“Keep going, keep going.” Wngz sings, whispers, and celebrates the legacies and histories that helped her find her voice: Sankofa; Harriet Tubman; Jackie Shane; abolitionism. Weaving together centuries-old traditions of struggle with those of today, she calls for us to reclaim land and body connection, radical love, and interdependence. Ravyn Wngz, “The Black Widow of Burlesque,” is a Tanzanian, Bermudian, Mohawk, 2Spirit, Queer and Transcendent empowerment storyteller. Ravyn is an abolitionist and co-founder of ILL NANA/DiverseCity Dance Company. She is a Canadian Best-Selling Author, one of the Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada (2021), and a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada. She serves on the steering team of the Black Lives Matter Toronto Chapter, a group committed to eradicating all forms of anti-Black racism and to supporting Black healing and liberating Black communities. Photo: Jackie Brown “Artists-in-Presidents” is initiated by Constance Hockaday, curated by Christine Shaw, and commissioned by The Blackwood (University of Toronto Mississauga). Podcast production by Vocal Fry. Transmissions are released every Friday from August 6–December 17, 2021. To view the portrait gallery, access ASL videos and transcripts, and for additional information about the project, visit www.artistsinpresidents.com and www.blackwoodgallery.ca.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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