MorningFiled #3: June Advocacy

June was a highly active month with regards to current events in Hamilton. This episode of MorningFiled covers two conversations I had on-air last week discussing two major topics: the ongoing situation unfolding in the wake of Hamilton Pride, and the rally to save the Wesley Day Centre. More broadly, these two conversations relate to the 2SLGBTQ+ community and harm reduction for drug users in Hamilton, respectively.

The individuals I spoke with are members of the Hamilton community who have taken action to advocate for these causes and have direct experience with them. Read on for: a short description of those that I interviewed, our topics of conversation, and to listen to the MorningFile interviews.

Please note that this post may be updated as new interviews are added!

FILED 07/03 - Dr. Amber Dean

ROLE: Professor of English & Cultural Studies and Gender Studies at McMaster University

BIO:  Dr. Dean is a professor and award-winning author teaching at both the Bachelor and Masters levels at McMaster. Her research focuses on public mourning, trauma studies, feminist/queer theory, and Indigenous studies. She is also a member of Hamilton’s 2SLGBTQ+ community. Following the situation at Pride, she penned an open letter to Mayor Eisenberger, which was also signed by several other professors and student leaders at McMaster.

WE TALKED ABOUT: The background and situation surrounding Pride; her motivations for writing the open letter; her recommendations for action to improve the situation for Hamilton’s 2SLGBTQ+ community.

LISTEN: INTERVIEW WITH DR. AMBER DEAN

FILED 07/04 - Lisa, Dani, and Jody

ROLES:

Lisa: Midwife, Shelter Health Network; Outreach Coordinator, Hamilton Social Medicine Active Response Team (HAMSMART); founding member, Keeping Six Campaign (K6)
Dani: Founding member, Keeping Six Campaign
Jody: Founding member, Keeping Six Campaign

BIO: Lisa coordinates the Shelter Health Network Maternity Care Team, a team of midwives that provide prenatal care to homeless and precariously housed women in Hamilton. She is the Outreach Coordinator for HAMSMART, which provides accessible general healthcare to homeless and precariously housed individuals in Hamilton. Dani and Jody are founding members in the Keeping Six Naloxone Campaign. K6 is a harm-reduction action group that aims to defend the rights of individuals who use drugs and also provides drop-in services at 3 PM at the AIDS network. All three individuals regularly coordinate these services with the Wesley Day Centre.

WE TALKED ABOUT: The founding of K6 and its services; background of the situation with the Wesley Day Centre; the importance of the Centre to harm reduction in Hamilton; upcoming events concerning the future of the Centre.

LISTEN: INTERVIEW WITH LISA, DANI, AND JODY

Olivia Fava is the Community Outreach Coordinator at 93.3 CFMU. She is the host of Morningfile and Rainbow Radio, a celebration of LGBTQ+ music airing Monday nights. She is also a McMaster linguistics graduate and a musician who particularly enjoys playing jazz and bossa nova by light of the moon.