University of the Streets Café: Black community engagement in 2023

Idil Oumalker Kalif, has been a sociologist, youth coach, and director of non-profit organizations for over 15 years. Born in Djibouti and proud child of the Little Burgundy neighborhood, she has lived in Quebec for more than 30 years. Carrying strong African, Black and diasporic identities, Idil is sensitive to issues related to racism, immigration and access to a better quality of life for all. As a community worker, director and sociologist who is used to work for/with Black populations that have too often been marginalized, Idil’s professional perspective is strongly informed by her own unique diasporic experience. A former collaborator at the Research Chair on Social Inequalities and Life Courses (Université de Montréal) and co-founder of the Black Muslim Women in Quebec collective, she supports efforts that aim at a deeper understanding of anti-Black racism, sexism and/or islamophobia in Quebec and elsewhere. Her love for her different communities is above all expressed through a focused and pragmatic approach to action.

Marlihan Lopez is a Black feminist community organizer tackling issues surrounding anti-blackness, gender-based violence and its intersections. She coordinated the EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion) division for the Quebec Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, where she did advocacy work and raised awareness on how gender, race, class and disability intersect in the context of sexual violence. She has also organized with movements such as Black Lives Matter around issues such as racial profiling and police brutality. She was co-Vice-President of la Fédération des femmes du Québec from 2017-2022 and is currently Program and Outreach Coordinator at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University. She is also a cofounding member of the coalition to defund the police in Montreal.

Svens Telemaque experienced multiple arrests, a failed kidnap attempt, and various brushes with death. He abandoned familiarity and a life of drug trafficking to start anew. He is now an acclaimed author, speaker, spoken word artist and social entrepreneur. His mission is to arm audiences to face, embrace, and overcome adversity with hope. Svens has empowered thousands through his youth empowerment tour across the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and Africa. His compelling story does not idolize a troublesome past but reminds us that even "broken crayons still colour".