The Media Accountability Project  

Thanks for including a book about the Palestinian identity and experience

"Palestinian voices, that is, Palestinians talking about themselves as opposed to others talking about them, are only just beginning to be heard in Canadian media and I hope to see this trend continue."

August 8, 2023

To:

Anne-Marie Mediwake, Anchor, CTV Your Morning

Vicki VanSickle, Resident Reader, CTV Your Morning

Dear Ms Mediwake and Ms VanSickle

I am writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME,  https://www.cjpme.org ) to thank you for the segment ‘Your Morning Library'  on CTV Your Morning, aired on August 8.

My thanks to author Vikki VanSickle for choosing Canadian 'Back-to-School'   titles that feature a wide diversity of authors, illustrators and characters, happily even within the werewolf community.

I especially appreciate the inclusion of 'Salma Makes a Home" by Canadian-Syrian LGBTQ+ activist and author Danny Ramadan, and Palestinian-Canadian author Jackie Khalilieh's " Something More".

Both books have illustrations of moms in hijab. Having children meet with diverse identities, cultures and religions in their reading does much, I believe, to counteract discrimination. 

"Something More" gives a positive representation of a teenager who is dealing with a stressful situation- first day of high school- complicated by newly diagnosed autism, and who just happens to be Palestinian.

Palestinian voices, that is, Palestinians talking about themselves as opposed to others talking about them, are only just beginning to be heard in Canadian media and I hope to see this trend continue.

Thank you for bringing viewers Ms. VanSickle's thoughtfully curated book list.

Sincerely,

Renée Nunan-Rappard, 

CJPME Saskatoon Chapter. 

The Media Accountability Project is an initiative of:
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), 580 Sainte-Croix, Suite 060, Saint-Laurent, QC H4L 3X5
©2007-2023 CJPME

CJPME acknowledges that our offices, located in Montreal, are on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk), whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.  CJPME recognizes the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka as the customary keepers and defenders of the St. Laurence River Watershed and its tributaries. We honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.  Further, CJPME respects and affirms the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land. CJPME has and will continue to honour the commitments to self-determination and sovereignty we have made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.  CJPME also acknowledges the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believes that its work should contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together.

Created with NationBuilder