PASSPORTS OF PRIVILEGE: CONVERSATIONS ON CITIZENSHIP
Living Hyphen and Reset joined together to host an evening of storytelling with people who have experienced statelessness and/or conditional statehood here in so-called Canada.
When: August 22, 2024 at 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: Reset | 634 Vaughan Road | Little Jamaica, Toronto
What does it mean to be “Canadian”? For the state to ‘claim’ you? What power and privileges do we hold in carrying citizenship in this nation-state? What responsibilities must we bear?
We brought together our community for an evening of storytelling with people who have experienced statelessness and/or conditional statehood here in so-called Canada. Together, we bore witness to varied lived experiences, interrogated what it means to hold citizenship, and critically examined the power and privileges that entails.
In a world where borders are constantly in flux and at a time when we are seeing unprecedented levels of mass displacement, we aim to wonder about and imagine a world where boundaries do not exist.
OUR STORYTELLERS
Micah Edwards
Micha Edwards, also known as Nyamins, Happie, Magick, and FYA FYA, is a self-taught artist and Ontario community change-maker living in Toronto but originally from rural Jamaica.
The Happie practice, invented by Micha Edwards, combines healing and art, exploring themes of freedom, joy, and liberation. Micha writes and crafts innovative sonic stories and guides eating meditations in likkle Jamaica, inspiring a #FOOD4JOY culture.
Kent Bowman
Kent Bowman completed a Master's Degree in Education (Behavioural Science) at Simon Frasier University in vocational rehabilitation and education. He played professionally as a musician (trombone, guitar, and vocals) and is a songwriter who has recorded a number of original tunes. Kent is also a poet who has published two books of poetry and has been featured in Canadian and American journals.
He is currently retired, living with his son, his wife, and his grandson in the beaches. Kent regularly visits his wife who is in care, and occasionally plays jazz in a jam band.
ABOUT RESET
Reset is a nonprofit that finds creative solutions to address our experiences with loneliness, disconnection, and division. They are emerging leaders in the field of social health, which refers to the aspect of our well-being that comes from our sense of connection and community.
While our mission is universal, our story is unconventional. It began in 2015 with Camp Reset, Canada's first digital detox camp and since then, they’ve hosted eight Camps in rural Ontario communities. The pandemic prompted Reset to extend our efforts into urban areas, making initiatives more accessible to a broader audience. Over the past few years, they’ve organized more than 50 Pop-Up Playgrounds in public spaces, achieved a world record for the most diverse group hug, composed a community love letter for Little Jamaica, and, most recently, established their Living Room—a dedicated space for social connection, capital and capacity.
