Author: Shanny Rann

 As the world celebrates America's first woman vice president in 2020, I am reminded of how Kamala Harris was derided for dancing during her campaigns. Should an interest in dancing negate a woman's entitlement to political engagement? https://youtu.be/IqyTGLUYVT4 As her dancing video went viral on the internet, a disapproving columnist from Wall Street Journal described… Continue reading Dancing as a disentitlement of political engagement…? →

When I first immigrated to Vancouver and heard people make land acknowledgements at the beginning of ceremonies and events, I often wondered if they were speaking in English and what they meant. It usually goes like this: “I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the… Continue reading Land Acknowledgement in Vancouver →

The day the mountains move has come.I speak, but no one believes me.For a time the mountains have been asleep,But long ago they danced with fire.It doesn’t matter if you believe this,My friends, as long as you believe:All the sleeping womenAre now awake and moving.

From left: Egil Bakka, Andrée Grau and author in 2014 It was a sunny day on the campus of University of Blaise-Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, France in 2014. I was sunbathing on a bench, enjoying coffee with my classmate, Bry Levina Viray when Professor Andrée Grau and Egil Bakka came strolling towards us. Andrée exclaimed, "What… Continue reading My memory of Professor Andrée Grau (1954-2017) →