I hold this photo close to me, it depicts a moment where my family from Montreal, Ottawa, Gatineau, Minnesota and Texas came together to share their experience as new Canadians/Americans. In this image they are seen strategizing how they would mobilize through North American educational systems, workplaces, and communities that they are not familiar with as Khmer refugees. We discussed these plans over food, as well as celebrated our time together, culture, and successes with each other.

Post-Colonial Hot-Ones is a panel series that is centered around sharing meals, ideas, and experiences by community members about liberation, transformation and resilience within arts education. These discussions were focused around communal knowledge sharing, tools for resistance, intergenerational healing methods, mobilization plans for marginalized voices, and recipes for dishes/sauces. Our first installment of this series included participation from Ryan Rice, Camille Turner, Casey Mecija, Patricio Dávila, Immony Mén, and audience members.

This event is hosted by Public Visualization Lab, with generous support from OCAD University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences and School of Interdisciplinary Studies, and Research & Innovation Office.