High Table Celebrating Black History Month

Friday, February 26, 2021 at 4 – 5pm EST

On Friday, February 26th join us in celebrating Black History Month. Please RSVP Here.

We look forward to High Table with a special performance by JUNO Award winning dub poet Lillian Allen. We will be recognizing the hard work of the Anti-Black Racism Council members and paying a farewell tribute to Amela Marin who worked to make Massey more inclusive over the last decade of service at the College.

Lillian Allen is a professor of creative writing at Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD). Two-time JUNO Award winner and trailblazer in the field of spoken word and dub poetry. Allen’s debut book of poetry, Rhythm An’ Hardtimes became a Canadian best seller, blazing new trails for poetic expression and opened up the form. Her other collections, Women Do This Everyday and Psychic Unrest are studied across the educational spectrum. Multi-disciplinary and experimental, Allen’s creativity crosses many genres including radio, theatre, music and film; as writer, featured artist and producer/director and national radio show host.

Allen, who grew up in Jamaica, moved with her family as a teenager, studying in New York and Toronto. Founder of the Toronto International Dub Poetry Festival and a variety of cultural organizations such as Fresh Arts that empower youth, Allen has spent over three decades writing, publishing, performing and doing workshop presentations of her work to audiences around the globe. Allen is a recognized authority and activist on issues of diversity in culture, cultural equity, cross-cultural collaborations, and the power of arts in education and has worked, locally, nationally and internationally in this capacity. Her eclectic, insightful and inspiring lectures and performances have taken her as far as Jamaica and Switzerland. She has also held the post of distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Canada’s Queen’s University and University of Windsor.