November 2014: Little Burgundy, Healing Rage, Dark Matter and Janet Mock

This month on Spitfiyah!: Mercedes analyzes how Little Burgundy has become known as a Montreal hotspot this year, and the role that gentrification forces played.  Gau reports back on the McGill Culture Shock series: in particular, the 'Healing Rage' convergence for Indigenous people and people of colour to discuss their lived experiences and anti-racist organizing, as well as the keynote event featuring Dark Matter, a trans south asian artist collaboration. Victoria facilitates another 'Things We Love" segment, and shares her love this month for Janet Mock's memoir, Redefining Realness.

Listen to the show here.

October 2014: Emily Gan, Ninotchka Rosca, Annette Kassaye

Montreal filmmaker Emily Gan was in studio with us to talk about her documentary - Cave Birds - and also about women of color filmmaking in Montreal.  

We also bring you an exclusive interview with Ninotchka Rosca - Filipina feminist, author, journalist, and human rights activist who will be speaking to us about the killing of Jennifer Laude.  

We also spoke with Annette Kassaye. Annette is a transracial, transnational adoptee who does not know her birth parents and is working to raise awareness about the challenges transracial adoptees face in Quebec and the rest of Canada.

Finally, we also discussed Shonda Rhimes’ new television series, How to get away with Murder. How to Get Away with Murder draws us in with the drama, sex, murder and intrigue. We discuss how Rhimes places the spotlight on the rise of women of colour as the driver and powerhouse of television shows.

September 2014: activist Amanda Lickers on Reclaim Turtle Island, and the repeated victimization of Janay Rice

Activist and member of the Onondowaga nation Amanda Lickers was in studio to discuss her grassroots radical media project, Reclaim Turtle Island. The project has produced several films and aims to build capacity for Indigenous and anticolonial struggles in Turtle Island, including the extraction of oil from tar sands. Amanda will speak to us about Reclaim Turtle Island, decolonization, divestment, and indigenous solidarity.


Also, earlier thins month, TMZ released a video of football player Ray Rice punching his fiancee, now wife, Janay in an elevator. The Baltimore Ravens, Ray’s team, subsequently posted a disturbing tweet that  “Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident." Since then, Ray has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. Led by Mercedes, we will discuss how Janay Rice is being victimized over and over again.