Youth, Culture and the Radical Black Tradition

Youth have often played a role in bringing about social and political change, and this is especially true during times of crisis. However, the multiple, overlapping crises that we are facing due to COVID-19, racial injustice, economic austerity and climate change have many young people understandably skeptical about the future. Looking at history through the Radical Black Tradition, is this widespread disillusion simply a temporary moment, or is much more happening on the ground with the youth than they are given credit for?

To help us understand the issues related to youth engagement, culture and politicization in both the Caribbean and the Diaspora, join the Caribbean Studies Program at the University of Toronto for a conversation between an inspiring trio who thoughtfully and consistently combine art and activism in their work/scholarship. We are thrilled to have Amilcar Sanatan (University of the West Indies – St. Augustine), El Jones (Mount Saint Vincent University) and Chevy Eugene (York University / University of Toronto) in conversation for our event.

This is an online event open to all. 

Discussion will be followed by Q&A.

Speaker bios: 

El Jones is a spoken word poet, an educator, journalist, and community activist living in African Nova Scotia. She was the fifth Poet Laureate of Halifax. In 2016, El was a recipient of the Burnley "Rocky" Jones human rights award for her community work and work in prison justice. She is a co-founder of the Black Power Hour, a live radio show with incarcerated people on CKDU that creates space for people inside to share their creative work and discuss contemporary social and political issues. El was appointed the Nancy's Chair of Women's Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University for the 2017-2019 term. She is a winner of two Atlantic Journalism gold awards in 2018 and 2019. Her book of spoken word poetry, Live from the Afrikan Resistance! was published by Roseway Press in 2014. El would like to pay tribute to the many nameless and unrecognized women whose work makes it possible for her to be here today.

Amílcar Peter Sanatan is an artist, academic and activist. He is a PhD. candidate in Cultural Studies at The University of West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. His research interests include men and masculinities in the Caribbean and Latin America, youth and student development and cultural geography. Sanatan serves as the Trinidad and Tobago representative for the Commonwealth Students’ Association and coordinator of the UWI Socialist Student Conference. He is also a Steering Committee member of the Global Student Forum and leads the portfolios for Democracy, Human Rights & Solidarity, COVID-19 and Racial Justice.

Chevy Eugene is a PhD candidate at York University, in the Social and Political Thought (SPTH) program. His primary research interests focus on the political economy of reparations in the Caribbean; the role of arts and culture in the development of small state economies; decolonial praxis in international human rights law; and the Caribbean and Africa’s political and economic relations through the reparations discourse. In 2019, Mr. Eugene became the Caribbean ambassador for the Pan-African Council (PAC). Currently, he is undertaking a fellowship at the Jack and Mae Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security at Osgoode Hall Law School, at York University and is an instructor at the University of Toronto (UofT) in the Transitional Year Program (TYP).