Montreal: 'Resistance and Sport in the Age of Trump' forum

[Oscar]

Montreal chapter at 'Resistance and Sport in the Age of Trump' public forum

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February 20, 2017 - 7:14 am

The Council of Canadians Montreal chapter attended a public forum on Resistance and Sport in the Age of Trump.

Concordia University notes, "When San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt for the national anthem at the outset of this year’s NFL season, he made waves throughout the sports world. Inspired by the widespread debate that followed, an all-star panel of writers and activists will take the stage at Concordia on February 17 for 'Taking A Knee, Taking a Stand: Resistance and Sports in the Age of Trump'. They’ll discuss not only the anthem protests, but also the broader historical and present contexts of athletes who stand up for social justice."

The outreach for the public forum highlighted, "Donald Trump rose to power as President-elect amidst widespread allegations of sexual assault – instances he later dismissed as 'locker-room talk'. What will challenging sexism and misogyny look like under a Trump presidency, and how can we acknowledge that the assault that Trump boasted of is indeed part of sports’ 'locker-room talk', while at the same time fighting against it? And how will the virulent Islamophobia that Trump represents impact Muslim athletes both on and off the field?"

The featured speakers were David Zirin (sports editor for The Nation magazine), Shireen Ahmed (writer and sports activist), Jennifer Drummond (Sexual Assault Resource Centre coordinator), and Rana Salah (anti-racism organizer).

In advance of the forum, Zirin told the Montreal Gazette, "The lens of sports allows for a popularizing of conversations that may otherwise just take place in corners. And the main point of discourse is not just for us to speak among ourselves but to try to include a broader swath of people. Sports has a unique power to do that. Sometimes it does it for good and sometimes it does it for ill.”

Ahmed added, "I have a daughter who plays soccer competitively, and I had to take her to Buffalo [recently]… that entire experience is draining emotionally in the sense of having to mentally prepare your kid. Instead of saying, ‘Hey I need you to be really focused and don’t release your drop-kicks until you’re settled, and make sure you communicate with your defence,’ I’m saying things like, ‘in the event that we get separated and detained, this is what you need to know about your rights as a Canadian."

And Drummond commented, "We are helping [athletes to] see themselves as students with a certain status. [We tell them:] ‘People look up to you, you have a really important role to play here in the kind of culture we are creating at Concordia. People are looking to you as a role model and what kind of role model do you want to be?’ Hopefully that will be someone who challenges rape culture, hopefully that will be someone who supports survivors, and … someone who would never assault someone."

The Council of Canadians rejects sexism and racism - and supports inclusion, equality and diversity.

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Political Director of the Council of Canadians
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