Bachar al-Assad has risen to the heights of being one of the least popular men in the world. He is denounced as a tyrant, indeed a very bloody tyrant, by almost everyone. Even those governments that refuse to denounce him seem to be counselling him to curb his repressive ways and to make some sort of political concessions to his internal opponents.

Chloe Cooley was a young black woman who was enslaved in Upper Canada during the late 1700s. She was enslaved by a white farmer named William Vrooman, a loyalist who had fled to Canada after the American Revolution. In 1793, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe put forth a complicated piece of legislation.

"I'm hopeful to see you all here visioning a different future. A future based on equality, diversity and respect for the land. And I'm excited and I'm hopeful for the impact that you're having on the world.... And so I say to you today...if you wish to align yourselves with the dispossessed and the marginalized, reject the language and ideology of colonialism, conquest and exploitation." - Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, January 23, 2012

Not long after protesters set up camp on Wall Street, indigenous activists began to question the use of colonial language to claim spaces that have been under occupation for over 500 years.

This workshop guide is all about recognizing oppressive language and what activists can do to combat it. Practical, easy to understand and well explained retorts to oppressive language are used with a variety of racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, elitist, ageist, ablist comments. Based on role plays, the workshop guide covers:

The components of an effective interruption

Skills to cultivate

The importance of anti-oppression

Various examples

Join us for this one-day conference examining the roots of women's oppression, why it persists today and what can be done to fight for women's liberation. We draw inspiration from the current revolutionary movement sweeping the Arab world and the role that women have been playing within it.

Join us for a conference concerning socialism, the working class, the economy and more.

Registration starts at 11 a.m. $10 or pay what you can.

Opening Plenary: Economic recession, climate change and war. How can we make sense of a world in turmoil?

Workshops 1
- Islamophobia and the war on terror
- Economic crisis and austerity: the case for socialism
- Sexism and women's oppression: why does it continue?

Workshops 2
- The working class: the power to change the system
- The ideas in our heads: alienation and conciousness under capitalism
- How do we stop capitalism from killing the planet?
- 3:45-5:00pm Closing Plenary: How do we build a revolutionary movement?

Time: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm

Location: Federation Hall, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1

Facebook Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=116609755073372

For one night only on January 19, in the Tri-City, the Red Path Society, in cooperation with BASICS Community News Service and Barrio Nuevo from Toronto, will be bringing you the renowned political hip-hop trio Rebel Diaz.

Rebel Diaz is based out of the Bronx and Chicago. It consists of Teresita Ayala (Lah Tere) and brothers Rodrigo Venegas (RodStarz) and Gonzalo Venegas (G1). 

At the beginning of the 21st century humanity faces poverty, war and environmental destruction. We have to seize the opportunity to put an end to the barbarity of capitalism and fight to create a different kind of society.

There has rarely been a better or a more necessary time to show that another world is possible; that revolutionary change can produce something dramatically different than the war, racism and environmental de...gradation that surround us.

But what is the way forward? How do we fight to win a better world? What does it mean to be a revolutionary?

Join us at this one-day conference to discuss and debate these issues and more.

10:00 - registration