Chatham-Kent's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Strategy

In honour of National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people (M.M.I.W.G. and 2S+), several events will be held March 3-5 in Chatham-Kent.

All events are open to everyone. Attend when you are able.

Wear red to show your support (i.e. shirt, coat, pin - not a red dress).

For more information check out www.7GICFC.org

Schedule of Activities

Friday May 3, 2024

11:45AM: Gather, Civic Centre, 315 King Street West, Chatham

12:00PM M.M.I.W.G. and 2S+ flag raising, Civic Centre, 325 King Street West, Chatham

12:20PM Walk from Civic Centre to Deshkan Ziibi, 495 King Street West, Chatham

12:30PM Opening and displaying Red Dresses, Deshkan Ziibi, 495 King Street West, Chatham

1:00PM Lunch Deshkan Ziibi, 495 King Street West, Chatham (soup and oven bread)

1:30PM Lighting of Sacred Fire and Teachings, Deshkan Ziibi, 495 King Street West, Chatham

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Bannock and tea at Deshkan Ziibi, 495 King Street West, Chatham.

10:00AM - 12:00PM and 1:00PM - 3:00PM

Drop-in and visit. Open conversation and Teachings with an Indigenous Grandmother.

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Vigil

Deshkan Ziibi, 495 King Street West, Chatham.

6:00PM Vigil Opening

6:10PM Giving of tobacco

6:20PM Sharing circle (Open sharing)

7:00PM Closing and taking down of Red Dresses

Co-sponsored by: Ska:Na Family Learning Centre; The Bleak House; Women's Equity Business; 7 Generations Indigenous Cultural Friendship Centre; United Way of Chatham-Kent; Municipality of Chatham-Kent; OLG; St. Clair Catholic District School Board; Peer-2-Peer Network.

About The National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People

Also called Red Dress Day, the day honours and brings awareness to the disproportionate violence that Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people face in Canada.

The red dress was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black’s REDress Project, in which she hung empty, red dresses to represent the missing and murdered women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people found that, in Canada:

• Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit people are 12x more likely to go missing or be murdered than all other women, and 16x more likely than Caucasian women.
• In the last 30 years, more than 4000 Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit people have gone missing or been murdered. That’s about 133 a year or 3 a week.
• Because of persistent forms of oppression (racism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism), complaints about missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Women, are less likely to be taken seriously or followed up.

The National Inquiry led to 231 Calls for Justice directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries, and all Canadians.

Supports

This day may be triggering for some people. Help is available.

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people toll-free support phone line (24/7) 1-844-413-6649

Hope for Wellness Help Line (24/7) 1-855-242-3310

Learn More

Read the final report and Calls for Justice from the MMIWG2S+ National Inquiry on the National Inquiry website

Visit the National Family and Survivors Circle website

Visit the Amnesty International No More Stolen Sisters website

Find book, video and podcast recommendations on Simon Fraser University’s website

Chatham-Kent Employment and Social Services is hosting two live Facebook events to offer some solutions for those that may need help participating in Landlord and Tennant Board (LTB) hearings, which are only held online.

When:

• March 21^st, 12:00pm
• March 27^th, 7:00pm

Where:

Livestreamed on the Municipality’s Facebook & YouTube channels

Local tenants, especially those with lower incomes, are facing challenges with attending Landlord and Tenant Board hearings that are being conducted on Zoom. There are Chatham-Kent residents that do not have the technology or the technological skills to attend these Zoom hearings. When a tenant does not attend an LTB hearing, the judgement is made in favour of the landlord, resulting in unnecessary evictions. These remote hearings have created a “digital divide” for many tenants since being implemented in 2020.

Phillip Mock, Executive Director of Vision Us will be moderating a discussion with Douglas Kwan, director of advocacy and legal services for the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario and Jeff Wilkins, Paralegal/Housing Stability Worker with the Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic.

On March 24, 2024, communities across Canada will come together for a common goal: to make our neighbourhoods more accessible and inclusive.

With the power of the AccessNow app, you can be a part of this movement. Join us in mapping the accessibility of places in your city, and let’s transform Canada into an inclusive place for all.

The Chatham-Kent event is hosted by the Accessibility Advisory Commitee of Council for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

Learn more about Map Mission Day 2024 from AccessNow.

Learn more about the Accessibility Advisory Committee of Council on the Municipality of Chatham-Kent's website.

For more information contact Councillor Alysson Store Alysson.Storey@chatham-kent.ca or 519.350-5689.

The Gindaasdaa Circle is a book club focusing on Indigenous authors who’ve written about Indigenous Knowledge, Reconciliation and Worldviews. One book is chosen for everyone to read, review and to discuss at the bi-monthly Gindaasdaa Circle meetings.

GINDAASDAA (Ghin-daahs-daah) Means ‘Looking at something together & learning from it’ in the Ojibwe language. (As we didn’t have books)

This time, the book is A Pipe for Ceremony by Charles H. Red Corn. This book is an Indigenous telling of the experience of the Osage Nation, which has been in the media because of the recent movie Killers of the Flower Moon.

Attend in-person or online.

Contact Naomi naomi@skanaflc.com to RSVP

This circle is open to anyone.

Ramadan begins next week, and people in Chatham-Kent and all over the world who are Muslim renew their spiritual commitment. For about 30 days, Ramadan will be honoured in many ways, including fasting, acts of charity, reflections, and prayer.

This video, a partnership between the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and the Chatham Islamic Centre, covers ways that your business or organization can support colleagues or customers that are honouring Ramadan.

Note: Eid ul-Fitr, a significant holiday marking the end of Ramadan, is expected to happen on or about April 9th. Please be considerate of this important date for Muslim communities who may take time off or gather in honour of the holiday.

To share this video, copy and paste the link to this page or share the video from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent's Facebook page.

Ramadan Mubarak!

March is Nutrition Month and we can't talk about that without also talking about Food Insecurity.

1 in 5 households in Chatham-Kent do not have enough money to buy food. That's 20% of the community who must decide between paying their bills or buying food.

The 2023 Cost of Eating Infographic shows the monthly cost of eating in CK and the numbers show that current social assistance programs are not enough.

View the entire infographic at: www.ckpublichealth.com/foodinsecurity

Armoury Special Events, Zonta Club of Chatham-Kent, and She Leads are partnering to offer events in honour of International Women's Day on March 8th.

For more information and to learn about how to support the events whatever your gender, visit the She Leads website.

Friday, March 8th, 4:30 PM

"I Am Woman" March

Meet at the clock downtown (at King & 5th St.). Walk to Sweet C's to enjoy a treat, cross at 3rd St. and return to the Cenotaph. Cross the bridge to the Chatham Armoury.

Open to anyone (Women and their supporters), no cost.

Bring a friend. Wear purple. Make some noise. Shake pom poms.

A celebration of all Women.

Friday, March 8th, 5:00 PM

"I Am Woman" Celebration

Chatham Armoury

Open to anyone who identifies as a Woman.

Enteractive booths/vendors. Taste by Tiff will be providing food options for sale. Cash bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

6pm: Welcome & inspirational message. Dance class led by Lisa Lester.

Party, Lip Sync Battle and networking to follow!

Wear comfortable clothing and footwear that allows you to move & dance

$5 minimum donation at the door. Proceeds benefit Chatham-Kent Women's Centre.

Saturday, March 9th, 10:00AM - 2:00PM

She Leads Vendor Expo

Chatham Armoury

Open to anyone who identifies as a Woman.

Support women-led businesses, local charities and organizations.

Taste by Tiff will have nutritional food options & drinks for sale

$5 minimum donation at the door. Proceeds benefit Chatham-Kent Women's Centre.

Most vendors accept debit, cash and/or e-transfer.

The Chatham-Kent Local Immigration Partnership and Municipality of Chatham-Kent Community Attraction & Promotion team invite leaders and members of local cultural community groups to meet, network, and explore possible connections.

Tuesday, March 5, 5:00 - 7:00 PM

Chatham Granite Club, 41 William Street North, Chatham.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Registration required.

Contact cklip@chatham-kent.ca to register or for more information.

Note: This event is intended specifically for leaders and members of local cultural community groups, and is not an education session open to the public.

As Muslim communities prepare for Ramadan, the Ahlan Bazaar is happening at The Chatham Islamic Centre, 310 McNaughton Ave West, from 2:00PM - 6:00PM on March 1st and 2nd.

Free entry, cash only for payments.

Find jewelry, halal foods, desserts, clothing, eyebrow threading, and henna.

Everyone welcome.

If you have question, please contact Maha Muhareb 519.359.4024 or mamuhareb@hotmail.com.

How well do you know local history?

Test your knowledge about Black History in Chatham-Kent and enter to win tickets to a screening of The Color Purple on February 28th!

Take the quiz here: https://take.quiz-maker.com/QEKTHXGBV

Thanks to our friends at Buxton Museum, Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum, Ontario Heritage Trust (Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History), Buxton's Next Generation, Chatham Capitol Theatre for this partnership!