Race and Identity Issues To Be Explored

"Imagine a society in which every individual is treated as someone of value and worth, as part of a community of his or her choosing, and ultimately as part of the only race that matters -- the human race." That is the challenge presented and analysed by author Cecil Foster in his recent book Where Race Does Not Matter.

It is also an underlying theme of some of the complex issues that Dr. Foster, an assistant professor in sociology at the University of Guelph, and other invited guests will explore in Halifax on Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10 when the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission presents an event called Race and Identity: The Challenge of Change.

Participants at the commission's annual forum will talk about discrimination and how the needs of certain people in our population are overlooked. But they will also be challenged to delve deeper.

"Just talking about what's wrong would be going over ground that has already been well travelled," said commission CEO Mayann Francis. "We want to move the discussion forward. We want to explore how these issues affect our identity at the most grassroots level, how they shape us and how we, and entire communities can, in turn, bring productive change to our community and the world at large."

The forum will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the World Trade and Convention Centre, Halifax, on Monday, May 9 with a networking session and dinner designed to set the scene for the next day's panels and guest speakers. The dinner will feature a performance by entertainer Linda Carvery. Information on registration can be obtained by phoning 424-3137.

On Tuesday, the day's activities include presentation of an academic case study on systemic discrimination; a lively morning panel discussion of youth, race and identity featuring young people from the community; a keynote address by Dr. Foster, and an afternoon discussion of the challenges of becoming and being Canadian.

Each year the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission organizes an event that studies one of the areas protected by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act.

"It's a great learning experience for everyone -- participants and policymakers," said Ms. Francis. "We invite many different people with many different views to share unique perspectives. It gets people thinking on a new level about the sometimes age-old concerns still facing human beings."