Innocents Behind Bars: Systemic Racism and Wrongful Convictions
November 28, 2023
Amanda Carling, James Lockyer, Alice Kim, Gregory Banks, Niigaan Sinclair, Elder Robert Greene
On November 28, 2023, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Centre for Human Rights Research (University of Manitoba), and the Faculty of Law (University of Manitoba) co-organized and sponsored a public event “Innocents Behind Bars: Systemic Racism and Wrongful Convictions.”
We were honoured to welcome:
- Amanda Carling, CEO, BC First Nations Justice Council
- James Lockyer, Founding Director, Innocence Canada
- Alice Kim, Director of Human Rights Practice, Centre for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture
- Gregory Banks, Torture Survivor and Learning Fellow, Chicago Torture Justice Center (joining virtually)
- Facilitated by Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, Indigenous Studies, University of Manitoba
- Opening remarks from Elder Robert Greene, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Wrongful Convictions and Systemic Racism: A Resource Guide
Wrongful Convictions and Systemic Racism: A Resource Guide
November 2023
Stephen Carney, Alana Conway, Carlie Kane, Dr. Pauline Tennent
A Resource Guide with links to resources related to wrongful convictions and the impact of systemic racism and discrimination on the justice systems in settler colonial contexts such as Canada, the United States, and other countries around the world.
Related Resources
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
Messy Ethics in Human Rights Work Book Launch
Messy Ethics in Human Rights Work Book Launch
October 26, 2023
Dr. Neil Bilotta, Dr. Christina Clark-Kazak, Dr. Maritza Felices-Luna, Dr.Shayna Plaut, Dr. Lara Rosenoff Gauvin.
Every day, those doing human rights work are confronted with irresolvable ethical dilemmas that extend beyond institutional ethical processes. Messy Ethics in Human Rights Work invites readers into a series of overlapping conversations, as activists, researchers, artists, and others reflect on the complex disorderliness of ethics in practice, and the implications for human rights work. Contributors share situations when they were ethically stuck between a rock and hard place. What happened? What would they do differently next time? This work proposes that personal reflection and collective, sometimes uncomfortable discussion, are essential components of critical human rights practice.
On Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 7pm, in collaboration with McNally Robinson Grant Park and UBC Press, the Centre for Human Rights Research hosted a launch of the book with a conversation with the co-editors exploring what ethics means in the human rights work they do.
Related Resources
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
Islamophobia and Colonial Violence: Solidarity and Civil Resistance in Post-9/11 Manitoba
Islamophobia and Colonial Violence: Solidarity and Civil Resistance in Post-9/11 Manitoba
October 25, 2023
Dr. Youcef Soufi
On October 25, 2023, the Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR) hosted a seminar on the topic of islamophobia and colonial violence with Dr. Youcef Soufi from the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto. The event focused on the experiences of solidarity and civil resistance of Muslim Canadians in the aftermath of 9/11 and during the US’s global war on terror.
Related Resources
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
-
FOLLOW US
October 26, 2023
Book Launch: Messy Ethics in Human Rights Work
On Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 7pm, the Centre for Human Rights Research is pleased to present the launch of Messy Ethics in Human Rights Work featuring co-editors Neil Bilotta, Christina Clark-Kazak, Maritza Felices-Luna, and CHRR Research Affiliates Shayna Plaut and Lara Rosenoff Gauvin.
The launch will take place at McNally Robinson Grant Park.
Live streaming will also be available through McNally Robinson’s YouTube channel here.
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
-
FOLLOW US
-
-
October 25, 2023
Islamophobia and Colonial Violence: Solidarity and Civil Resistance in Post-9/11 Manitoba
On Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 1pm, CHRR hosted Dr. Youcef Soufi who presented a seminar on “Islamophobia and Colonial Violence: Solidarity and Civil Resistance in Post-9/11 Manitoba.”
Dr. Youcef Soufi is a Research Associate with the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto, where he led an international working group funded by the Connaught Global Challenge Foundation studying anti-Muslim racism within Western societies. He is an expert in the history of Islamic law and his first book, The Rise of Critical Islam: 10th-13th Century Legal Debate (Oxford University Press 2023), pushes back against secularist assumptions that Islam and critical speech are inherently at odds. His recent publications analyze North American Muslim communities’ responses to anti-Muslim racism in the aftermath of 9/11. He is a contributor to the volume Systemic Islamophobia in Canada, published by the University of Toronto Press earlier this year and his forthcoming book tentatively titled On the Outskirts of Empire: Radicalization and State Surveillance on the Canadian Prairies will be published with NYU Press in 2024. Dr. Soufi is a former faculty member of the University of British Columbia’s Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies Department, responsible for the department’s Islamic Studies program, and the former Chair of the Canadian Association for the Study of Islam and Muslims (CASIM)
Resources
Watch a recording of Dr. Soufi’s lecture.
Download the resource guide on “Islamophobia and Colonial Violence.”
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
-
FOLLOW US
-
-
November 28, 2023
Innocents Behind Bars: Systemic Racism and Wrongful Convictions
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Centre for Human Rights Research (University of Manitoba), and the Faculty of Law (University of Manitoba) co-organized and sponsored a public event on November 28, 2023 “Innocents Behind Bars: Systemic Racism and Wrongful Convictions.” There were over 125 people in attendance, as well as 25 people joining online.
The panel brought together leaders of the police torture justice/reparations movement in Chicago, into conversation with those working on demanding justice for Indigenous and racialized peoples wrongly imprisoned here in Canada.This event is inspired by the July 2023 release of Allan Woodhouse and Brian Anderson who were wrongfully imprisoned for a murder they did not commit and spent almost fifty years fighting to clear their names. Brian Anderson and members of his family were in attendance and Allan Woodhouse was able to join virtually.
We were honoured to welcome:
- Amanda Carling, CEO, BC First Nations Justice Council
- James Lockyer, Founding Director, Innocence Canada
- Alice Kim, Director of Human Rights Practice, Centre for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture
- Gregory Banks, Torture Survivor and Learning Fellow, Chicago Torture Justice Center (joining virtually)
- Facilitated by Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, Indigenous Studies, University of Manitoba
- Opening remarks from Elder Robert Greene, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
We hope this event will encourage a rethinking about the intersections of racism, policing, wrongful convictions, and the prison system throughout Turtle Island, and urge us to consider alternatives to how we understand safety and justice for all.
Resources
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/ZWMDvs3kTN0
Download the Graphic Recording: https://chrr.info/resource/innocents-behind-bars-systemic-racism-and-wrongful-convictions/
The art featured in this event poster is titled “Hummingbird” (2015), and is an unfinished painting by Peter Collins, that he was working on in the final days of his life. Peter Collins was a Canadian artist and activist who was sentenced to life in prison at the age of 22. During his time various prisons around Kingston, Ontario, Peter was an ardent activist for those living with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C in prisons. He was a tireless advocate for reform calling attention to systemic racism and injustice, both inside and outside the prison environment, through his artwork and writings. Denied compassionate leave to spend the end of his life with friends and family, Peter died in prison at the age of 53. For more about Peter and his art, please see Lockdown Galleries: Art and Voice of Peter Collins. © Robert Collins
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
Islamophobia and Colonial Violence: Solidarity and Civil Resistance in Post-9/11 Manitoba — A Resource Guide
Islamophobia and Colonial Violence: Solidarity and Civil Resistance in Post-9/11 Manitoba -- A Resource Guide
October 2023
Angela Gail Ciceron, Dr. Pauline Tennent, Dr. Youcef Soufi
On October 25, 2023, the Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR) hosted a seminar on the topic of islamophobia and colonial violence with Dr. Youcef Soufi from the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto. The event focused on the experiences of solidarity and civil resistance of Muslim Canadians in the aftermath of 9/11 and during the US’s global war on terror. As an extension of the seminar, this resource guide provides further readings and media for participants who would like to deepen their understanding of islamophobia in the context of Canada.
Related Resources
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
She is Sacred: Reflections on the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+
She is Sacred: Reflections on the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+
October 6, 2023
Dr. Karine Duhamel, Dawn Chartrand
The content in this video may be difficult and/or triggering. If you or someone you know needs emotional assistance related to this topic or the information in this article, help is available 24/7 through the MMIWG Support Line, 1-866-413-6649.
On October 6, 2023, Indigenous Engagement and Communications and the Centre for Human Rights Research hosted “An Event in Honour of the National Day of Action on MMIWG2S+” with Dr. Karine Duhamel and Dawn Chartrand.
Dr. Karine Duhamel’s talk was entitled “She is Sacred: Reflections on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.”
Karine Duhamel is Anishinaabe-Métis and a member of Red Rock First Nation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University, a Bachelor of Education from Lakehead University and a Master’s degree and PhD in History from the University of Manitoba. From 2018 to 2019, she was Director of Research for the historic National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, drafting the Final Report, directing the Legacy Archive, and managing the Forensic Document Review Project. She is now Director of Indigenous Strategy for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, working to implement the strategic plan focused on supporting Indigenous research and researchers.
Following Dr. Duhamel’s talk, we participated in a Laughing Yoga workshop with Dawn Chartrand.
Related Resources
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
-
FOLLOW US
-
-
October 06, 2023
An Event in honour of the Provincial Day of Awareness & Education and the National Day of Action for MMIWG2S+
Speakers:
Dr. Karine Duhamel
Dawn Chartrand, Laughing Yoga Instructor
On October 6, 2023, Indigenous Engagement and Communications and the Centre for Human Rights Research at the University of Manitoba for an event in honour of the Provincial Day of Awareness & Education and the National Day of Action for MMIWG2S+ (which is held annually on October 4). The free event included a talk by Dr. Karine Duhamel on “She is Sacred: Reflections on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.”
Karine Duhamel is Anishinaabe-Métis and a member of Red Rock First Nation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University, a Bachelor of Education from Lakehead University and a Master’s degree and PhD in History from the University of Manitoba. From 2018 to 2019, she was Director of Research for the historic National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, drafting the Final Report, directing the Legacy Archive, and managing the Forensic Document Review Project. She is now Director of Indigenous Strategy for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, working to implement the strategic plan focused on supporting Indigenous research and researchers.
After a health break, the group participated in a Laughing Yoga Workshop with Dawn Chatrand who advocates for laughter as a form of medicine. Dawn is a visual artist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and is from Rolling River First Nation. A married mom and koko, Dawn began painting in 2017 and was inspired to express her visions, dreams, and experiences through art. Dawn is a singer and songwriter, musical entertainer, and a certified Yoga and Laughing Yoga Instructor.
Resources
Watch a recording of Dr. Duhamel’s lecture.
Support Us
Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you.
442 Robson Hall
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3T 2N2 Canada
204-474-6453
Quick Links
Subscribe to our mailing list for periodic updates from the Centre for Human Rights Research, including human rights events listings and employment opportunities (Manitoba based and virtual).
Land Acknowledgement
The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininew, Anisininew, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.
