charles c. smith
Festival Participant
charles c. smith is a published poet, playwright and essayist. He won second prize for his play Last Days for the Desperate from Black Theatre Canada. He has edited three collections of poetry, has one published book (Partial Lives) and his poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including Poetry Canada Review, Quill and Quire, Descant, Dandelion, The Amethyst Review, Bywords, Canadian Ethnic Studies and others. He recently received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council’s Writers Reserve Grants Program and is currently working on a multidisciplinary performance piece based on his poetry. This piece is being produced by Sparrow in the Room and involves such artists as Kevin Ormsby (dance), Olga Barrios (dance), Liz Pead (stage design), Jeremy Mimnagh (video works), Robin Styba (photography), Roger McTair (film) and Anahita Azrahimi (production and visual arts).
charles has provided advice to numerous cultural organizations interested in developing and implementing equity and diversity policies and programs, including the Ontario Science Centre, the SONY Centre for Performing Arts, the Toronto Theatre Alliance, the Caribbean Cultural Committee, Community Cultural Impresarios, Etobicoke and Lakeshore Arts. He has also made presentations on pluralism in performing arts to Soulpepper Theatre as well as Creative Trust and National Historical Sites Alliance of Ontario.
In addition to his work in the arts, charles is currently a Lecturer in cultural theory and cultural pluralism in the arts, at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He is a member to the Canadian Court Challenges Program Equality Rights Panel and a Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He has also recently served as the Equity Advisor to the Canadian Bar Association. His book on racial profiling Conflict, Crisis and Accountability: Law Enforcement and Racial Profiling in Canada was released in October, 2007 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
He has authored several papers for the Canadian Bar Association: "Ten Years Into the Future: Where Are We Now After Touchstones for Equality?"; "Concerns on Increasing Tuition Fees at the University of Toronto"; "Response to the Provost Study of Accessibility and Career Choice in the University of Toronto Faculty of Law"; and "Comments on Methodologies To Study Accessibility to Law Schools". The latter piece has now been published with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in Missing Pieces V (2004). He also guided the CBA in its production of Take Action on Equity and Diversity, a resource guide and toolkit for law firms which is accompanied by an educational DVD on preventing harassment and discrimination
He recently presented a paper for the Chief Justice of Ontario’s Fourth Colloquium on Professionalism entitled "Who is Afraid of the Social Constructionists? Or Shedding Light on the Unpardonable Whiteness of the Canadian Legal Profession". This paper is soon to be published by The Alberta Law Review and was presented to the Alberta Law Society’s 100 Anniversary Conference in 2007.
His paper "Tuition Fee Increases and the History of Racial Exclusion in Canadian Legal Education" has appeared in the fall, 2004 Canadian Diversity (Vol. 3:3). He has a book with Sumach Press entitled Feminism, Law, Inclusion: Intersectionality in Action edited with Gayle MacDonald and Rachel Osborne. He has contributed a chapter ("Racial Profiling Then and Now") to a book on racial profiling compiled and authored by Carol Tator and Frances Henry (Racial Profiling in Canada). He has also contributed a chapter to a book Interrogating Race and Racism edited by Vijay Agnew for U. of T. Press and he was commissioned by the Ontario Hate Crimes Community Working Group to prepare a report for its consideration in 2006. His report is entitled Hate Crime Victimization and Links Between Hate Bias, Violence and Racism.
