Living in a town as friendly, environmentally conscious and progressive as Squamish, the topic of racism may be far from the minds of some residents. That's something students at Quest University hope to change.
Quest University is hosting its third annual Power, Race, and Privilege Symposium this month, which includes an art show. The event is student-led and organized and aims to start a discussion about the topics of social inequality, and dynamics of power and race on campus and in the wider community. The two-day event begins with an art show on the evening of March 23, followed by two keynote speeches and three panels on Saturday, March 24.
Liza Stoner, a fourth-year student and one of the symposium's organizers, said the day will be an opportunity for the community to learn about "how power and privilege operate in their daily lives."
"Often you get the feeling in Squamish that all of these issues don't really happen here, don't really affect life here, and I don't think that is true," she said. "You see it if you're on the receiving end of racism or sexism or homophobia, but you don't see if you're on the side of those who benefit from those systems."
Pimpira Pettibone, a fourth-year international student, is one of the organizers of the art show. She says art can be a way to get people to think about these big topics that may be new to them.
"It's a conversation starter, and some of the pieces are striking, kind of jaw-dropping. I think it's a way to mobilize people to have a conversation. It's not really a punch in the face, or a place to get serious information," she said. "I think the target is people who aren't used to this narrative."
Pettibone has a piece in the art show based on her course of study, regarding how mixed race white and Asian women understand their identity, which is based on her experience as a half Thai and half white woman.
And although at Quest she says she's found a community that is supportive, she still sees and experiences issues related to race on campus and in Squamish.
"I think it's important to note what Squamish presents itself as and how it's seen. I thought it was all white people bicycle-riding and climbing mountains," she said. "There's a huge Sikh community, there's a Squamish Nation, which I literally didn't know about until my second year."
This year Quest is bringing in academics, scholars, and activists to present workshops on environmentalism, disabilities, art, geography and how they all converge on "power, race, and privilege."
The art show will have a DJ and begins at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 23. The symposium runs from 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Saturday, March 24 and includes keynote speeches from Ali Bhagat and Harsha Walia. Admission is free and open to the general public and will be live streamed. For more information, and to register, visit the Facebook page, 2018 Power, Race, and Privilege Symposium.
**Please note, this story has been corrected since it was first published. The original story incorrectly stated Pettibone's years at Quest. She is a fourth-year student, not second-year.
