Health & Racism Working Group

Battling Depression: A Young Black Womon’s Perspective

2012-02-13T12:06:00.000-05:00

Beginning this month, the Health and Racism Working Group (HaR) is pleased to publish articles by HaR members on issues related to race, racism, racialization, and health. HaR members are community members and workers in Peel, individuals who are committed to having conversations about social justice. We begin with a contribution by Rita Nketiah.

RitaNketiah is a Pan-African Feminist activist currently living in Brampton. She isthe Coordinator for the Black Community Action Network of Peel, an organizationcommitted to building the capacity of Black communities throughout the region.Her interests include Feminist activism and discourse, anti-racist educationand self-care. In her spare time, she plots Revolutions J.

Battling Depression: A Young BlackWomon’s Perspective

Thefirst time I thought I might be depressed was in 9^th grade. When Ithink about it, there was nothing in particular that happened. Or maybe nothingreally traumatic. I mean, there was a boy that I had dated the summer beforestarting high school, and when school returned he went back to the States. Itwas my first major puppy love. I took it hard. We tried to keep in touchthrough msn (yea, back in the day!), but alas, distance and time differencesmade our online romance impossible. After that, I started becoming quite therecluse. I started high school, and was once again at the bottom of the socialorder in my school. But I don’t remember being picked on. I just remember thiscloud of sadness that hung over my head. I wrote quite a bit. I talked with acouple of friends who were also quite sad often. I just remember feeling sadand hopeless from time to time. In hindsight, I am not sure what to make ofthat moment in my life. There are days when I think I was just a teenager goingthrough hormonal changes –but then, I saw so many of my peers who were “always”happy, and even their low days didn’t appearthat low. But me? I always had some existentialist questions floating in myhead and would share with anyone who would listen –which was usually no morethan two friends. I always had this feeling of anxiety, mixed with fear andsadness. I couldn’t name it. Not out loud, anyway. After all, I was only 14.What could I possibly be depressed over? Secondly, I was a young black girlliving in Rexdale –we didn’t get depressed; we were not supposed to besuicidal; those were words reserved for white girls; and depression and suicidehad to look a particular way, or else we simply could not call it that.

Andyet, I had days where the tears just flowed for hours. Sometimes they weretriggered by something someone said to me about my body, personality, whatever.Sometimes the tears were triggered by thoughts of worthlessness in my head. Iwas fragile. More fragile than I let on.

Iwas also quite cerebral. I was the child that could go somewhere deep in hermind for a while, even in conversation, or walking to class. I ~~was moody andintroverted~~ developed a reputation for being moody and miserable so thisdid not help my Depression. Whenever the pangs of sadness or loneliness hit, Iwould go further inside myself.

Fastforward to second year of university. The first time my friend told me that shewas suffering from Depression, I did not believe her. In fact, I told her thatthere was no way that she could be suffering from Depression, because I had suffered from it when I wasyounger, and unless she was feeling suicidal (and had attempted suicide), thenshe could not have been really suffering from it. What she was going throughwas sadness, university stress –but definitely not depression. This was in our second year of university.

Thismix of shock, disbelief and arrogance is something I regret to this day. Indenying her to name her depression, I did what so many people did to me andcontinue to do to young black womyn; I denied her humanity, her ability to bevulnerable with another human being, her right to admit that things were notokay. What I didn’t understand at the time was that Depression could take manyforms. While some of us actually do attempt to commit suicide, others gointernal. They may begin cutting themselves, or have a loss of appetitealtogether.

Nowat age 25, I think I still struggle with bouts of depression –of course, now Ihave very real stressors, ranging from economic independence, aging parents,sexual identity and all the realities of the quarter life crisis (yea, it’sreal, y’all!). And I wonder if we all face it from time to time. In fact, Iwonder if Depression isn’t actually the result of a social dis-ease. The effect of intersecting forms of oppression that weare not always able to name or speak to, because we have been told to “suck itup”, to be happy with our lot, and oh, my favourite “It could always be worse”.The reality for those suffering from Depression is that, saying things couldalways be worse does not actually help us cope with our current situation. Itmay actually make Depressed people feel a compounding sense of guilt for wantingto “complain” about their “good life”.

Ialso think we need a new discourse about Mental Health. If we can recognizemental health is not a given, in a society that is so deeply and toxically ill,and that marginalized communities often struggle to talk about social dis-ease, we can begin to find concretesolutions for grappling with mental unhealthand depression in our communities.

Bassey Ikpi. Both pieces are about the struggle thatmany (young) black womyn have in admitting that we need (self-)care. They areabout having honest conversations (with ourselves and others); about tellingthe truth of where one has been and what they have experienced, and knowingthat what has happened to us is not our fault.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk2DNSllHeQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGANPZr5deI

Black History Month - save the date!

2012-02-09T16:57:00.000-05:00

SAVE THE DATE!

-----LIVING OUR LEGACY - LOVING THE SKIN YOU'RE IN-----
Community Black History Month Health Event

TUES, FEB. 28
5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Derrybrae Building (Meeting Room)
7095 Rexwood Road, Malton
map - http://g.co/maps/5thvs
(near Derry and Rexwood)
Presenters, wellness activities, healthy food

To mark Black History Month, Malton Moms and the Health and Racism Working Group present "Living our Legacy - Loving the Skin You're In," a Community Black History Month Health Event on February 28, 2012. PLEASE SAVE THE DATE!

Hosted at the Derrybrae Building in Malton, community members are invited to talk about health and wellness for Black communities. This is a FREE event, and food will be provided. You'll get a chance to participate in wellness activities and connect with community - all a part of loving the skin you're in.

Stay tuned for more information ...

HaR is pleased to be working with Malton Moms.

Malton Moms is a network, exchange and meet up group designed for moms living in or originally from Malton interested in a) sharing information, b) giving one another support, c) organizing activities for our children, and d) providing our children with a bright, just and limitless future. We also increase our community by acting as advocates. Malton Moms make Moves. Malton Moms make change.
Malton Moms thanks the Region of Peel and United Way Peel Region for their support.

BHM Save the Date_Feb 28

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

2012-01-03T19:06:00.000-05:00

A new year!
Change those calendars, getting ready for an extra day of work (February 29th), and consider the equity dimensions of the 2012 being the International Year of Cooperatives and the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.

In 2011, the Health and Racism Working Group ...

continued work on the Employment Equity Project by

hosting Employment Equity forums in both February and April, as well as a session on Employment Equity during HaR's annual Symposium in July
compiled research thanks to the dedicated work of Jaspreet, a placement student from the University of Toronto Mississauga (Women and Gender Studies)

held our annual Anti-Oppression training for all core members
joined the social media world with our own Twitter account
chose zine-making as our annual expressive arts project, and had LeRoi Newbold facilitate zine-making workshops for HaR members in May, and for community members at our annual Symposium in July
had a table at the annual Race Against Racism in June
organized our annual symposium - for 2011, our symposium was entitled "Work It!" and featured

welcome by Crystal Perryman-Mark
workshops on zine-making (LeRoi Newbold), Stop Wage Theft! (Beixi Liu from the Workers Action Centre), Employment Equity (Devi Mohabir)
videos made by racialized seniors, made with the support of Bramalea Community Health Centre
performances by MR and LAL
remarks by Salimah Valiani from the Ontario Nurses Association
a talk by Abeer and Yogi from No One Is Illegal
community booths

In 2012, we are looking forward to ...

releasing our employment equity toolkit, as a final outcome of the Employment Equity Project
launching a workshop series on racism
making more of a mark in the online world (podcasts, here we come!)
our annual Symposium in Spring 2012
and much more!

Winter Social 2011

2011-12-29T17:50:00.003-05:00

To close out 2011, we invited Arti Mehta to facilitate an amazing workshop for our Winter Social. After a delicious lunch (catered by a local restaurant), Arti led us through two main sets of activities:

Mindfulness through a group relaxation exercise, where Arti led us through a guided imagery session
Mural exercise where we collectively made art reflecting on what we did in 2011 in terms of self care, and what we are hoping to do in 2012 in terms of self care
Sachet-making, where we wrote intentions for ourselves for 2012, and then made beautiful little sachets to keep in our pillows at home, or on our desks at work. Arti gave us the option of putting lavender seeds or oil into the sachets (East Mississauga CHC is a scent-free space, so we were conscious about which spaces the lavender would be used)

Arti Mehta is a brown, queer, woo-loving, crafty, chronically ill, femme, radical performance artist, community builder and glitter enthusiast. She helped organize the community accountability learning to action group for two-spirited, queer and trans folks in Toronto, a group committed to community accountability and transformative justice principles as a strategy to build safer communities and end the prison industrial complex. (bio taken from event listing for Building Resilient Communities: A Community Accountability Workshop from May 2010)

HaR members Crystal and Rita; our facilitator Arti

Crystal and Rita getting their craft on!

Our facilitator Arti, explaining the intricacies of sachet-making to HaR member Muna, while Tennile (another HaR member) gets right into it

A small selection of the materials Arti brought


Hands at work: Rita, Ann, Arti, Muna, Tennile

2011-06-28T17:12:00.001-04:00

Work It!

Health and Racism Working Group’s

AnnualSymposium

Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Time: 2pm to 7pm

Location: University of Toronto Mississauga Campus,

Student Centre

(3359Mississauga Road North)

**accessible space. food provide.**

The Health and Racism Working Group(HaR) invites you to join us on July 6,2011 for our annual symposium, WorkIt!

Thesymposium will be focused on work,unemployment, employment equity, workers’ rights and much more!

Youcan expect:

*inspiring speakers

*creative workshops, including art-making!

*refreshments

*great local entertainment

*giveaways

*employment-related community booths

Community members and the workerswho support them are invited to attend!

Viewschedule and Register online at:

WorkItSymposium.eventbrite.com

$10 for organizations

Free for community members

For info: healthandracism@gmail.com or 905602 4082 x 2

Work It! Our annual symposium

2011-06-16T22:30:00.000-04:00

save the date
Health and Racism Working Group's annual symposium
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
2pm to 7pm
University of Toronto Mississauga Campus, Student Centre
Speakers. Workshops. Performances. Networking. Dialogue.

Save the Date Work It!

Spring Update!

2011-06-06T19:29:00.000-04:00

Spring is here, and summer is just around the corner!

The Health and Racism Working Group participated in a zine-making workshop, facilitated by LeRoi Newbold, where we learned about the history of zines, got to flip through some of LeRoi's collection, and learned a binding technique! A zine is the expressive arts project we are taking on, for 2011.

According to the Art Gallery of Ontario, a zine is
"...a non-commercial, non professional publication, kind of like a magazine but with a twist. The main difference between a magazine and a zine is that zines are not out there to make a profit but, rather, to add other unheard voices into the mix. Zines are usually made out of interest and passion and are often self-published... Typically, zines are made using collage techniques and are then photocopied since these are means available to almost everyone."

For the Health and Racism Working Group, we have been having conversations about work - the lack of it, the precariousness of work these days, and of course about employment equity through our project led by Wariri and Devi. How can we encourage these conversations to happen in every more spaces? The t-shirts were very successful last year, in part, because people were interested in how to take the messages to multiple venues. A zine is a great way for us to consolidate some of the conversations we have had, some of the experiences we may have as frontline workers (e.g. what are the struggles and successes of the community members you work with, in terms of work?)

Zines, in their incarnation and use are great tools for dialogue and revolutionary thinking!

April 16: Employment Equity Forum

2011-04-08T12:30:00.000-04:00

The Employment Equity Advocates and the Health and Racism Working Group are pleased to announce our next Employment Equity Forum at the East Mississauga Community Health Centre on Saturday, April 16th, 2011

====Forum on Employment Equity====
SAT, APRIL 16, 2011
1:00PM to 4:00PM
East Mississauga Community Health Centre (EMCHC)
2555 Dixie Road, Unit 7, Mississauga
Main intersection: Dixie and Dundas
Advocacy, Education, Networking

FREE Event. SNACKS provided. ACCESSIBLE space.
RSVP: equitymississauga@gmail.com
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/i9e7SH

Please join us on Saturday, April 16th from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the East Mississauga Community Health Centre at 2555 Dixie Road, Unit 7 (behind Esso Station). Take Mississauga Transit bus #1 or bus #5 to get here! Parking is also available.

Ee Poster April2011

International Days...connecting social justice struggles

2011-03-17T16:26:00.000-04:00

It is after International Women's Day (IWD - March 8) and before International Day for the Elimination of Racisl Discrimination (IDERD - March 21). Both days are marked in both the Global South and Global North in all sorts of ways - rallies, workshops, demonstrations, social media blitzs, emails, videos, quiet contemplation. From the Health and Racism Working Group: Happy IWD and IDERD!

What did you do on March 8th?
What will you be doing on March 21st?

The Health and Racism Working Group is made up of workers and community members, mostly women, who come together, making space for dialogue on systemic oppressions including racism and on the steps being taken, being challenged, through anti-racist work.

The Employment Equity project is one set of steps - we hope you will save the date (Saturday, April 16th from 1 to 4 pm at the East Mississauga Community Health Centre) for the next Employment Equity Forum. What can you expect? open discussion, participatory activities, great snacks and a chance to connect with other workers and community members.

Look forward to hearing about more employment equity forums, our annual symposium, and our expressive arts project - something we know you'll be excited about!

p.s. we are now on Twitter: twitter.com/healthandracism
follow us!

Equity and INEquity

2011-02-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday (February 26, 2011), the Health and Racism Working Group hosted a forum on employment equity, facilitated by our amazing Employment Equity Advocates - Wariri Muhungi and Devi Mohabir.

There was a great turnout of community members and workers with different connections to Peel and to the community services sector. Using participatory exercises including sociometrics and the "pizza" activity, Devi and Wariri created space for dialogue about the pressing concerns of equity and INequity.

With help from volunteers Jaspreet and Sabrena, and some context provided by Avvy Go and Michael Kerr from the Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change, it was an afternoon of personal reflection about how our own social locations inform the way we do anti-racist work, talking through the difficulties in doing this work in Peel, and strategizing!

Thanks to SNAP! for coming to report on the event!

The community engagement project has begun in earnest - if you are interest in having a conversation about equity facilitated at your workplace, or in your community, please get in touch at equitymississauga@gmail.com

Look forward to another forum in the very near future!

HaR update! Next Employment Equity Forum!

2011-02-20T15:10:00.000-05:00

It is 2011 - a new year, and the International Year for People of African Descent, as declared by the United Nations (UN). According to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) release, the Year aims at strengthening national actions and regional and international cooperation for the benefit of people of African descent in relation to their full enjoyment of economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights, their participation and integration in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and the promotion of a great knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture.

As we enter the last week of February (Black History Month), the Health and Racism Working Group hopes that community members have been self-reflective - Anti-Racist work is difficult work requiring constant reflection. Following last year's release of a discussion paper on Anti-Black racism (put together by the Black Community Action Network (BCAN) - to get a copy, contact bcan@live.com), there is such great need for multi-pronged approaches to anti-racist work that reflects the distinct realities faced by various communities. An equity approach!

Speaking of equity, the Employment Equity Advocates (Wariri Muhungi and Devi Mohabir) are proud to be facilitating the next Employment Equity Forum on Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 2 pm to 5 pm at the East Mississauga Community Health Centre. Hope to see you there!

====Forum on Employment Equity====

SAT, FEB. 26
2:00PM to 5:00PM
East Mississauga Community Health Centre (EMCHC)
2555 Dixie Road, Unit 7, Mississauga
Main intersection: Dixie and Dundas
Advocacy, Education, Networking

FREE Event. SNACKS provided. ACCESSIBLE space.
RSVP: equitymississauga@gmail.com

What is employment equity? What issues are present in Peel? How do we advocate for employment equity policies in Mississauga?

Come to an afternoon of advocacy, education and networking, hosted by the Health and Racism Working Group and the Employment Equity Advocates in Peel. This forum will:
- allow for dialogue on employment equity that reflects your reality
- bring awareness about employment equity issues
- lobby and advocate for employment equity policies in Mississauga
The forum will feature creative and participatory activities as well as engaging presentations!

Please join us on Saturday, February 26th from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the East Mississauga Community Health Centre at 2555 Dixie Road, Unit 7 (behind Esso Station). Take Mississauga Transit bus #1 or bus #5 to get here! Parking is also available.

RSVP at equitymississauga@gmail.com

This work is part of the Health and Racism Working Group's (HaR) employment equity campaign, as the local lead for the Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change Campaign. For more information about HaR, contact healthandracism@gmail.com or healthandracism.blogspot.com
Equity Forum_Feb 26

Forum on Employment Equity: November 30, 2010

2010-11-19T14:37:00.000-05:00

As the Mississauga lead for the Colour of Poverty Campaign, the Health and Racism Working Group is taking up the issue of Employment Equity in 2010-2011.

To begin the conversations, HaR's Employment Equity Advocates (Wariri Muhungi and Devi Mohabir) will be facilitating a forum on employment equity on November 30, 2010.

Employment Equity Forum
When: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 from 9 am to 12 pm
Where: YMCA Employment Centre, 151 City Centre Drive, 8th Floor
Parking is limited, so please park across the street at Square One!
Continental Breakfast provided ($5 to cover food)
RSVP: equitymississauga@gmail.com

What can you expect?
- a conversation about the racialization of poverty
- an introduction to employment equity
- an opportunity to connect and network
- a platform for dialogue on what employment equity practices can look like in Mississauga and Peel Region

See you on November 30th!

employment_equity_flyer_2010

"We need this work in Peel"

2010-11-17T21:15:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, November 17th, the Health and Racism Working Group hosted a meet 'n' greet at the East Mississauga Community Centre.

Community members, students, and workers from Peel and Toronto came together (most did not know one another!) to discuss issues of race and equity in Peel, to share healthy food, and to connect.

A short clip from the Tim Wise film "Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity" was screened, leading to discussion about the differences between the U.S., and Canada in relation to issues of race. There was also discussion about the work and role of allies (Tim Wise is a white man), which connected to the 2009 Symposium "Ally or A(Lie)."

Anti-racist, equity-focused work is needed in Peel Region - the need for that work connected with those present at the meet 'n' greet, and Health and Racism Working Group looks forward to continuing such dialogues.

Thanks to those who helped make the evening happen!

Meet 'n' Greet: November 17

2010-11-01T12:27:00.000-04:00

Nov 17 Meet n' Greet Flyer
---------Health and Racism: MEET 'N' GREET---------

WED, NOV. 17
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
East Mississauga Community Health Centre
2555 Dixie Road, Unit 7
(south-east corner of Dixie and Dundas, behind Esso station)
Conversation, short films screening, networking

RSVP: healthandracism@gmail.com

SNACKS provided. ACCESSIBLE space.

Interested in talking about race, equity and diversity, especially as they relate to issues in Peel Region?
Interested in connecting with other individuals who are committed to equity work?

Come to a Meet 'N' Greet hosted by the Health and Racism Working Group (HaR) to connect with others, watch segments of short films on race in Canada and the U.S., and learn about HaR's advocacy efforts.

Hosted at the East Mississauga Community Health Centre, HaR is a group of community members and frontline workers who do work around issues of race and health, using methods including expressive arts. HaR is looking for new members, and is excited to launch its new Mississauga-wide campaign on employment equity.

Join us for engaging conversation, film excerpts, and snacks!

For more information and to RSVP: healthandracism@gmail.com

Meet the Employment Equity Advocates!

2010-10-22T15:52:00.000-04:00

As the local lead for the Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change Network, Health and Racism is looking to develop a concerted effort to talk about employment equity in Mississauga over the next year or so.

Health and Racism hired two Employment Equity Advocates to take up the task of facilitating workshops, dialogue and discussions about employment equity in various sectors across Mississauga. This means: a forum on employment equity in November; lunch and learn sessions; community dialogues in various neighbourhoods. We are very excited about this project, and are delighted to announce the Advocates:

Devi Mohabir
[Devi's work experience includes residential and life skills counselling for adults and seniors with development disabilities and crisis line counselling with the Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel. At present, she is also a Women's Advocate Relief Counselor at Interim Place, providing individual support using a feminist, anti-oppression approach and a therapeutic emphasis on personal empowerment.]

Wariri Muhungi
[Wariri has a Masters in Social Justice Education and Community Development. She believes that we all have a responsibility and accountability as a people and guests on Mother Earth to better our lives with integrity through various forms (education, spirituality, organizing, art, music, the media, etc.).]

Information on their work is forthcoming...

To get in touch, contact them at equitymississauga@gmail.com

Health and Racism Working Group Brochure

2010-10-01T15:23:00.000-04:00

Interested in sharing information about Health and Racism Working Group, with others?

Send them our brochure!
Har Brochure_oct 22 2010

Missed the Symposium?

2010-06-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

Approximately 60 delegates from different social service agencies and community members from Toronto, Hamilton and Peel Region registered for Symposium 2010 and gathered at the Coptic Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. All were invited to complete an evaluation form. Of the 60 participants, 23 participants submitted their forms. A summary is available here.

Expectations met by the symposium:
Some of the impressions about the symposium include comments such as: great initiative, inspiring, encouraging, empowering, eye-opening, high level of organization, commitment, very informative. Other positive comments were related to the speakers and the content. For some participants there was not much discussion and only one side spoke its point of view (activist, feminist).

Main suggestions:

Extend the time for more questions and discussion.
Ensure more interactive discussions, more activities and share self-reflection experiences.
More group discussions.
More time for questions to the speakers.
Logistic issues: Fix audio (microphone) and more accessible location for non-drivers.
Time moderation.
About the content: how “white people” experience racism, oppression and discrimination.
Members from government agencies to be invited.

Areas or topics that participants would like further information or training:

Action plans to support each other at work, how to implement into agencies.
Topics from the content in more detail (Marriage as “the highest order of prostitution”).
Appropriate language to address transsexuals.

Most useful topics/parts of the workshop discussion:

Discussions were challenging and fruitful.
Learning about how to self-reflect, self-awareness.
How to be an ally, what an ally means.
Addressing people without patronizing, examples on how to acknowledge judgemental attitudes.
Other points of view and perspectives.
Llana’s speech: connection with a political analysis.

We're grateful to BollyFit for leading us in a post-lunch energizer! If you'd like experience more BollyFit please email them.

To get in touch with any of the Health and Racism Working Group members or the speakers, please email us.

Post by Sofia Pelaez

Symposium Participants make their OWN tshirts!

2010-06-08T11:34:00.000-04:00

These are some of the messages that the participants of the symposium wrote on the paper t-shirts provided.

This one says:

"Do you know what ARAO is?"

"I am oppressed Ask me how?"

"Oppressed much?"

"All that is required for elitist interests to be over represented is for good people to do NOTHING"

"One community unite"

"You cannot stop talking about the things that matter to you"

"ANTI-OPPRESSION...

THINK ABOUT IT"

"How are you oppressed?"

Silk Screening and Identity

2010-05-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

Every year the Health and Racism Working Group chooses an art form to assist us in healing from racism and in creating awareness in the larger community on anti-racist issues.

In the past, we have used Body Mapping and PhotoVoice to channel our self-reflection and voices through. Body Mapping allowed us to explore the impact of racism and sexism on our health as racialized women. PhotoVoice gave us the opportunity to create images that gave a visual of all the sources of anger in our lives, and to create awareness around the impact of anger on our health.

This year, the art of Silk Screening has helped us to move through characterization of our identities as people of colour working towards anti-racist change. Our fantastic facilitator Kenji Tokawa (see below for bio), led us through a 2 part workshop that began with exploring identity and reclamation as concepts, and naming racist characterizations that participants had experienced as people of colour.

In part 2 of the workshop, Kenji led us through the do-it-yourself art of silk screening so we could create tshirts to be used as a medium for anti-racist, ally, and reclamation messages.

Kenji Tokawa was born and raised on Mississaugas of the New Credit territory, now lives and studies in Toronto. He is a writer, t-shirt maker, and grandson who’s work has been published in CultureSHOCK! Queens University Anti-Racist Lit Review. Kenji is also program coordinator of the Toronto Asian Arts Freedom School, co-investigator with the Trans PULSE project, and workshop facilitator with the 519 Trans Access Project. He recently had his poetry featured at Pride Toronto’s 2009 Proud Voices Literary Stage. Visit his work online at http://www.myspace.com/kenjiandthetshirts

Ally or A Lie? Symposium 2010 is here!

2010-04-12T16:38:00.000-04:00

The Health and Racism Working Group is proud to present its 3rd Annual Symposium!

'Ally or A Lie? The truth about being and building allies' is taking place on May 12 from 10-3. The cost of $35.00 includes lunch.

Our annual Symposium is an opportunity to address a critical anti-racist issue in Peel, to showcase our annual expressive arts healing project, and to stimulate partnerships to address racism and other forms of oppression.

Join us for inspiring speakers, critical discussions, and learning for social change. Our expressive arts project this year is 'Silk Screening and Identities'. Locally designed anti-racist T-shirts will be available.

There are only 40 spots available, so please register early by emailing healthandracism@gmail.com

We look forward to meeting you on May 12th!

Many thanks,

Nicole

On behalf of the Health and Racism Working Group

Symposium 2010 - Save the Date: May 12, 2010

2010-03-01T12:09:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again...the Health and Racism Working Group is inviting you to save the date for the 3rd Annual Symposium.

Each year, the Health and Racism Working Group presents a Symposium to welcome our allies to meet and greet with group members, to showcase the annual expressive arts project, and to address a critical anti-racism issue in the Region of Peel.

In 2008, we welcomed Blakka Ellis, performer, researcher and activist, to help address the intersections of racism and sexism through his work on Jamaican dancehall and misogyny. The Body Mapping exhibit on the impact of racism and sexism on women's health was launched.

In 2009, we welcomed Anthony Templer of the Peel Aboriginal Network, Atkinson Fellow Uzma Shakir, Naturopathic Doctor Erin Psota, and performer True Daley to address the impact of anger on racialized peoples' health. The PhotoVoice exhibit depicted the perceptions the impact of anger on the health of Health and Racism Working Group members.

On May 12, 2010, the 3rd Annual Symposium will be held in Mississauga. Details on time and location to follow. Planning is currently underway on this year's topic.

Stay tuned for more details, or email healthandracism@gmail.com to join the mailing list.

Anti-Racist LGBT Training

2009-10-23T12:20:00.000-04:00

Health and Racism Working Group is pleased to host an anti-racist LGBT training for its members and allies.

The Health and Racism Working Group recognizes that addressing racism is an entry point into addressing multiple barriers that racialized communities face, and also the intersectionality of oppressions.

In the past we have carried out a gender workshop for Core Members that addressed gender and sexism, and this workshop on homophobia continues our intersectional capacity building.

Why address homophobia from an anti-racist framework?
- to promote an equity strategy, we must keep the complexity of people's lives including their intersectional experiences with oppression
- to continue to emphasize the importance of self-reflection and addressing privilege and personal experiences within our anti-racist work
- homophobia exists across all communities and anti-homophobic sentiments can often build on racist sentiments to justify challenging homophobia in specific cultures/faiths
- racism within the LGBT community exists
- racism is an entry point into understanding and challenging other forms of oppression...not competing with other oppressions
- to emphasize the importance of allying across oppressions

Join us on November 10th from 9:30am-4pm for this exciting workshop!

Please register ASAP by emailing healthandracism@gmail.com, space is very limited. Please share with your colleagues. This training is not suitable for people who have not previously taken anti-racist, or anti-oppressive training.

If cost, time, or the date is a barrier, please give us feedback.

Employment Equity - Videos and Resources

2009-10-23T12:15:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all who attended Employment Equity 101 on October 22nd! We really enjoyed the lively discussions and are very excited the momentum is building.

Please find below some of the resources we mentioned:

Videos: (click on the links below)
Neoliberalism as a Water Balloon (Tim McCaskell)
RaceWire: Reverse Racism

Reports:
National Council of Visible Minorities: Status of Visible Minorities in the Public Service

The Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations: A Call to Action: Diversity on Canadian Not-for-Profit Boards

Please email us if you'd like to work together on Employment Equity in Peel : healthandracism@gmail.com

Employment Equity 101 Workshop

2009-10-09T12:19:00.000-04:00

The Health and Racism Working Group is presenting an Employment Equity 101 Workshop to kick off it's role as the local lead for the Colour of Change Network's Trillium-funded project.

Discussing issues such as:
- Isn't it reverse discrimination?
- Does it mean hiring under-qualified people?
- Does Ontario have employment equity?
- Why do we need employment equity?
- How can we know if we have employment equity?
- How does it relate to poverty?

The workshop will bring together those interested in understanding employment equity and who can be active in bringing awareness to Peel Region.

To join us at this free workshop on October 22nd, please RSVP to healthandracism@gmail.com

(to view a larger version of the poster, please click on the image)

Project Funded by Trillium Foundation to Address Racial Inequities and Racialization of Poverty in Ontario!

2009-10-09T12:18:00.001-04:00

The Health and Racism Working Group is the local lead for the Colour of Poverty Campaign's Trillium Funded project addressing employment equity and disaggregated data.

October 1, 2009

For Immediate Release

PROJECT FUNDED BY ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION TO ADDRESS RACIAL
INEQUITIES AND RACIALIZED POVERTY IN ONTARIO

The Colour of Poverty Campaign (COPC), a coalition of human services, advocacy and human rights organizations and individuals drawn largely from communities of colour across Ontario, is the proud recipient of a $255,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation – to help undertake a province wide project to address poverty among racialized communities. “Working with all our partners, we’re committed to reducing poverty across our province. That’s why projects like the Colour of Poverty project are so important. They help us understand what it
means to live in poverty, who lives in poverty and why. I look forward to hearing the project’s
research findings,” said Deb Matthews, Minister of Children and Youth Services, who spoke at
the media launch of the project held earlier today.

“After the election of President Obama, some people suggest that we live in a post-racial era
where racism no longer exists, but we know that is not the case,” said the Hon. R. Roy McMurtry
at the media launch. “Racism is alive and unfortunately, well, in our society,” added the former
Chief Justice of Ontario and co-author of the Root Cause of Youth Violence Report.

“Racialization of poverty is real and is causing immeasurable hardship to an ever greater number of Ontarians. It is only by working together on as broad a basis as possible that we will have a chance to effectively address this critical issue,” said Shand Licorish, a member of the London Chapter of the Colour of Poverty Campaign.

The generous support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will allow the Colour of Poverty
Campaign to work on two of its most critical priorities as identified in the Campaign’s Shared
Framework for Action:

1. The collection and tracking of disaggregated data across a number of institutions and
sectors in order to better identify racialized and other structural and systemic disadvantage, and to develop clear definitions and indicators, in order to get full and consistent pictures as to who - and why - are the poor in the province; and

2. Re-introduce the policy imperatives of employment equity to Ontario to level the employment
playing field for racialized communities & other historically disadvantaged groups.

“Stronger communities are created and sustained when people believe that opportunities exist for them to achieve success,” said Mary Ann Chamber, former Scotiabank Executive and former
Ontario Cabinet Minister who spoke at the launch about the need to make workplaces in Ontario
more diverse as well as the benefits diversity brings to businesses.www.colourofpoverty.ca

“With the funding support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we will be able to undertake
this new project that will be led by, and undertaken for the benefit of, racialized communities,”
said Avvy Go, Clinic Director, Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic and a
steering committee member of COPC. “It is by supporting racialized communities in their taking
the lead to address issues that affect them the most, that we have the best hope of ensuring that
these communities will escape poverty and other systemic disadvantage,” said Go.

Symposium 2009 a success!

2009-06-15T13:24:00.000-04:00

The Health and Racism Working Group extends many thanks to its membership, audience participants, and allied networks who helped make Symposium 2009 a success. Special thanks to our vibrant, knowledgeable and passionate speakers: Anthony Templer, Peel Aboriginal Network, True Daley, performer/artist/actor/poet, Uzma Shakir, Atkinson Economic Justice Fellow/Advocate/Activist, and Dr. Erin Psota, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.

On May 27, 2009 at the Mississauga Valley Community Centre, the Symposium 2009 provided an opportunity to explore anger, racism, and health. The Symposium 2009 started with the premise that systemic racism in Canada and in Peel Region exists, so what are we going to do about it?

A room filled with people committed to and curious about anti-racist social change is a wonderful first step. We will be publishing some of the recommendations from the symposium on the blog shortly.

The PhotoVoice Exhibit: Invisible Reality...Anger Hurts captured the essence of the Health and Racism Working Group's work. There can be no meaningful social change if we do not recognize the personal as political. The Exhibit was an expression of the group's frustration with being anti-racist agents of social change and the need for allies. Many members expressed in their photos the plight of being the 'angry woman of colour' at tables or networks when raising issues of race. The need for allies has never been more important in Peel Region, than in 2009 with continued growing economic disparities amongst racialized communities.

The PhotoVoice healing exercise isn't complete until the group members have a chance to reflect on what it was like to share their photos with an outside audience and reflect on the process as a whole. A report will be published in the near future and will include additional photos and stories that were not available for exhibition.

The day included an interactive healing arts excessive for participants, using Collective Body Mapping to symbolically release any negative emotions that were aroused during the day. This is the second collective Body Map, the first taking place on IDERD. For more info about Body Mapping see earlier posts.

If you are interested in becoming an Auxiliary Member of the group, please email healthandracism@gmail.com to request an application. Auxiliary membership includes googlegroups subscription, advance access to registration for workshops, exclusive access to selected events and trainings, and opportunities for partnership on special projects related to anti-racist/anti-oppressive change.

The Symposium is an annual event, we hope to see you next year!

Health and Racism Working Group: Symposium 2009

2009-05-05T19:13:00.000-04:00

All are welcome to the Health and Racism Working Group Symposium 2009! The Symposium is an opportunity for us to meet you, to share our work over the past year with you, and to introduce you to some wonderful guest speakers. This is also the once a year opportunity to learn about Core Membership application.

This year we are launching our second expressive arts healing tool: PhotoVoice

For info on last year's events, including the launch of Body Mapping, check our blogposts from April 2008.

Please RSVP to rsvpsymposium2009@gmail.com by May 22nd, 2009

Cost is $25.00

Stay tuned for updates on the blog about the agenda!

Region of Peel to Proclaim IDERD in 2010!!

2009-05-05T19:10:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the amazing advocacy and leadership of Interim Place, over 140 signatures were collected and presented, along with a proclamation request, to the Region of Peel Council Meeting in April.

The Council agreed to proclaim International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2010 and years to come.

Thank you all for your signatures, words of support, and positive energy in helping us carry forth voices of residents of Peel.

This is a wonderful demonstration of the power of solidarity, voice, and words! Congratulations!

March 21 - International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination

2009-03-22T19:02:00.000-04:00

The Health and Racism Working Group was invited to partner with Interim Place to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD). On March 21, 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peacefull demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid 'pass laws'. The day was proclaimed in 1966 by the UN General Assembly, who called on the international community to redouble it's efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination (www.un.org/depts/dhl/racial/).

At South Common Community Centre in Mississauga, people gathered to take part in the day's agenda; which included a formal request to the Region of Peel to officially proclaim the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination for 2010 (The Region of Peel currently does not proclaim the day, and instead commented that it proclaims International Human Rights Day). Interim Place will be leading the proclamation request delivery to Region of Peel on April 2nd at 9:00am at the Regional council meeting. Details will be posted shortly and if you wish to sign the petition please contact Interim Place.

On behalf of the Health and Racism Working Group, Nicole introduced Body Mapping with help from Maimoona, and led the audience in a meditation on the violence of discrimination on our bodies. The audience took part in a Collective Body Mapping that allowed us to symbollically release any negative feelings, experiences or thoughts that we wanted to leave behind in order to make room for our resilience.

Many thanks to Anthony and Karen from the Peel Aboriginal Network who helped us open our day, and many thanks to Blakka Ellis, No One Is Illegal, and the Ngoma Dance Troupe for enligtening us with their many talents and passion.

BIG thank yous to all the HaR members who were present...you could feel our strength and support for each other.

See you next year!

Anti-racism/Anti-oppression Training 2009

2009-02-12T14:52:00.001-05:00

The next generation of Health and Racism Working Group and allies have been trained by Martha Ocampo of Across Boundaries on using an anti-racist/anti-oppressive analysis.

This is the second generation of Health and Racism Working Group members to be trained. This year's training was open to Auxiliary members and allied community members, to give an opportunity to broaden our engagement.

A video from YouTube was shown during the training that highlighted the impacts of racism on young women, particularly from the point of internalized racism/oppression. You can view the video here: A Girl Like Me

Thank you to all those that took part in the training and to those who expressed interest in supporting us!

HaR @ Building Equitable Partnerships Symposium 2008

2008-11-10T14:38:00.000-05:00

The Health and Racism Working Group was extremely pleased to be a delivering a presentation at the Building Equitable Partnerships Symposium, organized by The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

The symposium was a showcase of organizations, groups and individuals who are active in projects that are built upon the foundation of equity in partnerships. "The Building Equitable Partnerships Symposium has flowered through the efforts of partner agencies CAAT, CAMH, CMHA-Toronto Branch, MIAG and Sistering and mental health advocates and participants from the community, as part of the Building Equitable Partnerships with Diverse Communities and Groups Project. The goal of the project, initiated in 2004, is to increase access to health services and positively impact the health of marginalized and diverse communities and groups." (www.camh.net)

HaR WG presented in a workshop titled: Exploring Race and Gender through Art and Health. We used the technique of Body Mapping as an example of our practice in an equitable partnership. The presentation was delivered by 3 of the working group core members, and it was developed with input from the entire core group's experiences within the group.

We receieved great support and encouragement from our audience, and we were pleased to have been part of a symposium that was rooted in equity.

Please visit CAMH's website for follow-up on the Symposium and a glance at the day's activities.

Health and Racism WG welcomes new members!!

2008-09-18T14:28:00.000-04:00

Health and Racism Working Group welcomes several new core members to the table including the following agencies:

We also extend a warm welcome to our new auxiliary members which includes both service providers, students, and residents of Peel Region.

As with all our new core members, we are currently building our relationships with each other and will be undergoing anti-racism and anti-oppression training in the new year.

Our core membership is open only once a year, in the spring, whereas our auxiliary membership is open year round. Please email healthandracism@gmail.com for more information.

Membership

2008-05-20T11:50:00.000-04:00

The Health and Racism Working Group opens its membership once a year to community residents in Peel Region, service providers, and allies across the GTA.

Membership is only opened once a year because of the nature of the working group as an action-based collective that relies heavily on the active contribution of core group members in supporting group training and development, decision-making, planning, and event coordination. We believe in the principles of building community capacity and group development -- both of which take sustained energy and happen over a period of time.

Annually, an Open House will be held to share the group's work with the community and to give others the opportunity to meet and greet with the core working group members.

While this opportunity is only once a year for core membership, anyone interested in our work are invited to participate as an auxiliary member to stay informed of events, trainings and workshops, and knowledge.

Brief descriptions of the different levels of the membership are posted below:

□ Core Membership

attends monthly meetings
actively participates in tasks, workshop set up, research, forum organizing, professional development, and discussions
mandatory anti-racism/anti-oppression training
committed to focus on racialized women as a group priority for at least 2 years

□ Auxiliary Membership

Mailing list membership
attends events to support the work of the core membership
contributes to discussions
potential to partner on specific issues or specific trainings in an active way
committed to issues of anti-racism and anti-oppression

Our current call for membership is open until May 30th, 2008. Please send us a brief email to healthandracism@googelgroups.com with the following information about yourself:

Name
Agency/Organization (if appropriate)
Email address and/or telephone number
Why are you interested in the Health and Racism Working Group?
What skills would you like to develop through membership in the Working Group?
What skills would you like to contribute to the Working Group?

Should you miss the May 30th deadline, you may still apply for auxiliary membership at anytime by sending us an email and answering the questions above.

Open House 2008

2008-05-14T15:54:00.000-04:00

On April 30th, 2008, the Health and Racism Working Group held an Open House for service providers, community members and anyone interested in finding out more about the group's work and how to get involved.

We celebrated a year anniversary for the core membership with the display of artwork created by the women of the group. The artwork was a piece of healing, a piece of advocacy, and a piece of community development. The core membership went through a day-long workshop through the adaptation of a technique called Body Mapping. We borrowed the technique from a fantastic organization based in Kenya called Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH).

Body Mapping was used to work through the impact of racism on our bodies and our spirits. Body mapping gave a voice to the stories that often aren't told, or validated, or are given space to be connected to our health and well-being. The body maps tell a story of impact, coping, and self-awareness.

The Open House continued with a fantastic guest speaker, Blakka Ellis, who gave an energetic and engaging talk on Misogyny and Jamaican Dancehall Music. Blakka explored the impact of music, words, and sentiments in some dancehall music that is anti-female and promotes violence against women and girls. Blakka Ellis is currently a Master's student at York University in the Faculty of Environmental Studies.

Our Open House concluded with a recognition of the hard, dedicated and passionate work that brought us to a one year anniversary. Members of the working group and committed to active, action-oriented, and leadership-based work.

Anyone is welcome to contact us concerning membership by emailing us at healthandracism@googlegroups.com

More information on membership will be posted shortly.

Thank you to all those that attended the Open House, we look forward to working with you in solidarity in the future!

Colour of Poverty Campaign in Mississauga

2008-03-14T16:21:00.000-04:00

On March 4th, 2008, the Health and Racism Working Group hosted the Colour of Poverty Campaign Workshop in Mississauga. Over 50 participants from all over Peel gathered for this 'sold-out' workshop to talk about the racialization of poverty in Ontario, and in our own backyards in Peel.

The Colour of Poverty Campaign is working to build concrete strategies, tools, initiatives and community-based capacity through which individuals and NGO’s (especially those reflective of the affected racialized and newcomer communities) can begin to develop coherent shared action plans, including creating effective coordinated strategies for collaborating with mainstream institutions and advocacy groups, governments, funders as well as the media so as to best work together to address this disturbing and growing structural or systemic ethno-racial inequality.

For more information and access to the 10 fact sheets, please visit www.colourofpoverty.ca

This workshop was a premiere event for the Health and Racism Working Group, and an opportunity to engage in a province-wide campaign working to decrease the barriers that racialized groups disproportionately face. A summary of the recommendations made at the workshop will be available online soon.

An article summarizing the day can be found in the Mississauga News Online.
Thank you to all those that participated, and thank you to the working group members who coordinated the day, the Colour of Poverty Campaign and the Canadian Coptic Centre for their excellent venue.

A Group in the Making: Our History

2008-02-02T21:51:00.000-05:00

The Health and Racism Working Group began when colleagues working at different organizations in Peel Region grew frustrated with weak and rhetoric-filled attempts to 'manage' diversity and simultaneously silence difficult discussions around race, power, privilege -- and the material realties like poverty that arose from this form of oppression. The discussions turned to the systemic barriers, including but not limited to organizational structures and policies, and attitudes. The emphasis was both on how racism limits impact to appropriate and high quality health care, and second, how racism impacts the mental and emotional well-being of racialized communities. A Backgrounder that outlines some key research and perspectives on 'Racism and Health' is available.

An opportunity arose in the community engagement process of the East Mississauga Community Health Centre to create a space to acknowledge the disproportionate burdens that racialized communities face in trying to reach their full potential to be healthy and well. Community Health Centres recognize the importance of the social determinants of health and the detrimental impacts of social exclusion on a person's well being and a community's health.

Housed as a working group under the East Mississauga CHC, the small group began to put a community consultation in the works. On a historic January 25th, 2007, "The Health, Access and Racism Community Consultation" was launched as the first of its kinda in Peel Region, at the Mississauga Valley Community Centre. Over 140 people from Halton, Peel and Toronto gathered to share ideas, confront realities, and engage with a dynamic panel of speakers. Forum reports, presentations, and activities can be found online at http://www.eastmississaugachc.org/lamp_fileshare/

Participants of the forum expressed interest in joining the working group to continue the momentum of the discussion, and in April 2007, 12 new members attended an Open House and began their journey of preparation to tackle issues of health and racism.

For the next 9 months, this dedicated group would undertake trainings, both self-directed and at the hands of outside experts, to stimulate changes at our individual understandings and in our approach to building community capacity to eliminate racism's impact on health.

The primary focus for the next few years will be on racialized women's health. The focus is on engaging racialized women in building capacity to reduce the impacts of racism on their health and to build a united voice against systemic racism in our health and social service systems.

Why Racism and Health??

2008-01-11T10:46:00.000-05:00

To understand how racism impacts our health, we must look both at the access barriers racism systemically creates and sustains, and also the impact on our mental health and well-being of dealing and facing racism throughout our lives.

Experiences and studies have shown that racism and discrimination have negative affects on our health mentally, physically and spiritually. Racism as a form of social exclusion can impede access to health care services and health resources.

Obstacles can include institutionalized racism, whereby language barriers, lack of respect and sensitivity for cultural differences, and policies that ignore the reality of communities of colour, impacts the quality of health of racialized groups.
Other barriers include the everyday racism related to other inter-linked social determinants of health, such as; income inequality, poor housing, inadequate employment, malnutrition, violence, etc. Racial discrimination may limit a person’s basic rights to good employment, safe housing, and education.
Racism is stressful and compounds the feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness associated with other poor socio-economic conditions that consistently and disproportionately affect our communities of colour in Canada.

Many studies, both in Canada and internationally, have documented the disproportionate health burdens that racialized communities experience due to systemic barriers:

In a study of African Canadian Women and HIV/AIDS done by Women’s Health in Women’s Hands, Toronto, respondents said that racist experiences with the health-care system was one of the reasons African Canadian women reported a reluctance to access health services like HIV/AIDS treatment, education, and care. (Tharoa and Massaquoi, 2001)

Though there are many low-income White people, the significance of income as a determinant of health puts racialised groups in a particularly vulnerable position as the growing gap between the rich and poor is increasingly being defined along ethno-racial lines (Galabuzi, 2001).

Michael Ornstein (2000) also documents very high levels of poverty among several ethno-racial groups from Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. He notes that ethno-racial inequalities found in the analysis do not derive from “essential” differences among cultures, but reflect particular historical processes including the period in which non-Aboriginal groups came to Canada and the circumstances of their migration.

"The relationship between income, racism and health is certainly an area that requires research as no studies have actually been conducted in Canada looking at the interaction between these three variables. Of particular need is community-based research (CBR), through which racialised people, who have been socially excluded, can be recognized as knowledge producers and contribute to building richer understandings of health inequalities and to finding solutions to address poverty and improve health...To ensure the quality of the research, participation by racialised groups is required in all steps of any of these research ideas." (Access Alliance Multicultural Health Centre, 2005)
The Colour of Poverty Campaign provides a series of Fact Sheets on various determinants of health, such as poverty, education, health, justice, etc., and aims "to promote an understanding of how poverty arises within or impacts upon racialized groups and to suggest ways, tools & strategies for people to work toward equity & inclusion in Ontario.

Definition of Racism

2008-01-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

We've all heard many different definitions of racism over the years. Racism is dynamic at the individual level and static at the systemic level in its expression. Our group is working from the definition below that recognizes racism as both historical, systemic, violent, and an expression of power.

“For those who have forgotten, or who are confused, let me here define racism clearly and firmly: RACISM is a system of domination, of one race by another, which combines a superstition of racial hierarchy with a structure of domination and exploitation, and which is instituted and maintained by the violent practices of conquest and suppression, including torture, lynching and mass murder. And, it must be stressed, the only case of racism on the historical record is that instituted by white supremacists.”

- Chinweizu -

Chinweizu is a Nigerian critic, poet and journalist. He was born in Isuikwuato, Imo State and was educated at the Government College, Afikpo. He later attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for collegiate education. While studying in America, during the civil rights era, Chinweizu became influenced by the philosophy of a black arts movement. After his collegiate education, he started teaching overseas, at MIT and San Jose State University. In a few years he returned to Nigeria, working as a columnist for various newspapers in the country and also creating a visible platform to promote a Pan African consciousness.

(taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinweizu)