April
April Open Hours Sunday April 5, 12, 19 & 26, 1-4pm
Drop in for chats, coffee and tea, to pick up something new from the distro, or to browse the library!
Writing New Worlds Wednesday April 1, 15 & 29, 7-9pm
Writing New Worlds is a bi-weekly meet-up for anarchist and anti-capitalist creative writers. These sessions will be a space where we can break the rules of form while we engage with ideas like mutual aid, direct action, and solidarity.
Reading Hours Thursday April 2, 6-8:30pm
Have you been meaning to browse the library, look closer at the zines, or just sit down with a book? Come read and relax for Reading Hours – A dedicated time for quietly reading at Black Oak.
Make Good Trouble: Decentralized Street Medic Skills Saturday April 4, 11am-4pm
Join @TorontoStreetMedics to explore street medic principles and practices rooted in bodily autonomy, collective care, and abolition. Focus on building decentralized skills to respond to chemical weapons, emotional first aid needs, and more. 5 hours.
Please note that this will not be a full street medic training. Space is limited.
Make Good Trouble: Scouting, Entry & Exits Saturday April 11, 1pm
Learn concepts of scouting and then put that knowledge into practice as we collectively scout a location and develop theoretical entry and exit plans.
Moving the Line: Understanding Changes to Canada’s Border Regime Saturday April 18, 3pm
In recent years, Canadian capitalists and politicians have faced growing public anger over the sustained cost-of-living crisis. To hide their ongoing complicity in working-class people’s misery, they have sought to deflect the public’s rage towards refugees, immigrants, and racialized communities. These efforts have been largely successful, and polls show a growing public concern over immigration.
Pandering to these racist anxieties, and threats from the Trump administration, Carney’s government recently passed Bill C-12, or Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act. This legislation introduces sweeping reforms to Canada’s immigration system, including stricter eligibility rules for refugee claims, a streamlined asylum process, expanded authority for intelligence gathering and information-sharing across government departments, and new abilities for federal officials to intervene in immigration cases in the name of “public interest”.
Come out and speak with an immigration lawyer from Toronto who will help walk though these changes, how they will be used to target immigrant communities, and what we can do about it.
Poetry Open Mic: Honouring Elders Friday April 24, 4-6pm
Open Mic Signup @ Door. Free Coffee, Tea, Snacks.
Come on out! First-time readers / amateurs welcome and encouraged. Let’s get together and honour our elders with this poetry open mic!
Reading Group: Love in a Fucked Up World Saturday April 25, 1:30pm
Let’s get together to discuss Dean Spade’s book about how to live out our liberatory values in relationship with one another. Our friendships and romances can make our movements stronger or can drag them down, depending on how we treat each other. We are all we really have! Let’s talk about it!
The text is available for free on the Anarchist Library: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/dean-spade-love-in-a-f-cked-up-world. If you don’t get through the reading and still want to come for the discussion please do!
May
May Day at Black Oak Friday May 1, 7pm
May 1st marks one year since Black Oak launched! Join us to celebrate and connect – bring your favourite inspirational poems, memories, or other stories of resistance to share.
May Open Hours Sunday May 3, 10, 17 & 24, 1-4pm
Drop in for chats, coffee and tea, to pick up something new from the distro, or to browse the library!
Noodle Arms: QT+ self-defence Tuesday May 5 & 19, 7-8pm
For people who don’t think they could fight their way out of a wet paper bag. Please arrive early; space is limited.
Reading Hours Thursday May 7, 6-8:30pm
Have you been meaning to browse the library, look closer at the zines, or just sit down with a book? Come read and relax for Reading Hours – A dedicated time for quietly reading at Black Oak.
Communications Sovereignty: Reticulum and Mesh Networks Tuesday May 12, 6:30 pm
Writing New Worlds Wednesday May 13 & 27, 7-9pm
Writing New Worlds is a bi-weekly meet-up for anarchist and anti-capitalist creative writers. These sessions will be a space where we can break the rules of form while we engage with ideas like mutual aid, direct action, and solidarity.