The Liu Lobby Gallery invites you to OVERCASTE: Confront. Disrupt. Evolve, the first exhibition in the new “Solidarity” series. OVERCASTE is created by Anita Lal, co-founder of the Poetic Justice Foundation, and Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra, instructor in the Department of History at the University of the Fraser Valley.
Featuring stories and images on the Dalit Canadian experience, OVERCASTE raises awareness about caste-based discrimination in Canada. Education and storytelling are important strategies in the process of building solidarity between and beyond community members. The exhibition creates a space for collective learning and aims to provide viewers pathways toward solidarity and action.
Visit the gallery during its open hours from October 3 – December 5, and join us for a panel discussion and exhibition reception on October 30 at 6pm.
Exhibition: October 3 – December 5
Panel Discussion: October 30, 6pm
The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular building hours, 9am – 5pm. It is located in the Lobby on the first floor.
Curated by Ellinee Nelson
About the Exhibition:
OVERCASTE: Confront. Disrupt. Evolve reveals the hidden realities of caste discrimination among Dalit Canadians, challenging the myth that caste does not exist in Canada.
For centuries we have dehumanized and degraded caste oppressed communities, and this continues in Canada today. It is time to stop normalizing this prejudice and demand change.
Through stories of activism and resistance, the exhibition showcases the powerful heritage and resilience of the Dalit community against a long and ongoing history of oppression.
Highlighting the importance of education and awareness in combating caste-based discrimination, OVERCASTE invites visitors to step into discomfort and channel it into action.
OVERCASTE serves as a call to action, urging support for initiatives aimed at eradicating caste discrimination and fostering a society where equality is a lived reality.
Co-curator Bios:
Anita Lal is a fourth-generation racialized settler, born and raised in British Columbia. Her Biji, Thakuri Kaur Lal, instilled in her the Sikh values of seva, social justice and advocacy from a young age.
These values fuel her work as the co-founder of Poetic Justice Foundation where she has been creating impactful and transformative programming, organizing, and activating the South Asian Diaspora. Her approach is always inclusive, intersectional, and critical. Recently, she has co-curated a traveling anti-caste museum exhibit entitled ‘OVERCASTE: Confront. Disrupt. Evolve’. Anita also serves as the Director of Operations and EDI at Moving Forward Family Services.
She strongly believes in giving back to the community and serves on Boards and Advisory Committees for Women Transforming Cities, the South Asian Canadian Legacy Project, South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, Royal Academy of Punjab Society, and Seva Thrift Society. She is inspired by Dr. Ambedkar’s words: Educate. Agitate. Organize.
Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra (Sharn) is a Historian, educator, storyteller, and the founder of Belonging Matters Consulting. Sharn worked as Coordinator at the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley for more than 12 years and as co-curator and co-manager of the Sikh Heritage Museum, National Historic Site and Gur Sikh Temple (gurdwara). She is the first Sikh person to complete her PhD from the Department of History at UBC in 2022 with her PhD looking at the affective experiences of museum visitors through a critical race theory lens. Sharn is a passionate activist, building bridges between community and academia through museum work. She has been featured in the Knowledge Network series “B.C: An Untold History,” is co-author of “Challenging Racist BC: 150 Years and Counting,” and has been featured on local, and international podcasts and media.
