Desmond Cole wins 2017 PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize for freedom of expression

Ad blocking detected

Thank you for visiting CanadianInsider.com. We have detected you cannot see ads being served on our site due to blocking. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of data, we cannot serve the requested page without the accompanied ads.

If you have installed ad-blocking software, please disable it (sometimes a complete uninstall is necessary). Private browsing Firefox users should be able to disable tracking protection while visiting our website. Visit Mozilla support for more information. If you do not believe you have any ad-blocking software on your browser, you may want to try another browser, computer or internet service provider. Alternatively, you may consider the following if you want an ad-free experience.

Canadian Insider Ultra Club
$500/ year*
Daily Morning INK newsletter
+3 months archive
Canadian Market INK weekly newsletter
+3 months archive
30 publication downloads per month from the PDF store
Top 20 Gold, Top 30 Energy, Top 40 Stock downloads from the PDF store
All benefits of basic registration
No 3rd party display ads
JOIN THE CLUB

* Price is subject to applicable taxes.

Paid subscriptions and memberships are auto-renewing unless cancelled (easily done via the Account Settings Membership Status page after logging in). Once cancelled, a subscription or membership will terminate at the end of the current term.

Desmond Cole wins 2017 PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize for freedom of expression

Canada NewsWire

TORONTO, Dec. 14, 2017 /CNW/ - Desmond Cole has won the 2017 PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize. The $1,000 prize is awarded annually to an individual or group whose work has advanced freedom of expression in Canada.

Desmond Cole, winner of the 2017 PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize for freedom of expression (CNW Group/PEN Canada)

"PEN Canada understands that exercising the right to free expression often comes at personal cost," said PEN Canada's Canadian Issues Committee Chair, Carmen Cheung. "With the Filkow Prize, PEN Canada recognizes Cole's integrity in putting aside personal interests to speak out about racial injustice in Canada."

In 2015, Cole wrote about his experience of being routinely stopped by police because of racial profiling for Toronto Life. "The Skin I'm In" earned him a following and Cole continued to comment on issues of race in Canada, often in connection with the practice of police carding, and the Black Lives Matter movement. In April 2017, Cole's protest at Toronto Police Services Board meeting led to his departure from the Toronto Star after its editors told him activism was not compatible with his work as a columnist. The paper was widely criticized for its selective application of its policy on activism, most notably by former Star columnist and activist Michele Landsberg.

"Too often, Canada defines itself by looking out the window at its neighbour," said Cole, "instead of looking in the mirror. We have to deal with our reflection, however uncomfortable that might be. I'm so honoured to receive this award."

The PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize is named in memory of Kenneth A. Filkow, Q.C., a distinguished Winnipeg lawyer, former chair of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, and an active member of PEN Canada's Canadian Issues Committee. The prize is funded by Cynthia Wine, and former PEN Canada President, Philip Slayton, and juried by the current members of the Canadian Issues Committee. In 2016, the prize was awarded to author and blogger Raihan Abir, who fled Bangladesh to Canada in 2015 after receiving a series of death threats. The inaugural winner was the artist and environmentalist, Franke James.

Cole will formally receive the prize in February, as part of PEN Canada's presentation for Freedom to Read Week at the Toronto Public Library (February 25 - March 3).

Additional Information
PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize
2016 Winner Raihan Abir
2015 Winner Franke James (Inaugural)

PEN Canada is a nonpartisan organization of writers that believes in the power of the written word. Together we celebrate literature, defend free expression, and aid persecuted writers. www.pencanada.ca

Our thanks to CNW Group for sponsoring this announcement.

SOURCE PEN Canada

View original content with multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2017/14/c4926.html

Copyright CNW Group 2017

Comment On!

140
Upload limit is up to 1mb only
To post messages to your Socail Media account, you must first give authorization from the websites. Select the platform you wish to connect your account to CanadianInsider.com (via Easy Blurb).