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You may remember Rhythms of Resistance Toronto’s women-identified contingent at Hamilton’s Take Back the Night hitting the streets, marching, making noise, dancing and creating amazing music to rise up to.

Rhythms of Resistance Toronto loves Hamilton so much that they want to come back, but this time with the rest of the band and a new mission!

You may know RoR from performance, all decked-out in tutus, glitter and combat boots, but that’s only a piece of who they are and what they do. The other sides of Rhythms of Resistance, as musicians and activists, includes community engagement and organizing projects, workshops, skill sharing, potlucks and parties, supporting and challenging ourselves and each other as we try and live our vision and affect change…and so much more.

They want to share all this with you!

With support from SACHA – Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton & Area) and to recognize Sexual Violence Awareness Month, RoR is coming to Hamilton once again to pass on our collective drumming skills, to pass on the knowledge and know-how (based on their own experiences) of creating affinity using music for social change, and rooting your practice in an anti-oppression framework.

Who knows? This could be the start of RoR Hamilton!

This is an open invitation. All genders and abilities welcome.

To make the workshop a success RoR needs your help collecting wine bottles, plastic food containers, drum sticks, wooden spoons, plastic water-cooler jugs, large buckets and whistles for the workshop.

Registration is sliding scale – $10-$30.  All the funds will go towards the travel costs of the facilitators with any extra funds raised going to support SACHA’s amazing programs supporting survivors of sexual assault and abuse.  Please pay what you can afford.

There are free spots available for folks who cannot afford to pay to register.  Please contact Erin at erin@sacha.ca or 905.525.4573 to reserve a free spot at this workshop.

When: Wednesday May 1st, 5:15pm

Where: Meet us on the steps of Old City Hall on the North East Corner of Bay and Queen Street

Let us know you are joining us or if you have any questions by emailing:rortoronto@gmail.com

[If you are a dance troop and want to work with us more often to support social movements- please let us know!]

Why: This year Rhythms of Resistance has decided to march in solidarity with women workers around the world who are still struggling in our workplaces, our homes, the streets, against the law, and for control over our bodies.

At work…

In Ontario, for every dollar earned by a man, a woman earns 72 cents. Immigrant and refugee women, mail order brides, and domestic live-in workers are especially vulnerable because they are often forced to take work where jobs are unregulated, they experience unfair wages and are vulnerable to violence.

In the home…

In Canada, women spend between 2-5 hours daily  preforming unpaid work at home, such as child-care, elder-care, cooking, cleaning and other activities. The most likely place for a women to experience violence is in her own home, and each year in Canada, violence and abuse drives over 100, 000 women and children out of their homes and into shelters.

On our streets….

Income inequities and cuts to benefits put women at risk. Homelessness has a life threatening impact on women’s health, and of approximately 2,500 single adult shelter beds in Toronto, only about 725 are for women. There is also a huge gender imbalance in the use of Canada’s sex work laws. Section 213, prohibits communicating in public for the purposes of prostitution, and over 90% of all prostitution arrest fall under this section. The arrest rate for men (primarily clients) and women (primarily sex workers) is fairly even, however, 90% of those sentenced to prison for communicating offences are female. This especially affects street based workers who are racialized, Indigenous, drug users, mothers, youth, trans, migrant and poor who are targeted by the police for who they are, and because of the marginalized environment in which they live, often face harsher penalties than their clients.

Against the law…

Only 8% of sexual assaults are reported to the police and conviction rates for sexual assault are estimated somewhere between 1% and 4%. We live in a rape culture, where women are too ashamed to report sexual violence and where sexual offences are less likely than other violent crime types to result in a finding of guilt.

In radical spaces…

Despite a commitment to feminism and to building a world without patriarchy, women still struggle against sexism in radical spaces. Often we find our spaces dominated by male voices and by the sense of entitlement that comes from patriarchy, while women’s voices are dismissed or marginalized. We find that women in radical spaces are doing the invisible work of organizing, planning, and supporting – work that gets less recognition and value than the work dominated by men such as representing campaigns and speaking in public – work that puts them at the forefront of the movement where they are visible.

For our bodies…

Women still struggle for control over their own bodies, 25 years after Canada’s anti-abortion laws were struck down. Since 2000, 18 anti-choice private member bills and motions have been introduced, and in 2012 many government officials, including the Minister for Status of Women, voted in favour of anti-abortion motion 312. Women living in the Maritimes, northern Canada, and rural areas often don’t have access to abortion and other sexual and reproductive health services. In 2010 Stephen Harper announced that Canadian funding for maternal health and family planning in developing countries will not include any money for abortions despite evidence that 70, 000 women die due to unsafe abortion a year.

Resources:

Statistics Canada

Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

Canada’s Current Prostitution Politics

RoR needs to raise funds for the inaugural BAM! 2013 Convergence, bringing dozens of politically engaged street bands together to share skills and experience!

Take action by helping Rhythms of Resistance in August 2013!

On the weekend of August 23 – 25th, dozens of musicians and members of politically-engaged street bands from across North America will come to Toronto for the inaugural Bands Agitate and Mobilize! 2013. A convergence to share skills, strengthen community, create cross-border ties and use music to create change.

BAM!2013 will be a gathering space for attendees to participate in a weekend long series of workshops, skill-shares, facilitated discussion circles and caucuses; including…

• Strategy sessions to develop and share tools/tactics for how to engage in struggles in our communities

• Events to deepen our support for social movements locally, and across North America

• Sessions to improve our musical practice, as well as sessions on tactical frivolity

• Workshops on what it means to strive for “safer spaces” in our bands and activist collectives

• Workshops on what it means to apply an anti-oppressive model to radical, street bands

…And, so much more!

Bringing other like-minded bands to Toronto is an amazing opportunity for us to learn and grow from the experiences of others. This will help us and others develop stronger links with our broader communities and contribute even more to social justice in in Southern Ontario, Quebec, and the United States.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE OR READ MORE ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN!!

Rhythms of Resistance Toronto wants to thank everyone who came out to march and celebrate International Women’s Day 2013 with us!  It was inspiring to see so many amazing women together, and there was incredible energy from the crowd!  Come join us again for May Day!

A special shout out to the girls and women of Rhythms of Resistance Linden for joining us! We’re really looking forward to playing together again on May Day!!

 WHY: International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.  This year join Rhythms of Resistance as we march to challenge the ongoing violence and abuse suffered by girls and women globally.  We are marching to challenge the prison (in)justice system that perpetuates cycles of violence women experience in their lives.  We refuse to stand by silently in the face of injustices and violence carried out against girls and women on a daily basis.  Join us in the streets as we march, drum, shake, dance, and cheer to celebrate the successes women have fought for and continue the struggle to bring about a world free from violence for all girls and women.

Find More Photos Here!

Supporters of the Russian female punk band “Pussy Riot” bang on drums during a protest outside the Russian consulate in Toronto on Friday, Aug. 17, 2012. A Russian judge found three members of the provocative punk band guilty of hooliganism on Friday, in one of the most closely watched cases in recent Russian history. The judge said the three band members committed hooliganism driven by religious hatred and offending religious believers. The three were arrested in March after a guerrilla performance in Moscow’s main cathedral calling for the Virgin Mary to protect Russia against Vladimir Putin, who was elected to a new term as Russia’s president a few days later. (The Canadian Press, Michelle Siu)

View the flickr album here!