PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT
OTTAWA – As part of Black History Month, Library and Archives Canada, the Ottawa International Writers Festival, and the Ottawa Public Library invite you to a discussion with Desmond Cole during the launch of his new book, The Skin We’re In.
Join us on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, at 7 pm for the launch of a bracing, provocative and perspective-shifting book from one of Canada’s most celebrated and uncompromising writers. The Skin We’re In promises to spark a national conversation, influence policy and inspire activists.
Cole’s activism and journalism combine to find vibrant expression in his first book. Puncturing naïve assumptions of a post-racial nation, Cole chronicles just one year—2017—in the struggle against racism in Canada, month by month. It was a year that saw calls for tighter borders when Black refugees braved frigid temperatures to cross into Canada, Indigenous land and water protectors resisting the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, police across the country rallying around an officer accused of murder, and more. The Skin We’re In paints a personal, and comprehensive picture of entrenched, systemic inequality. Urgent, controversial and unsparingly honest, Cole’s book could become vital reading for anti-racist and social justice movements in this country.
Event details: Tuesday, February 11, 2020 7 pm Library and Archives Canada Alfred Pellan Room 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario Free admission
Be sure to check your local branch during February for displays of books by Black authors. Check out our website for a multitude of book suggestions to honour, celebrate and learn about Black heritage.