In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, York University will present a film screening of Martha of the North followed by a Q-and-A with the film’s subject, Martha Flaherty.
The event takes place on March 8 in 519 Kaneff Tower and is hosted by York’s Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion (REI) in partnership with the Indigenous Teaching & Learning Fund.
Martha of the North (National Film Board of Canada) looks at the story of Martha Flaherty. In the mid-1950s, lured by false promises of a better life, Inuit families were displaced by the Canadian government and left to their own devices in the Far North. In this icy desert realm, Flaherty and her family lived through one of Canadian history’s most sombre and little-known episodes.
Amy Hull, vice-president of the Aboriginal Students’ Association at York and member of the Toronto Inuit Youth Council, will be leading the Q-and-A session.
“I am so happy the York community will be joining us to celebrate the strength, resiliency and power of Inuit women,” she said.
The event presents the York University community with an opportunity to engage in a fulsome dialogue about rights, access and recognition as they relate to women’s rights. International Women’s Day is a day to reflect on the wide range of experiences, challenges and resilience of women.
Attendees will be encouraged to consider the ways Flaherty and her community were treated by the Canadian government, and to challenge themselves to reflect on Inuit, Indigenous and Métis lives, past and present.
This event is free of charge and is open to all who are interested in participating in this important conversation. Register here.
This event will have: flat room entry, gender-neutral washrooms, accessible washrooms and ASL services during the Q-and-A.
For any accessibility-related accommodations, contact Heather Shipley at hshipley@yorku.ca.