Black Joy and Movement
Event Details
Whether it’s through expressive arts like dance, or team sports like hockey, there’s freedom and joy to be found in moving our bodies. Join these authors as they present Blackness in motion through children and teens that flourish on the rink and on the stage. A conversation with Maya Ameyaw (When It All Syncs Up) and Itah Sadu (I Am BIG!), moderated by Perry King (Rebound: Sports, Community, and the Inclusive City)
When It All Syncs Up by Maya Ameyaw
Annick Press
Ballet is Aisha’s life. So when she’s denied yet another lead at her elite academy because she doesn’t “look” the part, she knows something has to change–the constant discrimination is harming her mental health. Switching to her best friend Neil’s art school seems like the perfect plan at first. But she soon discovers racism and bullying are entrenched in the ballet program here, too, and there’s a new, troubling distance between her and Neil. And as past traumas surface, pressure from friends and family, a new romance, and questions about her dance career threaten to overwhelm her. There’s no choreography to follow–for high school or for healing. Aisha will have to find the strength within herself–and place her trust in others–to make her next move.
I Am Big by Itah Sadu
Second Story Press
In the middle of the ice, a young Black hockey player finds joy in his talent and confidence in the cheers of his family, his coach, and the other players. Their support gives him the power to face down those who see him as a threat and to focus on the thrill of the game.
Rebound: Sports, Community, and the Inclusive City by Perry King
Coach House Books
For every kid who makes it to the NBA, thousands more seek out the pleasure and camaraderie of pick-up basketball in their local community centre or neighbourhood park. It’s a story that plays out in sport after sport – team and individual, youth and adult, men’s and women’s. While the dazzle of pro athletes may command our attention, grassroots sports build the bridges that link city-dwellers together in ways that go well beyond the physical benefits. In this closely reported exploration of the role of community sports in diverse cities, Toronto journalist Perry King makes an impassioned case for re-imagining neighbourhoods whose residents can be active, healthy, and connected.
Partners
