Latest news with #socialjustice
CBC
14 hours ago
- CBC
Native Women's Association of Canada former CEO dies aged 61
Lynne Groulx, the former chief executive officer of the Native Women's Association of Canada, has died. She passed suddenly on July 16 in her hometown of Cochrane in northern Ontario, an official obituary says. She was 61 years old. "Lynne leaves behind a lasting legacy of selfless advocacy. She was a proud member of the Métis Nation of Ontario," says the obituary, describing Groulx as a devoted mother, daughter, sister and friend. "Throughout her life, she championed the rights of women, Indigenous Peoples, and marginalized communities. She will be remembered as a fierce advocate for justice, a tireless community leader, and a compassionate presence in the lives of many." Groulx became a prominent figure during her time at NWAC, a national advocacy organization for Indigenous women founded in 1974. She joined as executive director in 2016 and was named one of Canada's most powerful women by the Women's Executive Network in 2018. Groulx previously worked at the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Under her leadership, NWAC undertook a number of high-profile ventures that generated publicity and, later, some debate. These initiatives included investing in real estate and leading the purchase and multimillion-dollar renovation of an NWAC head office in Gatineau, Que., which included an artisanal boutique, café and art gallery. She also helped the organization establish two resiliency lodges, which were intended to provide traditional healing services and programming for Indigenous women, in Chelsea, Que., and Gagetown, N.B., respectively. Groulx's tenure ended in April 2024, amid internal turmoil. Critics accused NWAC of straying from its non-profit mandate with its new ventures, but supporters said the business endeavours were meant to generate own-source revenue to reinvest into programming. "I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together and am confident in NWAC's future," Groulx said in a statement at the time. A spokesperson who provided the obituary said the family would appreciate their privacy at this time.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bradford's Usman Ali knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle
A diversity and inclusion champion from Bradford has been knighted by King Charles III. Usman Ali, a long-serving advocate for social justice, was recognised at a ceremony at Windsor Castle for his work in equality, representation, and social mobility. During the investiture, Mr Ali compassionately covered the King's hand during their handshake, an act explained by a spokesperson as follows: "[Mr Ali] was mindful of the King's well-documented medical condition, which can cause discomfort and swelling in the hands, and wished to shield His Majesty from potential close-up media scrutiny." Mr Ali used the opportunity to thank King Charles for his support of Muslim communities, and in particular for hosting Ramadan at Windsor Castle earlier this year. He told the King: "You won the hearts of billions of Muslims worldwide by hosting Ramadan at Windsor Castle this year - and the hearts of your Kingdom by the love you showed to Bradford, our City of Culture 2025." Mr Ali was allowed to bring six family members to the ceremony, after having made a written request that South Asian family-centric traditions, and the cause of social mobility, be considered (Image: Supplied) Mr Ali also praised the King's response to being heckled by college students during a recent visit, saying: "Your humility and patience touched the nation." One aide noted that the King had "taken a real liking" to the Yorkshire champion. Mr Ali was allowed to bring six family members - double the normal allowance - after writing to the palace to advocate for consideration of family-centric traditions in South Asian communities, and for the cause of social mobility. He also asked for this compassionate exception to be considered for others from minority and working-class backgrounds going forward. Mr Ali said: "For communities like ours, family isn't just support – it's survival." He added: "This belongs to every child told they didn't belong, every parent who sacrificed in silence, and every community still waiting to be heard. "I stood at Windsor for all of us." A spokesperson said: "[Mr Ali's] recognition comes as a point of pride for Bradford and a signal that voices from all walks of life – including those who have faced poverty, disability, and exclusion – can shape Britain's national story. "With his influence spanning justice, diversity, youth, and social mobility, Usman Ali MBE is now seen not only as a Bradford hero, but as a humanitarian voice for multicultural Britain." Mr Ali has worked across multiple Ministry of Justice departments. His work spans His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, probation and prison reform, neurodiversity advocacy, youth justice, public protection (MAPPA), and international civil service inclusion networks.
Zawya
6 days ago
- Health
- Zawya
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) commits to menstrual dignity in schools with the distribution of 5,000 reusable sanitary towel kits in Benin
The ECOWAS Resident Representation in Benin has officially handed over 5,000 reusable menstrual towel kits to schools in Benin on the 27th of June, 2025. This event too place in Zé Benin is a part of the regional project titled 'Support for Benin's Initiatives to Raise Awareness Among Young Girls on Good Personal and Menstrual Hygiene Practices and for the Promotion of ECOWAS Among Young People.' Funded by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), this initiative aims to combat menstrual insecurity, empower young girls and raise the profile of ECOWAS among young people. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the sectoral ministries, Zè Town Hall,Departmental Social Affairs Departments, Guichets Uniques de Protection Sociale (GUPS), the beneficiary schools, as well as pupils, parents and technical partners. Representing the ECOWAS Resident Representative, Mr Mamadou Konate emphasised that this action is in line with the institution's Vision 2050, which places human dignity, equal opportunities and social justice at the heart of regional integration.' Menstrual hygiene is a matter of dignity, health and social justice. Under no circumstance should itnever be a barrier to schooling or to young girls' self-esteem' he said. The kits, made locally, will be distributed fairly by the GUPS of Zè and Djidja, in coordination with the relevant departmental structures. Symbolically, ECOWAS handed over the kits to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Microfinance, represented by the Atlantic Departmental Director of Social Affairs. The kits were then transferred to the Atlantic and Zou Departmental Directorates of Social Affairs for distribution to 23 identified secondary schools. The presentation of the project also included awareness-raising and training sessions for pupils, teachers and supervisors, with focus on promoting the values and missions of ECOWAS. The ceremony ended with a symbolic handover of the kits to some of the girls, followed by a group photo and interviews with the media personnel present. The spokeswoman for the beneficiaries expressed her gratitude by declaring this donation as 'a life-changing gesture' and encouraged her colleagues to 'never give up on their dreams'. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Labour MP suspended for opposing disability cuts will keep speaking for ‘invisible in society'
An MP suspended from Labour for spearheading a rebellion against disability benefit cuts has stood by her actions and says she will 'continue to advocate for my constituents'. Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, told the BBC that Keir Starmer had been wrong to suspend her and three colleagues and that the party needed to be a 'broad church that listens to each other'. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, she said by speaking up against government cuts to disability benefits she was advocating for people who were 'invisible in our society'. 'I don't see myself as a ringleader, I joined with other colleagues who had similar concerns about this legislation. We ultimately do believe that cutting money from some of the poorest in our society is not what a Labour government should be doing,' she said. 'Of course I brought to parliament the voices of my constituents, in fact I told stories within the debate about their fragile mental health and the implications of losing money and the reforms would have on them. 'Quite frankly, disabled people are very invisible in our society, they don't have agency and voice. What was so important about that debate was the recognition of that.' Ministers U-turned over the bulk of their planned cuts to disability benefits earlier this month after a major backbench rebellion threatened the government's majority. Pressed on whether she intended to change her stance after being suspended, Maskell said she would 'continue to advocate for my constituents'. She said Starmer had been wrong to suspend the whip from her and three colleagues, saying: 'On this occasion, I don't think he's got it right.' The other three suspended Labour MPs are Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff and Brian Leishman, who are from the 2024 intake. All four MPs disciplined were among the 47 who rebelled against the government's welfare bill even after major concessions were made. A Labour source said on Wednesday that the MPs had been disciplined for being 'persistent rebels'. Jess Phillips, a Home Office minister, said the MPs should not be surprised by the action against them and that 'we have to act as a team in order to achieve something'. 'We have to seek to work together, and if you are acting in a manner that is to undermine the ability of the government to deliver those things, I don't know what you expect,' Phillips told broadcasters. 'Now I speak out against things I do not like, both internally and sometimes externally, all the time. There is a manner of doing that that is the right way to go about it.' Maskell told the BBC that 'the chief whip made it very clear to me … that my work on the disabled people reforms were the reason why I was being suspended from the Labour party'. She added that she had been suspended for her actions relating to 'the social security changes, not for other measures'. Maskell has been a vocal critic of the government in a range of areas. In response to speculation that she could defect from Labour to join a rival leftwing party, such as the one being formed by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, Maskell said: 'No no no, I'm Labour through and through, I support the Labour party, I've been a member for so long, I've walked the streets, knocked the doors all those years and I want to see the Labour government really succeed.' She called for 'more listening' from ministers and 'better reach-out to backbenchers to ensure that we are the safeguards of the government'.
Telegraph
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Far-Left teachers are indoctrinating children to hate the West
The breakdown in relations between the US's top teacher's union, the National Education Association (NEA), and the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights group focused on tackling anti-Semitism, reflects a deeper and dangerous takeover of education by determined activists. Besides the usual financial demands, education is increasingly seen as a means to achieve progressive, even radical 'social justice', which of course means boycotting anything connected to Israel. The NEA is clearly taking political sides, claiming that it is pledging 'to defend democracy against Trump's embrace of fascism'. The union is also adamant in defending undocumented immigrants, opposing parental rights, and pledging to back mass demonstrations against the administration. This approach is seen by boosters as 'social justice unionism', adding political stances to the usual economic ones. The political orientation of NEA and the second largest teacher's organisation, the American Federation of Teachers, with a combined membership of 4.5 million, is pretty clear. Their political donations even before Trump went 95 per cent to Democrats. But the transformation of teachers into cadres of the progressive Left is not restricted to the United States. It can be seen throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. In the UK, Britain's National Education Union has drifted ever further to the extremes. Last year, it passed a resolution denouncing Israel as 'racist'. Its rabid anti-Israel status has elicited complaints of anti-Semitism. The union has been labelled a 'hostile environment' for British Jews. Such attitudes can be carried into the classroom. This can be seen in California's ethnic studies programme, shaped by critical race theory, which has been accused of being openly anti-Zionist and of dismissing Jews as white oppressors. As one observer put it, the programme implies that 'Genghis Khan was a nice guy. Israel is evil'. San Francisco has seen anti-Israel walkouts in high schools, allegedly organised by an advocacy group with access to student addresses. In Toronto, children as young as eight were reportedly 'compelled' to attend a rally that devolved into anti-Israel chanting at the bequest of their progressive teachers. This takeover of the teaching profession by the far-Left poses a profound challenge to liberal institutions. Teaching always had some inherent political implications, but in the past the emphasis remained on learning maths and language skills, while exposing students to various viewpoints. Today, students in many places are treated mostly to highly partisan takes on issues, from the Middle East to gender and climate change, with little interest in alternative views. In many ways, the Left-wing orientation of teachers reflects the biases so deeply entrenched at the colleges where they learn their craft. In 2017, according to one oft-cited study, 60 per cent of college faculty identified as either far-Left or liberal compared to just 12 per cent being conservative or far-Right. In less than three decades, the ratio of liberal identifying faculty to conservative faculty had more than doubled. Even in purple Arizona, Democratic professors appear to outnumber their GOP counterparts by 28 to 1. Today teachers, whose training now focuses far more on radical themes, tilt towards the Left, more so even than Hollywood actors. And once they have graduated, more of these teachers embrace an agit-prop orientation. Their actual record of educating young people has become ever more awful. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as The Nation's Report Card, found that barely a quarter of students are proficient in reading, with the results little better in maths. Pressed by educational theorists, schools have abandoned phonics and other effective approaches for 'whole language', producing a population where 60 per cent of 4th graders are poor readers. The long-term results of teacher failure are hard to contradict, and the impact is pervasive. A recent federal survey suggests that 28 per cent of Americans now occupy the lowest level of literacy, up from 19 per cent in 2017. We may now also be seeing the first reduction of the average American IQ in 100 years. This decline in educational outcomes is evident not only in the US but across the West. Across Europe, students' scores have been plummeting as well. Poland, Norway, Iceland and Germany, for example, recorded a decline of 25 or more points in maths between 2018 and 2022, which can surely only partly be attributed to the Covid lockdowns. Canada, too, is seeing its performance standards dropping over time. Indoctrination also has its consequences; a recent study of Canadian college students found 80 per cent claiming that fears about climate change affect their mental health. All this bodes ill for the future of the West, as the pattern of indoctrination, and poor instruction, grows deeper. Once Western educational institutions, based on liberal principles, represented a distinct advantage. Now our educators seem more interested in ideology as opposed to knowledge. It's bad news not just for conservatives or Jews, but for our societies' ability to compete against countries, like India or China, who still focus on basic skills and prefer actual results, not just endemic virtue-signalling.
