May 2014: bell hooks, and is Beyonce a terrorist? Also the media and the Boko Haram kidnapping

This month, Spitfiyah! first discusses the Boko Haram kidnapping in the media. Mercedes moderated the discussion and Spitfiyah! analyzed Western media's reaction to the kidnapping, and the role of social media in how the events unfolded.

While the internet blew up watching Solange beat Jay Z in TMZ’s elevator video, renowned feminist, and radical critical thinker bell hooks was back at the New School as Scholar-in-Residence for another discussion on May 6th.  In the discussion, entitled "Are You Still a Slave?: Liberating the Black Female Body", hooks was joined by black feminist thinkers Marci Blackman, Shola Lynch and Janet Mock and drew controversy when the conversation turned to Beyonce. Is Beyonce a terrorist?  Moderated by Alyssa, we discuss hooks' use of the ‘t’ word towards one of the most universally revered pop culture figures of our time.

May is also Asian Heritage Month! In honor of Asian Heritage Month, we will be featuring tracks from several influential women from the Asian diaspora. They are Susheela Raman ("Ye Meera Divanapan Hai"),  Ann One ("Crush on You"), Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down (" The Feeling Kind"), and Masia One ("Warriors Tongue"). We also talked about the Komagata Maru's centenary, and you can read the press release authored by migrant justice advocates here.

Lastly, we would like to dedicate this show to Maya Angelou, poet, author, activist, who sadly passed away on May 28th.

Listen to the show here. 

April 2014: Spitfiyah! discusses Gloria Steinem and Second Wave Feminism, and the Quebec provincial elections

This month, Spitfiyah! discusses Gloria Steinem as she turns 80 years old,  her persona and her impact on feminism, and the relevance of second-wave feminism to women of colour.

Spitfiyah! also addresses the outcome of the recent election in Quebec. Discussing the role the Charter of Values played in the campaign, the Parti Quebecois's staggering defeat,  and the various policies that were emphasized during the campaign,  Spitfiyah! analyzes what this means for the future, and how Quebec politics frame communities of colour.

Listen to the show here.

March 2014: Professor Aziza Ahmed on the decriminalization of sex work, actresses Li Li and Liana Montoro from 4000 Miles, American Apparel's Made in Bangladesh ad and the #ItooamOxford campaign

We dedicate this edition of Spitfiyah! to Loretta Saunders.  

This month, we bring you an interview on the intersection between HIV/AIDS prevention, sex work, and harm reduction. Alyssa spoke with Professor Aziza Ahmed about the importance of decriminalizing sex work for HIV-prevention efforts and the rights of sex workers.  

Gau discusses the controversial American Apparel Ad “Made in Bangladesh” featuring the image a topless "former" Muslim woman and her transnational identity testimonial. 

Victoria interviews Montreal actresses Li Li and Liana Montoro, who join us remotely from the Centaur Theatre. They will be performing in the Centaur's production of Amy Herzog's 4000 Miles, which premieres on March 25th. They shared their views on acting, Montreal theatre, films, and what it’s like to be a woman of colour actress in Montreal.

Mercedes addressed the recent social media campaigns of - #ItooamHarvard/Oxford, the stakes involved, and the pushback we’ve been witnessing in our cyberuniverses.

To celebrate the coming of spring, we're playing some of the very best late 1980s and early 1990s WOC tunes throughout the show.

Listen to the show here. 

February 2014 Show: Special Homelessness Marathon edition, Black History Month, Bridget Tolley from Families of Sisters in Spirit, Allison Reid and Nakuset on the "revitalization" of Cabot Square, PTSD in low income neighborhoods and Black-Indigenous collective resistance in Leslie Silko's Almanac of the Dead

This was a special Homelessness Marathon edition of Spitifyah! The Homelessness Marathon is an annual national all day broadcast aiming to raise awareness about homelessness in Canada. Alyssa, Victoria, Mercedes, Gau and Malek hosting this LIVE broadcast from outside the Native Friendship Centre in downtown Montreal.
homeless.

Happy Black History Month to our listeners in Montreal and beyond! In addition to tackling issues related to homelessness, we celebrated Black history throughout this February edition of our show.

Malek brings you an interview with Bridget Tolley, founder of Families of Sisters in Spirit, an emerging grassroots volunteer organization led by families of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.

Victoria brings headlines on grassroots migrant justice activism in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Gau turns a critical eye on the recent push from the Ville-Marie borough to “revitalize” Cabot square, which would lead to the displacement of marginalized people that currently use the square as a place to convene. She explored the theme of spacial colonisation in gentrification projects and spoke with Allison Reid and Nakuset from the Cabot Square Project at Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy
Network.

Mercedes discussed a recent crisis brought to light by American news sources ProPublica and Colorlines. A disturbing number of post-traumatic stress disorders cases are found in lower income neighbourhoods (such as those with a high concentration of African Americans) in Detroit, Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia.

In honour of Black History Month, and the historical connections between Black and Indigenous collective resistance, Alyssa discusses the history of Black-Indigenous connections through the voice of Clinton, a Black Indian depicted in Leslie Silko’s novel Almanac of the Dead. She will read an excerpt from the novel.

Listen to the show here.

January 2014 Show: interviews with Ari Swan and Rosalind Wong, pieces on CeCe McDonald, and Tenelle Star

Up first was a round-up of local and international WOC news stories including the story of CeCe McDonald, an African-American trans woman and activist who was recently released from prison after defending herself from a racist, trans-phobic attack in Minnesota back in 2012.

Victoria had a chance to talk music and culture with recent WOC American artist emigre, Ari Swan.  We discussed her work within the Montreal indie music scene as well as the impact of free improv music in the NDG youth community.  

Malek spoke with migrant-justice activist, Rosalind Wong, about the current climate in Canada for women of colour migrants. 

Mercedes discussed the shocking case of Tenelle Star, an Aboriginal teen who was asked to remove her "Got Land" hoodie in class.

Listen to the show here. 

December 2013 Show: Best of 2013!

Our holiday edition features some of our best pieces from the past year:  Angela Davis and the Birmingham bombing, remembering Renisha McBride, Jackie Wang and the concept of revolutionary loneliness, the use of blackface in Quebec, excerpts from interviews with Nydia Dauphin, Charmaine Nelson, Malika Tirolien, Fariha Roisin, and discussions we had in the past year  on the  controversial proposal to end Kwanzaa, the film Django Unchained and more...

Happy Holidays from your Spitfiyah! hosts,
Lili, Alyssa, Victoria, Malek, and Mercedes.

Listen to the show here.

November 2013 Show: Remembering Renisha McBride, bell hooks and Melissa Harris-Perry, and Sarah Malik on the proposed Quebec Charter of Values

On November 2nd, Renisha McBride, a 19-year old African American woman was shot in the head by Theodore Wafer, a white man, in Dearborn Heights outside of Detroit.  Since the  horrific tragedy, Dearborn police failed to charge Mr. Wafer.  After community pressure and national outrage continued, Mr. Wafer turned himself in.  We aired excerpts from a documentary made by Dream Hampton, a filmmaker and writer based in Detroit.  

We also featured clips from a mind blowing conversation between renowned writer, scholar black feminist - bell hooks, and MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry, which took place at the New School for Social Research in early November.  Their dialogue focussed on the black female voice, representation, and subjectivity within imperialist white supremacy capitalist patriarchy.

We also looked closely at the newly-tabled Bill 60, known more popularly as the Quebec Charter of Values. We welcomed Sarah Malik in studio to talk more about the implications of this Bill. Sarah recently hosted a teach-in about the Charter, and is an Equity Educational Advisor at McGill University. The views she expresses are her own, and not the university's.

Listen to the show here.

October 2013 Show: Special funding drive edition, Humera Jabir on the PQ, and Malika Tirolien

Up first,  We take a critical look at the coalition movements that brought the PQ to power in a narrow victory back in September 2012.  As several prominent self-called feminists express their support for the Charter, we ask where are the progressive voices in Quebec denouncing what many are calling racism a la Quebecoise.  We speak with Humera Jabir, a law student at McGill University in Montreal. Her article, “The Hijab is not a Political Tool” appeared in Maisonneuve and was re-printed in the Toronto Star. Her piece  cuts through hardly disguised attack on immigrants, people of colour, and religious minorities in Quebec. 

Malek bring us the women of colour headlines for the month of October covering all the action in another edition of the Spitfiyah news roundup.

Finally, the program featured the music of montreal jazz vocalist, singer and songwriter, Malika Tirolien.  Victoria brings you an exclusive interview with Malika just before she took to the stage with the Kalmunity Jazz Project at Resonance Cafe. 

Listen to the show here.

September 2013 Show: The "Charter of Quebec Values", Angela Davis on the 1963 Birmingham Bombing, Tribute to Sharon Jones

In this edition of Spitifiyah Radio!, we discuss the proposed “Charter of Quebec Values” that has stirred lots of controversy this last month with some calling the Charter necessary to preserve Quebec identity and secularity while others claim it’s simply racist.

We remember the 50th anniversary of the September 15th, 1963 Birmingham Bombing - when 4 little girls died and 20 others were injured after the Ku Klux Klan planted dynamite in a church. No one was arrested for the bombings for 14 years. We will hear from Professor Angela Davis in an address given on September 15th at an event organized by the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law.  

Finally, this month's show is dedicated to the legendary and beloved American soul and funk star , Sharon Jones.  As a vocal powerhouse and charismatic stage performer  Sharon Jones has led her band, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, to critical acclaim in the recent mass revival of soul and funk music. By bringing the sound of soul and funk as it was at its height in the late 1960s and 1970s, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have rocked audiences from across North America to Europe with 5 album releases since 2002 - and a new album on the horizon, "Bring the People What they Want". In therapeutic musical accompaniment to tonight's feature stories, we played a number of our favourite songs by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.  From everyone here at Spitifyah - we are sending through the radio waves our appreciation, love, and support to the humble, kind, great, sassy, soul conduit herself, Sharon Jones.  

Music played: Theme songs: Mystic, "The Life"; Michie Mee, "Don't Wanna Be Your Slave"; Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings,  "What if we all stopped paying taxes?", "Money", "This Land is Your Land", "100 Days, 100 Nights".

Listen to the show here.

August Show: Nydia Dauphin and Professor Charmaine Nelson discuss reactions to Nydia's Huffington Post article on blackface in Quebec, and Jackie Wang's revolutionary loneliness

We welcomed journalist Nydia Dauphin and Professor Charmaine Nelson who discussed reactions to Nydia's May 5th article on Huffington Post Canada entitled, “Why the Hell are Quebec Comedians wearing Blackface?”. Nydia pointed out the resurgence of blackface dawned by white Quebec comedians and offered a number of recent images demonstrating this trend. 

Her lucid commentary offered a moment to pause on the historical roots of blackface--- the transatlantic slave trade that brought millions of enslaved Africans to the Americas for more than three centuries.  Blackface minstrelsy was a popular, nostalgic site through which whites lamented the end of slavery using dark "humour" delivered in song, dance, and jokes that celebrated white fantasies of violence against black bodies.  It is a disturbing reminder of slavery’s evils and a symbol of anti-black racism. As Professor Nelson pointed out,  the McCord Museum holds broadsheets, photography, advertisements, and other paraphernalia of Canadian minstrel troupes that performed in Canada in blackface in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Nydia’s plain assertion that ugly forms of racism persist in Quebec society was mocked in many media outlets as was Professor Nelson’s response to the hostile reaction in the press.  

Professor Charmaine Nelson penned a May 28th piece in response to the reactions to Nydia’s initial blog post, entitled “Challenging Blackface is not Quebec-bashing”. In it, she writes:

“Recalling our colonial histories and challenging the disturbing re-emergence of blackface is not "Quebec Bashing." Is that where we are in 2013? Does being a "true Quebecois" imply complicity in the silence surrounding Quebec's colonial histories and contemporary forms and practices of racism? ”

Nydia is a Sustainable Food Policy Advocate. Born to parents of Haitian heritage, she was born and raised in Montreal. She blogs about Canadian and international social and political affairs related to the right to food, food sovereignty and sustainable development.  And her work has sparked a major discussion about race, racism, and representation in Montreal. 

Professor Charmaine Nelson is an Associate Professor of Art History at McGill University who has made groundbreaking contributions to the fields of the visual culture of slavery, race and representation, and Black Canadian Studies.

We also featured an excerpt from Jackie Wang’s keynote address at the conference

(En)gendering Resistance: Exploring the possibilities of gender, resistance and militancy" at the University of Waterloo held in late-April.  Revolutionary loneliness refers to the seemingly inevitably traumatizing and alienating effects of participating in revolutionary struggle, and to the sense of loneliness that the experience of gendered and racialized forms of suffering can produce. Historically, revolutionary movements have based their politics on masculine and white positions and fail to eradicate social alienation. Jackie explores the liberation narratives of militant women and gender variant revolutionaries.  

Listen to the show here.

July Show: Bethany Or from the film Être Chinois au Quebec, immigration policy, poetry, Trayvon Martin verdict

Victoria interviews Bethany Or in studio, to speak about a new documentary she co-created, called Être Chinois au Quebec.

From the film's website:

How do young Chinese living in Québec feel about themselves, their community and their place here? What do they know about the history of Sino-Québec?These are some of the issues to be explored by this film.

In the wake of the Apology given by the Canadian government in 2006 and the partial redress for the Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act, many in the Chinese community feel the need to explore their place in this society and the need to be included. This film will explore the younger generation of Sino-Québecois and their struggles of identity, integration and building a life for themselves in this province. The filmmakers will search out the Chinese settlements in the different regions of Québec as well in the metropole of Montreal. This journey of discovery starts today as we see Québec through the eyes of two young Chinese, Bethany and Parker. 

We also featured a poem by Preeti.

Malek spoke about recent changes to Canadian immigration policy.

Alyssa discussed various recent news item and provided a commentary on the Trayvon Martin verdict. 

Listen to the show here. 

June Show: Racism in Quebec

When Nydia Dauphin published a post on HuffPost Canada on May 16th, bells and whistles went off; sirens even.  Her crime:  pointing out the resurfacing of blackface minstrelsy in Quebec.  Dauphin was responding specifically to the dawning of Blackface by Mario Jean at the annual comedy award show, the Gala Les Olivier.  The show aired on Radio Canada.  Jean was apparently attempting to impersonate a black comedian.

Dauphin's post also included a slideshow of blackface performances  by white Quebeckers in recent years and provided some much-needed context of the offensiveness of these sitings and her personal observations as a black quebecker.

We, as women of colour, lamented the reaction and the outpouring of mischaracterizations and attempts to dismiss Dauphin's remarks.  Flat out defenses of blackface were given in media.  The assertion that ugly forms of racism persist in Quebec society were mocked.

As a show that comes together every month to say NO to the silencing of the voices of women of color, to provide a platform for women of color to have self-determination as they discuss their lived experiences, we felt compelled to spend this month's show looking more closely at racism in Quebec today.  From the resurgence of blackface to the Quebec Soccer Federation's initial ban on the wearing of religious headware to the hostile reactions in the press at the assertion that racism persists in Quebec today, we took to the airwaves to give voice to our experiences as women of color members of the press confronting this discourse head-on.

To that end, we spoke with illustrious critic, writer, podcaster, and artist Fariha Roisin.

Alyssa Clutterbuck  also responded to the denials that blackface, slavery, and other forms of anti-black racism form part of Quebec's history in her piece, "Are people still denying that slaves were brought to New France by French settlers?”

Mercedes Bonair presented a personal testimony of growing up in Little Burgundy in Montreal.

We also had a reading by Lili Dao - The Silencing of Racism in Quebec, which is a book review of Jan Wong’s Out of the Blue.

Listen to the show here.

May 2013 Show

Malek reported on the Status For All March which took place earlier this month in Montreal. 

We also featured a special report by Alyssa Clutterbuck on Assata Shakur and her recent placement by the FBI on their list of Most Wanted Terrorists. Shakur is the first woman and the second domestic target to be added to the list.  Alyssa discussed the implications of this action and the four decade long hunt for Assata and what she represents for the US government. 

Mercedes Bonair facilitated the second installment of our roundtable discussion on race, media, and pop culture. 

Listen to the show here.

April 2013 Show

We welcomed back into the studio, journalist and critic Christiana for an interview with Mercedes Bonair about  the Funny or Racist Panel Discussion that took place at McGill on March 28th. 

We also featured an exciting piece from Mercedes, who discussed the film “Life is but a Dream”, a recent documentary about Beyonce.   We then held a roundtable session, on the question of the representation of women of colour in popular culture.

Listen to the show here.

March 2013 Show

We started our March show with a piece by Preeti Dhaliwal on a crime that has received widespread international media attention - the rape of a young woman in India.

In honour of International Women's Day, Malek Yalaoui reported on a demonstration held in Montreal celebrating this event. 

Alyssa Clutterbuck covered the vicious responses to those speaking out against rape in the wake of the convictions of two boys in Stubenville, Ohio. They were charged with sexually assaulting an unconscious girl, an incident that was captured on video and widely circulated on social media outlets.

We also featured an exciting piece by Victoria Nam, who turned a critical eye to Status Quo, a new documentary by Karen Cho, exploring the state of feminism and the status of women in Canada. We then held a roundtable discussion, where fellow Spitfiyahs weighed in. 

Listen to the show here. 

February 2013 Show

Mae interviewed  sex educator and burlesque performer Lorraine Hewitt in Toronto.

In honour of Black History Month, Alyssa Clutterbuck reported on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, and today's US Supreme Court’s hearings on the matter.  

Malek Yalaoui brought us a report on the sexaul assaults and acts of violence against women in the Tahrir Square protests, as well as on the worldwide day of action that took place this month  calling for an end to the violence.

We also welcomed black feminist writer and critic Christiana Collison as our in-studio guest.  Mercedes Bonair interviewed Christiana on her recent piece “Complicating Space - Safe Space and the Politics of  Privilege and Marginality” which was published earlier this month in the McGill Daily.  

Listen to the show here. 

January 2013 Show

We featured an interview from McGill artist KOSI whose art will be exhibited next Wednesday, February 6th at O Patro Vys.

Alyssa brought us a report on a story not getting the attention and care it deserves: The survivors of the “Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children” have broken their silence and are now suing in a class action suit for the sexual and physical abuse they suffered, or what one survivor describes as “torture”

Alyssa also gave a small comment on President Obama’s second inauguration and Merlie Evers’ Williams, long-time Civil Rights Activist, who delivered of the 2013 invocation


We also  hosted a round-table discussion about recent headlines this month -- The removal of Kwaanza as proposed by Senator Glen Grothman -- also the controversial film Django Unchained.   

Listen to the show here.

December 2012 Show

Alyssa reported on the Idle No More Movement, a nationwide grassroots movement to protest the Harper government’s harsh policies and treatment of First Nations peoples.

We also heard from Mercedes about reality TV and its portrayal of Black men.

Spitfiyah also caught up with D’Bi Young, dub poet and playwright, when she was in town for her show last month.

Lastly, Alyssa spoke about Republican opposition to the reauthorization of the  Violence Against Women Act, the main piece of federal legislation which addresses domestic violence, and what it could mean for Native Women.

Listen to the show here.

November 2012 Show

This month, we featured another edition of the Spitfiyah Roundup, where we share highlights from news stories outside the margins. We also spoke with D’bi Young  during her 333 tour through Montreal. 

Listen to the show here.

October 2012 Show

This month, we celebrated Spitfiyah’s 10th anniversary. That's ten years of broadcasting every last Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. on CKUT 90.3 FM.

Alyssa brought us another edition of the Spitfiyah Roundup, where we share highlights from news stories outside the margins.

Malek recapped a lecture by Professor Joanne St. Lewis titled “Race, Representation and Black Women in Public Life - Imagining Michelle Obama” and facilitated a roundtable discussion on that lecture.

Nicole had the opportunity to interview visionary artist, social activist and member of JustSeeds Favianna Rodriguez about her on-going poster and print exhibition at Cagibi.

Listen to our Tenth Anniversary show here.