Esi Edugyan, Robyn Maynard, Syrus Marcus Ware and Ian Williams join Desmond Cole on Maclean’s Live

The deaths of George Floyd and countless other Black people in the U.S. and Canada at the hands of the police have sparked protests across the globe decrying anti-Black racism. Maclean’s Live caps a two-week series on systemic racism, diversity and the Black Lives Matter movement with guest host Desmond Cole, author of The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power, and an extraordinary group of writers, commentators and artists on Wednesday, June 17 at 7 p.m. EDT.

• Esi Edugyan, author of the Giller Prize-winning novels Half-Blood Blues and Washington Black
• Robyn Maynard, Vanier Scholar and award-winning author of Policing Black Lives: State violence in Canada from slavery to the present
• Syrus Marcus Ware,  Vanier Scholar, a visual artist, community activist, researcher, youth-advocate and educator
• Ian Williams, poet and novelist, professor of creative writing at the University of British Columbia, author of the Giller Prize-winning novel Reproduction

The conversation will take place on June 17 at 7 p.m. EDT via Zoom. Here is the link to join the Zoom webinar. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #MacleansLive.

Cole, Edugyan and Williams recently contributed to a collection of letters in the latest issue of Maclean’s, discussing racism in the U.S. and Canada, which you can read below.

Desmond Cole

A letter to the Canada-U.S. border

Things may be different on this side of the border, but not enough to save us

Esi Edugyan

‘The weight of change should not rest on the shoulders of Black people’

For true systemic shifts to occur, everyone has to feel the disgust and frustration

Ian Williams

The cameras on your phones make Black people invisible

’Dear cell phone companies,’ There are software issues with your phones. My date and time function is frozen in the 18th century.

Past Maclean’s Live guests include:

Last week:Carol Anderson and Kevin YoungJune 2020:Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux & Information Commissioner Caroline MaynardMay 2020:Health minister Patty HajduMay 2020: Alberta Premier Jason KenneyApril 2019:Bank of Canada governor, Stephen PolozFebruary 2019:Canadian ambassador to the U.S., David MacNaughtonDecember 2018:Former prime minister Jean ChrétienNovember 2018: Alberta Premier Rachel NotleySeptember 2018: Prime Minister Justin TrudeauJune 2018: Jane Philpott, former minister of Indigenous services.May 2018:Jason Kenney, leader of Alberta’s United Conservative Party (current Premier of Alberta)April 2018: Katie Telford, chief of staff to Prime Minister Justin TrudeauMarch 2018: Conservative leader Andrew ScheerFebruary 2018: NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.