Community Kitchen: For Migrant Justice, with Migrant Activists
Community Kitchen: For Migrant Justice, with Migrant Activists
FARMWORKER AWARENESS WEEK: A CONVERSATION ON MIGRANT WORKERS’ RIGHTS ACROSS TURTLE ISLAND
Date & Time
Wed, Mar 25
5:30 PM – 9:30 PM PST
Location
ABOUT THE EVENT
Join us in celebrating and honouring Farmworker Awareness Week with migrant activists Evelyn Encalada Grez, Gabriel Allahdua, and Aaraón Díaz Mendiburo!
We’ll be cooking, eating, appreciating, and discussing staple foods in migrant workers’ diets throughout Turtle Island while raising awareness of farmworker rights and working conditions. This special Community Kitchen will unite migrant workers and the SFU community together in active resistance against the structural injustices faced by migrant workers and their families.
We’ll be making:
- Traditional Mexican Mole with chicken (mushrooms for vegetarian substitute), served with rice pilau
- Stew with green figs and ground provisions (Vegan), served with rice
- Jelly with sour cream
Please let us know of any dietary restrictions and/or food allergies in the registration form ahead of the event.
AGENDA
- Introductions and Housekeeping
- Cooking and Activities
- Eating and Discussion
- Wrap-up and Clean-up
Whether you’re a seasoned chef or new to the kitchen, all are welcome! This event is first-come first-serve until we reach capacity, so we encourage you to register and arrive 10 minutes early. Thanks and see you there!✨
Land Acknowledgement
This event takes place on the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛw̓əm (Kwikwetlem) Nations.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Evelyn Encalada Grez (she/her)
Meet Evelyn
Evelyn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Labour Studies Program at SFU. She is the co-founder of Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW), a collective that has been at the forefront of the migrant farmworker movement in Canada for over 20 years. She is an award-winning scholar and organizer that specializes in transnational labour-migration, migrant justice, and community-engaged research.
Gabriel Allahdua (he/him)
Meet Gabriel
Gabriel is a former migrant farm worker from St. Lucia, an island in the Eastern Caribbean. For almost a decade, he has organized with the (J4MW) collective. He was an Activist in Residence (AIR) at the University of Guelph, the first person to hold that position, which brought activists and researchers together.
Gabriel is currently an Outreach Worker working with migrant workers across Ontario and Education and Mobilization Officer with the Association for the Rights of Household and Farm Workers (DTMF).
Aaraón Díaz Mendiburo (he/him)
Meet Aaraón
Aaraón is an academic and filmmaker that has followed migrant workers and their families for over a decade. His research deals with health, education, employment, social representation, and intercultural relations issues of agricultural migrants to Canada, their families, and both their communities of origin and destination. As an independent documentary filmmaker, he has directed and produced Migrant Mother (2020), Matices: “Temporary” Migration in Canada (2011), and Migrants: Those who come from within (2007). He is currently working on his fourth documentary about activism on cannabis destigmatization in North America.
Aaraón is also a professor in the anthropology bachelor’s program and in the master’s Mexico-USA program at the Center for Research on North America – UNAM / Researchers (UNAM). He has further taught in the master’s migration studies program at the Universidad Iberoamericana. He is a level-I member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers.
Event Accessibility
Embark Sustainability events are free and open to Embark Sustainability members which includes Simon Fraser University undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Embark Sustainability Associate Members.
This event will be held indoors at the SUB Community Kitchen, room #2125 of the Student Union Building (SUB), SFU Burnaby. Accessibility details include:
- Attendees are free to opt in and opt out of activities as suits their needs throughout the event, including exiting and re-entering the event space.
- Some appliances and counter areas of this room are not accessible when using a wheelchair or other mobility aids. The dining/lounge area is accessible when using a wheelchair or other mobility aids.
- We aim to host a scent-free space. Please refrain from wearing scented products in attendance of this event.
- Unfortunately, we cannot provide ASL interpretation at this time. We will be providing written recipe instructions.
We aim to make our events accessible to as many of our community members as possible. If we can take further action to make this event accessible to you, please contact Embark Sustainability’s Director of Engagement at engagement@embarksustainability.org.
Health & Safety
Participants who register are agreeing to release Embark Sustainability Society from any liability related to COVID-19. Masks are optional but encouraged.
Community Agreement
By registering to attend this event, you are agreeing to be respectful when listening to and communicating with others, and be mindful of the space you are taking up amongst your peers.
Embark Sustainability does not tolerate violence or aggression against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Please also refer to people using the introductions they provide and do not assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance.
If these agreements are broken by someone, we will have to ensure the safety of our community members by removing them from the event.
Questions
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Embark Sustainability’s Food justice Programs Coordinator at food@embarksustainability.org.