Home / Commentary / Page 4
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Over the past two months, demonstrations have gripped the streets of Portland in outrage over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. The demonstrations have intensified after federal law enforcement officers were dispatched to halt the protests. Sid Boegman in this podcast looks at state violncee against the protestors in Portland and... More
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
By: Kathy Dobson Tori Almond recently had a critically important conversation with her three young sons, a conversation that parents of white children will never have to have. Tori talked to her boys about how to avoid getting killed by the police just because of their skin colour. “My biggest fear is that I... More
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
By Kathy Dobson Seth didn’t always hate his job. The first couple of years he often enjoyed his work as a grocery store clerk, mostly because of the other staff. “I work with a great crew of people, and that makes everything easier, liking the people you work with. Some of the hardest parts... More
By Kathy Dobson Brenna and Carey have been working at a local major chain store for the past three years. Brenna is a fulltime student at Carleton University, but tries to work as many hours each week as possible. Carey works fulltime but wishes she could afford to work less hours each week as... More
Thursday, June 4, 2020
By Carmen Warner Imagine that you are shopping in Walmart with your two young children in a stroller. Imagine you buy $90 worth of electronics from the electronics department. The cashier then tells you that you must check out your produce items at a different check out because they have to be weighed. No... More
Saturday, May 30, 2020
By Terre Chartrand I have too often backed down out of my own fragility, my own desire for self preservation in sharing and talking about racist violence. My family is a gorgeous blend of shades and races that run from pale Northern European to Indigenous to Black. I used to think it was enough... More
Friday, May 1, 2020
By Ghadah Alrasheed Whenever there is a crisis, people often go to technology for “help”. It is what historians and cultural scholars describe as “technological optimism”. It means that technology evokes hopeful aspirations for people whenever they struggle with large issues and crises. So when physical communication is interrupted,... More
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
By Zamzam Abdikader My name is Zamzam Abdikadir and I am based in Kakuma refugee camp. Kakuma is located in the north-western side of Kenya and as per UNHCR statistics done on 29th February 2020, there are 194,914 registered refugees living in the camp. In regards to the current COVID-19 situation, there is no... More
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Credit: Globalresearch.ca By Ghadah Alrasheed I write this while at home following my province’s social distancing rules and homeschooling my kids. The furthest I go is our local grocery store. If we ever need to spend any time outside, our backyard will be the main location. Although very unfamiliar, this situation is weirdly nostalgic.... More
Friday, March 13, 2020
On March 12, as part of a series on Media Training and Writing Workshops, ALiGN hosted “Storytelling with Impact,” a workshop presented online with refugees from Kakuma Camp in Kenya. The theme of the workshop, presented by interim co-Directors of the lab, Kathy Dobson and Ghadah Alrasheed, included the importance of knowing what... More
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Credit: CNN By Scott Mitchell What’s going on with this coronavirus pandemic? There are some concerning developments, but there is also some cause for optimism. There are some things we don’t know. This may sound like it's oversimplifying a very complex situation - or maybe this piece will offer comforting or useful information to... More
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Research on the coverage of refugees reveals that less than a quarter of all news articles on migration or refugee issues mention a refugee or migrant, and far fewer directly quote them. Kathy Dobson and Ghadah Alrasheed, Interim co-Directors of ALiGN Media Lab, became more aware of this issue after they visited Nairobi last... More
Search