Newsletters, articles and events for Kitchener-Waterloo's Peace and Social Justice activists
Lawful and Just are not necessarily the same thing
May 5th at 10 am we gather together at 300 Frederick Street Kitchener to march and remember Missing and Murdered Indigenous people. Vigil at the Kitchener clock tower will follow.
What: Together We Walk
When: 10:00am on Sunday 5 May 2024
Where: Healing of the Seven Generations Map 1
Location: 300 Frederick Street, Kitchener, Ontario
What: Vigil
When: 6:00pm on Sunday 5 May 2024
Where: Clock Tower, Willow River Park (Victoria Park) Map 2
Location: Near 59 Joseph Street, Kitchener, Ontario
Tamara Lorincz writes:
Please join us tomorrow morning if you can before work! Please spread the word!
What: STAND WITH GAZA & SOLIDARITY WITH STUDENTS In the U.S. FOR PALESTINE
When: 8:30am to 9:30am, Wednesday 1 May 2024
Where: In front of University of Waterloo, ION train crossing
Location: 170 University Avenue, Waterloo MapJoin us with your flags & signs.
In Gaza, there are over 42,000 Palestinians killed and over 79,000 injured. All the universities, schools and libraries are destroyed. Most of the hospitals and homes are in ruins. Academics, doctors, nurses, paramedics and journalists and their families are killed. Israel is blocking aid and food to Gaza and Palestinians are starving. This is a genocide! See these EuroMed Human Rights statistics.
Across North America, students are rising up, occupying their campuses and condemning university complicity in the genocide unfolding in Gaza. American students have been violently assaulted and detained by police.
Canada is complicit by sending weapons to Israel. We need a two-way arms embargo against Israel. Stop the weapons! Frequently Asked Questions: Arms Embargo on Israel
Canadian universities are complicit in their silence. The universities and colleges in Waterloo-Kitchener should stop being silent, should speak out against genocide & divest from weapons & war. No more research with weapons companies.
What: Vigil for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
When: 5:30pm to 6:30pm, Wednesday 6 December 2023
Where: St. Columba Anglican Church
Location: 250 Lincoln Road, Waterloo Map
Website: https://www.cfuwkw.org/post/december-6-vigil-national-day-of-remembrance-and-action-on-violence-against-women
CFUW-KW (Canadian Federation of University Women) is holding a vigil in memory of the women murdered at École polytechnique de Montréal in 1989.
Please join CFUW for a night of remembrance. There will be featured speakers, and light snacks will be served.
The Saint Columba Anglican Church is at 250 Lincoln Road in Waterloo. Take Grand River Transit Bus 29 to Lincoln/Mayfield, stop 2793.
See (and hear) the interview on CKMS-FM Radio Waterloo: 
CKMS Community Connections for 4 December 2023: The CFUW December 6 vigil for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women with Margaret Walker and Fadilah Balogun
What: Amnesty International Write For Rights
When: 11:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday 9 December 2023
Where: Kitchener Public Library, Meeting Room D
Location: 85 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Ontario Map 1
E-mail: groupnine9@gmail.com
Write for Rights is the world’s largest human rights event. It’s a moment when Amnesty International’s 7 million supporters around the world join together in a letter-writing blitz calling on governments to respect human rights!
Drop in and find out about the 11 cases we are highlighting this year. You can make a difference by signing letters and petitions to governments defending the rights of refugees, women, indigenous peoples, and human rights workers!
Hello,
We hope to see you soon at our first in-person Write for Rights event since COVID!!! This year it will be held in KPL Room D Saturday December 9 from 11am to 4pm.
We will be joining together with Amnesty International’s millions of supporters around the world in a letter-writing blitz calling on governments to respect the rights of eleven selected groups and individuals at risk.
We have had many successes over the years including the release of political prisoners, the ending of torture in specific cases and in bringing human rights offenders to justice.
We are including a package so that you can print and sign letters in advance and bring them to the event. Then when you arrive, you can focus on creating cards of support for the individuals at risk. We will have cards and art materials available for you to use.
We are also including a young people’s activity package — so if you are a parent, teacher, grandparent and have some time to sit down with your young person — you can create a card of support for indigenous Torres Strait islanders and bring it to our event. Take a picture of your activity and send it to groupnine9@gmail.com so that we can post it to our Facebook page. The young person’s activity will also be available at the KPL event as well as a creative activity for younger children!!
At our regular meeting on Tuesday, 5 December 2023 we’ll be firming up plans for the event as well as signing letters — so if you have downloaded and printed the package, please bring your letters to the meeting.
Helpful information about the event:
- If you are coming to the KPL by car, you can park for free in the open-air lot to the east of the Library. If you park underground you’ll have to pay.
- Room D is on the lower level. Food brought from outside is not allowed. If you wish to have something you can purchase it at the café upstairs.
- If you are printing your own letters at home and do not want to bring them to the Library on the 9th, you can drop them off in the W4R box which will be on the front steps at 97 John Street West Map 2 from 10-17 December. In either case, please do NOT put your letters in individual envelopes. Fold each letter in half and write the country to which it is being sent on the outside. Please have all your letters in a single large envelope with your name on the outside, or held together with a rubber band and a label giving your name.
Take care,
David and MargaretPS — If you want to edit your letters please send a request to groupnine9@gmail.com and we will send you a WORD version.
What: Rally for Gaza
When: 1:00pm, Sunday, 19 November 2023
Where: Waterloo Public Square Map
Palestinian
Youth
Movement
حركة الشباب الفلسطيني
End Canadian Complicity
Ceasefire Now
10K Rally For Gaza!
Kitchener-Waterloo
Sunday, November 19th, 2023 – 1pm
Waterloo Public Square
What: Queer Youth Defence | Second Assembly
When: 11:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday 21 October 2023
Where: Gaukel Block, 44 Gaukel Street, Kitchener Map
Who: GroundUpWR and UW Solidarity Network
A hate group “Hands Off Our Kids” is using anti-queer rhetoric to take away the rights of youth in determining their own identities. This is the second such “Million March” they have planned. We are denying them a space to spew their bigotry and queerphobia, and protecting the rights of youth to safety and privacy.
What: Labour Movie Night in Waterloo Region — CLiFF 15
When: 7:00pm to 9:00pm on Thursday 2 November 2023
Where: Apollo Cinema
Location: 141 Ontario Street North, Kitchener Map
Register: https://waterloolabour.ca/events/labour-movie-night-in-waterloo-region-cliff-15/
Join the Waterloo Region Labour Council for an evening of Labour Films from the Canadian Labour International Film Festival.
Included in the evening will be seven short films:
Bergie: The term “bergie” is a South Africanism that refers to people that are homeless. This short film presents the view with a problem — a law enforcement officer has to remove homeless people sleeping on a path in the city in order to make way for a 10km fun-run. To do this, he has to wrestle with fundamental questions about the dignity of human life.
When We Fight: In the second largest school district in the United States, in Los Angeles, California, 98% of the teachers vote to authorize a strike. Watch as one of the largest educator strikes in modern U.S. history unfolds in real-time, highlighting the stories and leadership of some of the women who led it, from union leaders to classsroom teachers. When We Fight goes behind picket lines, documenting how and why teachers strike.
Not Another Ballet Story: Choreography is traditionally a male dominated occupation. In this inspiring documentary, a small contemporary dance company in San Francisco provides dancers, many of them female, with the unique opportunity to choreograph modern ballet productions. The hope is that this experience will give rise to more female creators, leaders, and choreographers.
Where Are You From? This film depicts a true story based on the producer’s life. A young woman goes to an interview and is asked a simple question — one commonly asked in Canada. Her not so simple answer gives us a personalized glimpse into the often complicated histories, experiences, and identities of refugees, migrants, and immigrants.
Box Fox: In this exciting animated film, a intrepid fox-adventurer travels through a dangerous fantasy world to find a enigmatic girl whose face appears in a a mysterious token. Is this really an adventure, or is this just a job?
We Are The Earth: A powerful short animated poem that takes us from anxiety and fear about the current state of our world to empowerment and hope for the future. It is is call to collective action.
Whitewash: Whitewash looks at the pressure felt amongst Iranian immigrants tin Canada to change their given names to Western names to increase their chance of getting a job, and the consequences that develop due to this act of cultural and identity erasure.
What: National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Event
When: 11:00am to 2:00pm on Thursday 28 September 2023
Where: Willow River Park (fka Victoria Park) Map
Website: https://www.npaamb.com/
Vendor Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/LuTktrK24n (Microsoft Forms)
Join the National Indigenous Youth Employment & Training for an afternoon in Victoria Park to celebrate the resiliency of our communities and Indigenous contributions to the economy and labour market
Food Vendors — Featuring locally owned, Indigenous Food Vendors
Performers — Traditional and Contemporary Indigenous singers, dancers, drummers
Artisan Vendors — Authentic Indigenous artisan and craft vendors
Speakers — Speakers with a background on Truth and Reconciliation, Residential Schools and more
Agency, Artisan & Craft Vendors: Fill in the Microsoft Form for Vendor Registration to apply!
A hate group “Hands Off Our Kids” is using anti-queer rhetoric to take away the rights of your in determining their own identieies. We are denying them a space to spew their bigotry and queerphobia, and we are protecting the rights of youth to safety and privacy.
What: Queer Youth Defence Rally
When: 9:00am to 11:00am, Wednesday 20 September 2023
Where: Carl Zehr Square, Kitchener City Hall
Location: 200 King Street West, Kitchener Map
From the Canadian Anti-Hate Network: Important Context About the “1 Million March 4 Children”
Organized by University of Waterloo Solidarity Network and Ground Up Waterloo Region.
Join UW Animal Rights Society for an evening of powerful music, speakers, poetry, art, estatic dance, food, & inspiring performances.
Instagram: @UWAnimalRights, @VEFOmusic
