Summit 2020: Resistance and Responsibility was one for the history books. Although we couldn’t all gather together in the same room or city, CBRC’s staff, partners, and collaborators mobilized to produce our first ever virtual Summit from November 4-6, and our pre-Summit webinar events on October 26, 29, and November 3.
As with previous editions, Summit 2020 provided a critical and community-centred space to present research, exchange ideas, and share personal stories. In all, more than 100 presenters took part in 28 events, reaching more than 500 participants. Not bad for our first virtual Summit!
Did you miss anything? We’ve uploaded the content for each of the plenaries and sessions to our website and YouTube channel. We also asked some of our partners to share with us their key takeaways from this year’s event. You can read their thoughts below.
Roberto Ortiz Núñez
Summit 2020 Host
“It was encouraging to see such an important national health conference like the Summit put at the forefront its social justice values in a year when equity and justice are more needed than ever. Listening to passionate and honest keynotes, delivered by Indigenous and Black activists and leaders, is exactly the information and inspiration that we need as we work collectively to transform systems in order to improve the health and wellness of queer folks, in particular those at the intersection of multiple inequities.”
Check out:
- Blood Policy Futures for Queer, Trans, and Black Communities: A Facilitated Discussion
- Promoting Two-Spirit Health and Wellbeing: A Conversation with Two-Spirit Youth Leaders
- The Black Gay Men’s Network of Ontario: Empowering Ourselves to Survive and Thrive!
- Kominote Project: Intervening with Black GBTQ+ Men in Montréal
Aaron Purdie
Associate Director, Programs and Interventions
Health Initiative for Men
“In a way, I feel that this year’s Summit was transformed into a valley. By having it online we were able to see changes in the people who were present, and it was inspiring to read comments and questions from people who would not ordinarily have attended. In a way, the playing field was levelled and voices of researchers, policy makers, and community members intermingled and together unearthed rich stories about racism, power, gender, and diverse bodies in a way that I have not witnessed before.
In my experience, the Summit opens up new paths for collaboration and innovation, and my hope for this year is that the playing field continues to be accessible to more people. The relationship between research and practice becomes stronger and stronger. I have really enjoyed getting to present alongside my researcher colleagues and unpack and explore some of the ways that research can build up and support community health care practices.”
Check out:
Alexandre Dumont Blais
Codirecteur général, Communications et Ressources
RÉZO
“The presentations related to this year’s theme (Resistance & Responsibility) provided a concrete understanding of how systemic racism operates and where it has its origins. We became aware of its biases and the introspection required to act quickly with a view on changing both organizational and personal behavior.”
Check out:
- Anti-Racism and Lessons from Liberation
- Racism in Healthcare: Lessons for Providers
- Dare to Challenge: Turning to our Radical Roots to Address Racial Inclusion
Rusty Souleymanov
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work
University of Manitoba
“Nathan Lachowsky’s plenary titled “Making Visible the Impacts of COVID-19 on Our Communities” was excellent! For me it was the first time that I saw Canadian data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted queer and trans men’s communities. It was also exciting to learn from Nathan about new COVID-19 research initiatives for LGBTQ2+ communities across Canada. During the Q&A period there was a very fruitful discussion on how different public health responses across the country can attend to the COVID-19 impacts experienced by our communities.”
Check out:
Sarah Chown
Former Executive Director
YouthCO
“It was amazing to have so many community-based plenary speakers at Summit this year. This year’s speakers did an incredible job blending living experience, art, emotion, and work that is traditionally counted as academic research into talks that created space for learning, loving our communities better, and reflecting on the emotional rollercoaster that has been 2020.”
Check out:
- Resistance and Resilience Through a Two-Spirit Longhouse
- Activism as Speculative Fiction: Making Change for the Future
- Resistance to the Ongoing Criminalization of Communicable Disease Across Canada
Harlan Pruden
Educator, Chee Mamuk Program
BC Centre for Disease Control
“I liken this year’s Summit to the experience of Two-Spirit and/or Indigenous people(s) and communities with CBRC’s ability to adapt, modify and to overcome adversity. As Indigenous people(s), we’ve been doing this for over 500 years. When confronted with seemingly insurmountable circumstances, like COVID-19 or colonization, we either meet that challenge head on or we run the risk of being irrelevant or worse not being here tomorrow. CBRC, like us Indigenous people(s), courageously stepped up and met this current global challenge and hosted an amazing and highly successful Summit this year – it is a testament to not only its survival, but its tenacity and fierceness to thrive in the face of great obstacles and challenges. It was a true embodiment of the theme and title of the Summit 2020: Resistance and Responsibility.”
Check out:
- Two-Spirit Reconcilia(c)tion in Research: Culturally Accounting for and Affirming Two-Spirit People and Communities in Surveys
- Promoting Two-Spirit Health and Wellbeing: A Conversation with Two-Spirit Youth Leaders
- Racism in Healthcare: Lessons for Providers
Michael Kwag
Director of Knowledge Exchange and Policy Development
CBRC
“Summit 2020 was like no other, and not just that it was held online, but more importantly, the ways in which the Summit amplified voices and perspectives that are too often pushed to the margins of queer health promotion and research. We were privileged to have such an incredible and diverse line-up of keynote speakers and panel discussions, which set the stage for some of the most critical and intersectional dialogue that the Summit has ever had. I definitely think Summit 2020 has raised the bar on using the conference to advance social justice for everyone in our communities, and I’m so excited to see where we go next!
Check out:
- Pre-Summit Panel: PrEP – Who’s Not Getting It?
- Promoting Two-Spirit Health and Wellbeing: A Conversation with Two-Spirit Youth Leaders
- Activism as Speculative Fiction: Making Change for the Future
- Resistance to the Ongoing Criminalization of Communicable Disease Across Canada
Thanks to all who participated in Summit 2020, and a special shoutout to all our presenters and collaborators who helped put together a fantastic program. The dates for the next Summit are October 28-29, 2021.
