silver print, Overall-14 x 8.9 cm. Courtesy of the Solander Collection.

Michel Kameni. Untitled (Three girls with hats), 1970. Vintage gelatin silver print, Overall-10.7 x 7.6 cm. Courtesy of the Solander Collection.

Meet PITCH magazine, a publication dedicated to Black creative talent

Milena Pappalardo Associate Arts & Culture Editor

PITCH , a magazine dedicated to showcasing Black creative expression through photogra phy, visual art, and writing, is finding its new home at the University of Toronto. What once began as an independent passion project for founder Angelo Grant has grown to wide success with its vibrant pages full of contribu tions from Black creatives across the country.

Grant, a second-year medical student at U of T, started PITCH 2019 while still in his undergrad at McMaster University. It began as a self-funded project, which Grant curated, designed, and printed out of pocket. He started PITCH because he couldn’t find a publi cation on campus dedicated to themes of the Black experience. In Grant’s experience, art spac es can often make Black artists feel othered, and he wanted PITCH to be a space where Black art is elevated and seen as valuable.

“I’ve gotten a lot of comments where people say they’ve never felt as seen as they do when they read PITCH magazine,” Grant said in an interview with The Varsity . “I think that speaks to how important it is to have a publication like this.”

After his first issue received a warm reception at McMaster, the university’s Museum of

Art asked to collaborate on his second issue. For his third issue, Grant received scholarship funding dedicated to helping students pur-

fies the value of putting your ideas out there.

“When I had the idea of starting [ PITCH ], I was very apprehensive because I [was] wondering

self, he credits many people who reached out and helped him execute his vision after seeing the initial success of the magazine. Hamilton-based artist Stylo Starr, who was curating an exhibit of Black collage artists at the McMaster Museum of Art, asked for the university’s exhibit to be featured PITCH ’s second issue, elevating the magazine’s artistic calibre and giving Grant and his growing team access to university funding and design support. Grant also spoke gratefully of fellow student collaborators, such as Eyola Opeyemi, who reached out and asked to help with the graphic design and social media side of PITCH at McMaster, as well as his friend at U of T, Alexandria Amadasun, who offered to assist with creative direction and curating.

ing a health science and now medical student, Grant concedes it can be a challenge to balance his magazine and his demanding studies.

Ultimately, Grant said that PITCH exempli-

submissions and things like this. [But] I think if I had let all those thoughts stop me, I wouldn’t have ended up with this great experience and this publication that people enjoy.”

Although Grant launched PITCH all by him-

PITCH ’s success has only been growing. “The support that I receive from people every single issue is so warm and people are so excited about it every single time,” says Grant. “Especially with the first [issue], I had no idea what the reaction was gonna be… but I put the covers up on Instagram, and I got so much love that I was just amazed and that’s pretty much been the trend with every issue.”

Grant is now eager to launch PITCH ’s fourth issue and see its reception at U of T. PITCH will be making its Toronto debut this spring.

MILENA PAPPALARDO/THEVARSITY

Founder Angelo Grant on the magazine’s past, present, future

Students toured three exhibitions focused on Black artists. COURTESY OF AGO

It’s about time we change the narrative of the hard-working Black woman

Mental health as a Black woman

Layla Ahmed Varsity Contributor

My scholarship essays go something like this: my name is Layla, and here are all the reasons why I deserve to be here.

All my life, I have been surrounded by strong women. My mother, single and raising two kids in community housing, has always worked to make sure there was food on the table and money for rent. The aunties who lived next door all seemed to be variations on the theme of hard-working women. They all churned out the same advice when they would see me on my way to school or work: don’t squander what was given to you, aim for the stars, be a strong Black woman, and succeed in life.

I took the advice of the women in my life and decided to go to U of T. I was the only Black student in my high school to choose UTSG, riding in on a full-year scholarship. I was rewarded academically for upholding this vision of independence at a young age, and I found that I liked the feeling of accomplishment it gave me.

However, later on, one of the most paradoxical things I’d find out about university is that we as students are encouraged to try new things and make mistakes, and yet the majority of us simply cannot afford to fail, whether from a financial or academic standpoint.

For Black women, this is doubly so, because to fail is to show how you were not worthy of the position in the first place. This is one of the many reasons why we as Black women tend to push ourselves until we achieve excellence — because we can afford nothing less. Yet, this undoubtedly takes a toll on our mental and physical health. It’s about time we change this narrative.

We

Morgan Martin Varsity

“It’s so good to see you!”

As a Black medical student, this is a phrase I have become used to hearing from Black patients.

I knew I wanted to be a physician from a young age. I would play doctor with my little sister, sticking BAND-AIDs on her fake gashes and writing fake prescriptions for fake medicine. The thought of being able to take away someone’s pain and cure their illness seemed like the most fulfilling job in the world to me.

However, at times, this dream felt like an impossible feat. Growing up, I didn’t have Black role models in medicine. In fact, it was not until I was in university that I was treated by a Black physician for the very first time. Having lived this experience myself, I can understand the relief and the comfort that comes with having someone who looks like you providing you with medical care.

The very first patient I got to interview on my own as a medical student was an older Black woman. I remember the look she gave me as my supervisor introduced me to her as a “medical student who was here to take her history.” She had a subtle smile, the corners of her mouth upturned, and a twinkle in her eye — a look of pleasant surprise.

I sat down near her hospital bed with my neatly written template in hand, ready to ask about her course in the hospital, the medications she was taking, her past medical history, and more. As I gathered this information and wrote it swiftly in my notebook, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of ease and understanding between us. When I asked about her diet, she shared without hesita-

In my first year, I was thrust into an environment where one person in every 100 might look like me. When I decided to major in molecular genetics, that ratio dropped to zero. The further I progressed at U of T, the more I began to notice the difference in the treatment I received compared to others. I began to notice how I was excluded from study groups, or how uncomfortable or annoyed some professors and teaching assistants looked when I asked a question.

I noted all of these things and still kept my head held high. This was a token of pride, I told myself. Let them see how strong I can be.

This idea of being a strong Black woman is an attractive one. It’s what gets me through those classes where no one looks remotely like me. I’m stronger than they’ll ever be because of what I went through — what I’m still going through. However, no one told me that pain is still pain, and it has a way of catching up to you.

I started having panic attacks in my second year. It was a tough semester for everyone studying life sciences. After all, it’s well known that many of the hardest life science courses are shunted into the fall semester of second year. It wasn’t uncommon to hear stories about people failing or dropping courses. I wasn’t one of those people, of course. I couldn’t afford to be.

Not only did I have a full course load, but I was also participating in several clubs and working part time to supplement my family’s income. On paper, my books were balanced; all the little fires easily put out by losing some sleep here, working overtime there. And yet, I spent at least an hour every weekday hiding in bathroom stalls or behind buildings, trying to force air into my lungs and believe that everything was going to be alright.

I never went to get help. I encouraged other people, sure, like coworkers and friends. But they were other people. I had built a façade for myself, one where I was the strong student who never broke down, who took things in stride and never came out the worse for it. A strong Black woman.

To be frank, I was just terrified. What would happen if people were to find out? Would I be seen as weak? Unable to work, to pursue research?

The cards were already stacked against me, why should I add one of my own design?

Breaking down the Black “superwoman” ideal

Cheryl L. Woods-Giscombé, a researcher whose work focuses on understanding and reducing stress-related health disparities among African Americans, coined the term “Superwoman Schema” as a way to understand health issues that disproportionately affect African-American women. Her work revealed how African-American women strive to embody the idea of being a ‘superwoman’ — the type of woman who could have it all and needed no one to help her achieve it.

While this show of strength is seen at once as armour, it also alienates Black women from their own emotions, causing a strange sort of disconnect. The resulting cumulative chronic stress may be one of the reasons why Black women seem to suffer more health issues than the general population. Their emotions come back to haunt them; pain takes root.

Black women are expected to be unbreakable — both by the world and by ourselves. But our armour doesn’t get better with each hit we take; it cracks, threatening to crush the very real flesh that resides within. As such, it is vital for us

as Black women to recognize the importance of taking care of our mental health and not trying to shoulder everything on our own.

Accessing mental health resources

But if finding a familiar face in classes is already challenging, how difficult must it be to find one in a health care setting? Finding culturally sensitive therapy options is a challenge in and of itself, as the majority of therapists lack the ability to empathize with the experiences of Black women.

At the very least, we should be able to look outside what the university has to offer in regard to therapy options and instead toward our own community. An increase in insurance coverage for therapy, as well as curated lists of culturally sensitive therapists, would go miles in helping Black women seeking therapy to finally face their issues in a safe and understanding environment. But until these barriers are removed, we as Black women will have to hold up the world a while longer at the cost of our own mental and physical health.

This leads me back to my scholarship essays, which still go something like this: my name is Layla, and here is why I deserve to be here. Here is what I do to keep myself here: I do well in my classes. I work anywhere from 20 to 30 hours a week because, sometimes, there’s not enough food at home and other times, I need to make rent. I’m in clubs and run events because I’m an upstanding member of a student body. I am a strong Black woman, and I have both the accomplishments and passion to justify my place at the university — no matter what it may cost my health.

Layla Ahmed is a graduate student at the Institute of Medical Science.

more Black representation in medicine

tion the cultural foods she ate at home, knowing that our similar backgrounds lent us similar experiences. I couldn’t help but wonder how her response may have been different if she talked with someone else.

At the end of our conversation, she said, “It’s so good to see you!” and I immediately knew what she meant by that statement. She told me to persevere, that we needed more Black women in medicine, and that she was proud of me. These words have stayed with me since that day. Over a year after that interaction, I was asked to take the history of a new mother. I walked into the hospital room to see a postpartum mother, looking tired, but happy nonetheless, gazing

adoringly at her new baby sleeping peacefully. She was also Black. I spent time documenting her pregnancy and birth history in detail. She was incredibly open with me, sharing the ups and downs of her experience, her fears, and her excitement.

At the end of the interaction, she too said “It’s so good to see you!” She said we needed more Black representation in health care and that she was grateful she got to meet me before heading home with her baby.

In both instances, seeing a Black medical student was such a notable surprise that the patients made sure to mention it to me. Both patients felt inclined to offer me words of encouragement and

CHERYL NONG/THEVARSITY

experience

guidance, knowing the challenges I would likely face as a Black woman in medicine.

These words have pushed me forward on my darkest days, when I have doubted my capabilities or worthiness to exist in these spaces, or when I have faced microaggressions that others don’t notice. Knowing that my presence means so much to the patients I interact with motivates me day after day.

After all, Black patients are more likely to feel comfortable with Black physicians and comply with preventative measures administered by Black physicians. Having now experienced this deep understanding and trust with Black patients as a medical student, I can only imagine the more profound impact I can have as a future physician.

A 2020 study conducted in the US revealed that Black patients have better health outcomes when a Black physician treats them. Increased representation in health care helps to reduce the health disparities Black patients face because of systemic racism.

My presence, and that of my Black colleagues, can help minimize the barriers that Black patients face, and can ease the clinical experience of patients like those I have had the pleasure of interacting with thus far. While tremendous progress has been made, there is still more work to be done to increase Black representation in medicine. We must continue to advocate for and support Black leaders.

As I continue in my medical training, I plan to keep these encounters close to my heart. I look forward to the day that I can say to my own patients, “It’s good to see you again.”

For Black women, success shouldn’t have to come at the cost of our health

Morgan Martin is a second-year medical student in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

need

Increased representation will address barriers to health care Black patients

Contributor

Siblinghood, love, and all the above: Building safe Black spaces

How we at the Black Student Association facilitated sincere discussion

Doyin Adeyemi Varsity Contributor

In the second week of Black History Month, the University of Toronto’s Black Student Association (BSA) hosted their three-day event series, Siblinghood Love and All the Above, at the William Doo Auditorium. As the Equity Officer of the BSA, I had an amazing experience planning and organizing these discussion-based events regarding topics from a variety of perspectives and common situations individuals in the Black community have either experienced or resonated with.

In a predominantly white institution like U of T, Black students can feel isolated from their community and culture. Consequently, it’s the BSA’s mission to create crucial safe spaces where Black students can feel comfortable and explore their identity, as demonstrated in their Siblinghood series.

Black Brotherhood: A Conversation With Black Men

On February 6, BSA President Etienne Oshinowo, Vice President External Liam Cousineau, Financial Director Djaouar Yahaya, and Social Media Director Dummie Abdul spearheaded the first part of the series with Black Brotherhood: A Conversation With Black Men.

As Cousineau explained in an interview with The Varsity, Black men do not get adequate chances to engage in open dialogue about their emotions and insecurities. “Especially with traditions in Black culture surrounding men… it is not acceptable to be able to just sit down and talk about different things,” he said.

As such, this event sought for and established a place in which men from all parts of the African and Black diaspora could discuss topics such as stereotypical Black masculinity, hustle culture’s influence on Black men in the Black community, and vulnerability among their fellow Black men peers.

“It was a perfect mix of serious topics, but also [done] in a way that promoted engagement and allowed people to open up,” Yahaya explained in an interview with The Varsity

Black Sisterhood: Chronicles of A Black Woman

On February 8, Education and Outreach Director Belissa Rugamba, Political Directors Vanessa Mutai and Nazareth Tsegay, and Equity Officer Doyin Adeyemi moderated the second part of the series Black Sisterhood: Chronicles of A Black Woman, the BSA’s first-ever event dedicated to discussing the Black woman experience.

The event focused on Black women in pop culture and academia, the Black beauty standard, and what it means to build Black sisterhood within the Black community. Mutai said in an interview with The Varsity that creating questions was an enjoyable process since “a lot of the questions came from personal experience.” The event was an incredible success, with over 50 Black women attending.

“As a moderator, it was interesting to be on the sideline and see conversation start between the participants,” added Mutai.

As a member of the planning committee and event moderator myself, I personally felt the event created one of the most welcoming environments for Black women here at UTSG that I have ever seen. Rugamba said in an interview with The Varsity, “It provided a wonderful space for specifically Black-identifying women. There’s rarely instances where that type of space is created.”

At a predominantly white institution like the University of Toronto, Black women often experience imposter syndrome. However, at this event, one could almost see the wash of relief on participants’ faces, seeing that there are other individuals on campus who not only look like them but share their same experiences. “Having that realization that you are not the only one feeling this notion of imposter syndrome… that’s a bit of closure that ‘I can do it’ [and] there are other sisters that understand me,” Rugamba added.

Politics of Black Love

On February 11, Political Directors Vanessa Mutai and Nazareth Tsegay, and Oshinowo moderated the finale of the three-part series, Politics of Black Love. This was the first time the fan-favourite event was held in person since the pandemic, so expectations were high. As such, the organizers worked hard and successfully encompassed as many facets of Black love as they could, such as tokenism, fetishization, desirability, platonic love, and what it means to build a community based in love.

“We didn’t want to leave any aspect of Black love out… figuring out which questions to ask and what would create a good sense of conversation among everyone who attended was definitely a challenge,” said Tsegay in an interview with The Varsity

In previous iterations of the event, opinions regarding topics were contrasting and incredibly diverse, but this year, participants reached a fair amount of consensus regarding controversial topics, and even if there were opposing takes, they were expressed in a respectful manner. Building safe spaces for the Black community on campus

The Siblinghood, Love and All the Above series fostered a safe space for Black individuals to feel comfortable enough to express themselves and expose an element of vulnerability they do not often get the luxury of being able to do, especially at a predominately white institution like U of T. As such, we at the BSA will work to continue to provide safe spaces where Black individuals can be comfortable and celebrate their Blackness, all while empowering our community.

Doyin Adeyemi is a third-year student at Trinity College double majoring in ethics, society & law and psychology. She is the equity director at the Black Student Association.

Article III of the United States constitution establishes and defines the role of the Supreme Court as the highest court in the United States, with jurisdiction over all federal cases and most state cases.

Every year, the justices of the Supreme Court hear a wide variety of cases, including disputes between states, lower courts appeals, and civil rights violations. The binding decisions the Supreme Court makes are significant because they often have major ramifications for both the political and social atmosphere of the United States.

Last year, the Supreme Court heard Students for Fair Admissions v President and Fellows of Harvard College, a well known case that is challenging affirmative action policies throughout the United States. There were two central issues being addressed in this case: one, whether the Supreme Court should overrule Grutter v Bollinger and hold that institutions of higher education cannot use race as a factor in admissions; and two, whether Harvard College is violating section 2000d of the Civil Rights Act by purposefully rejecting Asian American applicants to achieve racial balancing within the university. A decision by the United States Supreme Court is expected for this case in just a few months.

In light of this, I believe that affirmative action in higher education is not a discriminatory policy, but rather an essential one that makes admissions to institutes of higher learning more equitable.

What is affirmative action and why is it significant?

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Phi-

losophy, affirmative action involves taking steps to “increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and culture from which they have been historically excluded.” However, when those steps involve preferential selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity, affirmative action generates intense controversy.

Nonetheless, many people across the US have expressed concern about the overturning of affirmative action policies. If affirmative action policies at postsecondary institutions were overturned, then we would expect a significant reduction in the number of Black students that are accepted to institutions of higher learning — such as medical and law schools just to name a few.

This would certainly be detrimental to not just Black communities but the United States as a whole. Affirmative action poli cies in colleges have been put in place to address the historical and ongoing discrimi nation that Black and other minority students

face while promoting a diverse student body that is representative of the broader society.

Several studies have shown that a diverse student body has a positive impact on students’ personal and academic growth. Furthermore, receiving an education from postsecondary institutions often serves as a gateway for Black students to fight intergenerational trauma and poverty by achieving high-paying jobs and positions of power.

Simply put, by not implementing measures to ensure Black individuals have a place in higher education, the US could exacerbate existing racial disparities in wealth, income, and access to resources.

Addressing arguments against affirmative action

While some people argue that affirmative action is a type of reverse discrimination, this is simply not true. This stance results primarily from ignorance and apathy. Affirmative action policies are not designed to give some groups an unfair advantage, but rather give

portunity by leveling the playing field.

Racism has historically played and continues to play a significant role in American society. After all, it was only in 1964 that racial segregation was outlawed in the United States. Furthermore, despite common misconceptions, affirmative action policies do not necessarily lower admission standards or lead to unqualified individuals getting accepted.

Instead, affirmative action takes into account not only an applicant’s current achievements and capabilities, but also their merit and potential. For instance, an individual who has faced many obstacles in life may have had to work harder to achieve the same level of success as someone who has not had to face as many barriers.

Another factor to consider is that affirmative action policies are addressing past injustices. Prior to the twenty-first century, many institutions had laws limiting or even banning Black people from attending institutes of higher education. Therefore, affirmative action policies attempt to address institutional discrimination against Black communities by acknowledging past wrongdoings while also providing Black individuals with resources to help them succeed.

These policies do not just benefit Black individuals applying to postsecondary education but also allow for the growth of Black communities by breaking cycles of poverty and trauma. To that end, we need to encourage employers and universities to implement affirmative action policies to ensure everyone has the ability to pursue their goals and dreams.

Parsa Babaei Zadeh is a third-year student at University College studying biology, immunology and Indigenous studies.

Affirmative

action is essential in higher education

Affirmative action helps ensure equal opportunity and representation for Black students

Parsa

Babaei Zadeh

Varsity Contributor

Last year, the American Supreme Court heard Students for Fair Admissions v President and Fellows of Harvard College.

The Black Sisterhood event was hosted at the William Doo Auditorium. COURTESY OF DOYIN ADEYEMI

Sickle cell disease: A global misconception

The worldwide prevalence of SCD and disparities patients face in health care

Ashiana Sunderji Varsity Staff

Throughout history, sickle cell disease (SCD) has been believed to affect mainly people of African descent. However, scientific research and clinical data have proven that this claim is incredibly inaccurate.

In an interview with The Varsity, Dr. Isaac Odame, director of the Global Sickle Cell Disease Network at the Centre for Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), clarified some key misconceptions about the disease and its origins. As the head of the hematology section of the division of hematology/oncology at SickKids, a professor in the department of pediatrics, and the director of the hematology division at the University of Toronto’s Temerty faculty of medicine, Odame claims that much can be done to improve the global health-care system with regards to this disease.

What is sickle cell disease?

SCD refers to deformed, sickle-shaped red-blood cells that arise due to a mutation in the hemoglobin gene. Since the disease follows a homozygous autosomal recessive inheritance pattern, patients must inherit two copies of the mutated gene to exhibit the disease; patients who only receive one copy still exhibit regular red blood cells. The mutation converts a glutamine amino acid in hemoglobin to a valine amino acid. This ultimately leads to issues in protein structure, causing a “sickle” or crescent-shaped red blood cell.

SCD can manifest itself as anemia or fatigue due to lack of oxygen retained in red blood cells, along with extreme or chronic pain, swelling in the hands and feet, higher susceptibility to infections, delays in growth, and problems with eyesight.

The majority of cases have no cure, but some

treatments can alleviate the severity of the symptoms.

Odame debunked the misconception that SCD is only prevalent among people of African descent and highlighted SCD’s global impact. His work at SickKids for SCD demonstrates that the disease stretches around the globe and targets a variety of ethnicities, which is consolidated by data at SickKids for SCD.

Odame discussed how malaria is a condition that is shared amongst all of these places. He states that the sickle cell mutation evolved to protect individuals in places where malaria is widespread. He explained that the disease is not related to race but to the “endemicity” of malaria. This means that it is common in places where malaria is still prevalent.

Disparities in the health-care system

Odame pointed out that there was a lack of knowledge surrounding many diseases that are more common among immigrants and racial minorities in Canada. Due to a lack of widespread awareness among health-care providers, rare blood diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, are not widely recognized. Consequently, only a handful of specialized clinicians and researchers possess expertise on and understanding of the disease, resulting in a significant disparity in care. He indicated that there are even cases when a patient has more knowledge regarding the disease than the health-care professional. This seems unjust and unsafe.

Odame shared two ways that he feels this situation could be rectified.

First, he commented on how to address systemic racism and the barrier to self-advocating that many refugees, racial minorities, and immigrants face. He explained that there are many prejudices faced when immigrants attempt to receive health-care in Canada. It is clear that there should be more space for patients to advocate for themselves, where their concerns are taken into consideration and treated with urgency.

The second way to rectify these disparities is to spread knowledge regarding these diseases within the health-care education programs. He made it clear that these diseases should not be overlooked in training, as they are common amongst people who are new to the country.

A focus on understanding

Odame shared that while these disorders are rare in Canada, they are common in “parts of the world that lack the resources to be able to diagnose and treat the disease.” He explained that there needs to be increased collaboration between high-income nations such as Canada and places where the disease is common in order to “accelerate the pace of advancing care, doing the needed research within the context of these low income countries and providing solutions that work in low resource settings.”

He explained that while there are techniques that are effective in Canada and other high-income countries, they are too costly and technologically advanced for the countries where SCD is most common. He stressed the importance of developing treatments that could apply to “lower resource settings.” That being said, currently, a lot of research is being done to develop cheaper and simpler diagnosis techniques, and there is even ongoing research and investment into curative treatment for SCD.

Walking is an essential part of everyday life. As students, we walk between the different parts of our campuses. As commuters, we walk to catch GO trains and TTC buses regularly. The hustle and bustle of Toronto make the city a staple when considering walkable cities in Canada.

Right foot forward

Walkable cities are exactly what they sound like — cities where you can travel from one place to another with leg power. Walkability is a measure of how easy it is to commute in cities and towns.

Many health benefits go along with walkable cities. Researchers exploring walkable cities have shown correlations between walking and reduced obesity rates and chronic diabetes, especially since walking can burn approximately four calories a minute. Walkable areas also improve mental health, as walking has been proven to increase endorphin levels, lower stress-related cortisol, and even provide better sleep. There’s a reason you see elders doing laps in malls: these spaces provide an accessible way to maintain health. Physical activity doesn’t have to mean a commitment to a gym — it can be a simple walk from your house to your grocery store.

The economic benefits of walkability also make it desirable for businesses. Housing value increases in more walkable areas. Home buyers want neighborhood communities to have access to necessities like schools, transportation, and storefronts. They also offer business alternatives, as places like Atlanta and Silicon Valley have shown how an over depen-

dence on motor vehicles can disrupt economic development.

Walkability also attracts tourists and can even let cities advertise a “lifestyle” retail market catered to walkers. Communities thrive on interaction, and walkable cities promote this. Having similar paths and destinations allows for common ground in meeting new people.

Plus, the benefits of walkable cities go beyond physical and emotional human needs and even impact our planet at large. Canada emitted a total of 672 megatonnes of greenhouse gases in 2020. While this figure does represent a decline of 9.3 per cent from 2005, Canada still has a long way to go to decrease its carbon footprint.

Two steps back

When you consider Toronto’s walkability, the city seems to be doing something right. Walk Score, a website designed to rate cities on their walkability, gave Toronto a 61 out of 100 overall. The problem is this score only applies to the City of Toronto — not the GTA.

My hometown, Ajax, is small, and getting anywhere takes forever without a car. Ajax is a suburban town with not much around unless you happen to live near Westney Plaza. There are bus routes and some bike lanes, but public transit can never be as extensive as Toronto. This problem becomes even more apparent when you look at places on the outskirts of Ontario, where proximity to amenities becomes much more of an issue.

As a commuter, I find the whole process of getting to campus to be annoying at times. I go to UTSC every day. I start my journey with a 15–20 minute walk from my house to the bus stop, wait another 10 minutes — approximately, depending on how early I get there — and ride for another

half an hour until I get to campus. And while the public transit system works, it doesn’t allow me to travel to specific locations. For example, if I want to go to Centennial College in East York, it’ll take me two hours because our transit system isn’t a vast network.

Walkable cities have always been in demand because of this. Why would someone live in an isolated area when having necessities nearby can make things easier?

Keep walking

As Canada continues to evolve, so should our efforts in expanding the walkability of our city. As we continue to expand Toronto, we must also look to areas beyond the City to increase accessibility. While the infrastructure of walkable cities

might be hard to develop in less dense areas, there are other ways to make public transit accessible. Vancouver, for example, has a transit system that offers monthly passes from various scales of transit across the city, which is one network divided into multiple ‘zones,’ rather than the mix of transit systems commuters have to transition through in the GTA to travel across multiple regions.

For now, the conveniences of walkable cities show how important they’ll be for the evolution of a green planet. They promote not only better health, but increase businesses and support stronger communities. While the GTA isn’t the most walkable, it is still moving in the right direction. Until then, we’ll keep running through the 6ix with our woes.

Walking through the 6ix Toronto has a leg up on walkability — here’s how the rest of the GTA can improve

James Bullanoff Varsity Contributor

Walkable cities bring consistent physical and mental health benefits. VURJEET MADAN/THEVARSITY

GRACE XU/THEVARSITY

Smash or pass: A conversation on abstinence Benefits, possible disadvantages, and privilege of practicing abstinence

Ewaoluwa Akomolafe Varsity Contributor

From hushed wedding night conversations to women being more vocal about sexual discussions and reproductive rights, the sexual revolution of the 1960s took America by storm. The breakthrough of the pill allowed people to separate sex from procreation. 60 years after the sexual revolution, although the world is a lot more open about sex, the question remains: is there any value in abstaining from sex?

cept of sexual abstinence was during an awkward elementary school class. Anticipation and curiosity buzzed in the room, while our anxious teachers were forced to sit down with a room full of 10 year olds and explain to us how our bodies worked and what to do and not to do with them.

When the word abstinence comes to mind, most people think of abstaining from sexual intercourse. And while that is the specific area this article will touch on, it’s important to note that abstinence is a general term for the discipline of not practicing some-

joyable, which includes certain addictive substances or behaviours.

In the most widespread interpretations of some major religious texts, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all discourage premarital sex. Buddhist monks and nuns, known as bhikkhunis and bhikkhus, follow the rules of the Vinaya Pitaka, which commit them to a lifestyle of long-term abstinence to pursue spiritual goals. While they might find satisfaction in this discipline knowing that they are adhering to their religious practices, where does that leave those who don’t subscribe to these religious values?

In a conversation with The Varsity, sociologist and ethnographer Jessica Fields shared her perspective on this matter. Fields began by exploring the notion of “sexual abstinence as a state that people move in and out of across the lifetime.” Abstinence doesn’t have to be a permanent choice, as it can change depending on certain life circumstances. Aside from religion, people choose to abstain from sex for various reasons, including waiting for the right partner, going through a season of loss, or just a lack of interest.

Smash or pass?

The psychological benefits of abstinence include an increased focus on your career and education and more time to take care of mental and physical health concerns. In a 2021 study by Fabio Indìo Massimo Poppi, the researcher looked at women who had chosen to abstain from sex and conducted interviews with them to understand what had led to this choice and what they’ve learned.

Poppi found that a common advantage to stepping back from sexual relationships was that the individuals were better able to optimize their time and engage in activities they previously did not have the time for. Of course, one could rightfully argue that focusing on one’s career or developing hobbies isn’t exclusively

Sabrina Wong Science Columnist

If aliens are out there, how do you imagine them to be? If common narratives in Hollywood are correct, they may exist as humanoid creatures — possessing advanced intelligence and sharing many of our anatomical features. Perhaps they are only microscopic in size, existing as bacteriaor amoeba-like creatures.

However you envision aliens, a team of scientists led by the University of Toronto has moved us one step forward in our quest to discover intelligent alien life. An undertaking that first began in the 1960s, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence has involved the use of powerful radio telescopes to parse through the stars and galaxies in our universe in pursuit of “technosignatures,” which are technologically generated signals from advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. A source of difficulty in locating technosignatures lies in differentiating between signals generated by extraterrestrial life and human-generated interference. To address this challenge, the team of researchers, headed up by U of T undergraduate student Peter Ma and supervised by U of T project scientist Cherry Ng at the Dunlap Institute, applied a novel algorithm to distinguish between the desired signals and unwanted interference. Their machine learning algorithm allows for

a consequence of sexual abstinence, but for these participants, sexual abstinence became a way to reduce “social pressure regarding physical appearance and self-esteem” to improve the value they got from their time. In this same study, the women shared that another advantage of abstaining from sex was that it was a way for them to avoid negative sexual relationships.

Another key benefit of sexual abstinence is that it dramatically reduces risks that come with sex, like unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Although sex is a form of exercise, the cardiovascular benefits aren’t exclusive to sex, which means an individual who chooses to abstain can substitute sex for regular cardio.

Conversely, for people who are unable to start or sustain relationships, sexual abstinence can contribute to anxiety or depression. For an individual whose partner isn’t also sexually abstinent, it could lead to conflict in the relationship.

The choice to practice abstinence

Fields also presented an interesting side to the narrative that often gets overlooked that, unfortunately, not everyone gets the choice to be abstinent. “Women, people with disabilities, people with lower economic status are sometimes in coercive sexual situations, and they don’t get to choose,” she mentioned. So while I’d like to conclude with a stereotypical message on how sexual abstinence is a choice and one we might all consider at some point in our lives, the ugly truth is that the choice to abstain from sex is a privilege and one that not all people have.

Fields notes that there is an issue when we don’t get to choose the sexual life we want or when we aren’t aware of all the possibilities that go along with our choice. Therefore, it is important to be well-educated before deciding to be abstinent or not. Lack of education on sex and abstinence, in general, can lead to harmful sexual behaviours or sexual exploitation.

There are multiple benefits as well as drawbacks to sexual abstinence, and education is important for individuals looking to make that decision, to avoid entering a coercive relationship. But it is the case that that choice in itself is a privilege.

the rapid sorting of data that is taken in as well as detecting specific patterns.

The team’s innovative approach has already resulted in the discovery of eight new radio signals that had gone unidentified in earlier studies of the same data. These signals were emitted from five stars located between 30 and 90 light years away. Unlike interference, which is ever present, these signals were only detectable when viewing the stars. Furthermore, the signals varied in frequency over time to appear to have originated far from the telescope. For these reasons, they were considered to have possibly stemmed from extraterrestrial life.

Importantly, these two criteria are not surefire signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, as they can be met merely by chance. When attempting to replicate these findings using the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the same patterns suggesting extraterrestrial life were not found. Nevertheless, the team’s algorithm has immense potential to accelerate our search for alien civilizations. Their findings, which were published last month in Nature Astronomy, will enable obscure patterns to be more easily detected in vast sets of data.

Looking ahead, the team hopes to expand their algorithm to more datasets and observatories, taking our searching capabilities from hundreds of stars to millions.

One step closer to finding aliens?

U of T advances the search for extraterrestrial life using machine learning

KYANNA VELASQUEZ/ THEVARSITY