Panel discussion: “In soli?” – part 2, Wed May 8 at 7 pm

Wednesday May 8, doors open at 6:30, panel and discussion from 7-9 pm. Free. Light snacks provided, cash bar. In soli? -Part 2: A panel, discussion, and social event about the tensions of being “in solidarity”. The Political Action Committee of CUPE 3906 warmly invites you to a panel and discussion to explore various tensions we face when claiming to be ‘in solidarity’ with others. As a key catch-phrase for activists within and beyond organized labour, ‘in solidarity’ is often taken as a self-evident and non-contentious statement. However, many also recognized the need to challenge these presumptions about being ‘in solidarity’ and to critically interrogate this phrase and what it means practically for the work we can (and cannot) do.
In order to prompt more of these discussions we have organized this panel to follow up on the panel ‘In Soli?’ hosted in February 2012, this time looking more specifically at the tensions in and between different ways of being ‘in solidarity’. Our panel will include four speakers whose activism spans a variety of forms and concerns (from decolonizing ecology and indigenous sovereignty to wage-theft, precarious and sex-worker struggles and anti-gentrification) speaking to the question: What kinds of challenges or tensions have you faced being ‘in solidarity’ and what kinds of practical strategies have you used to negotiate these? The panel presentations will be followed by an open, facilitated discussion.