Janaya Khan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Khan in 2018 | |
| Born | |
| Other names | Future |
| Alma mater | York University |
| Occupations | Activist, model, organizer, public speaker |
| Known for | Black Lives Matter in Canada |
Janaya Khan is asocial activist fromToronto,Ontario, Canada. Khan is a co-founder ofBlack Lives Matter Toronto as well as an international ambassador for theBlack Lives Matter Network.[1][2][3] Kahn isnon-binary.[4] Much of their work analyzesintersectional topics including the Black Lives Matter movement,queer theory,Black feminism, and organized protest strategies.[5]
Khan was born and raised inToronto,Ontario, to aTrinidadian father and aBritish Jamaican mother who emigrated to Canada.[6] Khan received a Bachelor of Arts fromYork University, graduating with an honours degree in English language and literature. Khan resides inLos Angeles as of 2020[update].
Khan believes that the police do not keep people safe. Khan stated they would rather have "rapid response justice teams" in the place of police.[7]
In a 2016 interview withMaclean's magazine, Khan discussed the challenges of growing up with an intersectional identity in a society lacking resources and understanding of intersectionality andtransfeminism, highlighting experiences like police carding as pivotal moments that led them to activism and the founding of Black Lives Matter Toronto.[8]
In October 2014, Khan and Hudson organized an action ofsolidarity following the death of 33-year-old Jermaine Carby,[9] who was shot and killed during a routinetraffic stop inBrampton, Ontario, on September 24, 2014. This incident occurred a month after the August 9shooting of Michael Brown in the United States. After announcing the protest, around 4,000 people gathered to demonstrate in solidarity outside theUS Consulate. Wanting to build on this momentum, they decided to meet withLos Angeles-basedPatrisse Cullors, one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. This meeting launched the foundations for Black Lives Matter to become an international movement rather than one based only in the United States.[10] Khan founded the Toronto chapter alongsideSandy Hudson and controversial[11] activist Yusra Khogali in November 2014,[12] the first chapter to be established in Canada.[13]
Khan has led a number of demonstrations and events in Toronto, mainly based on instances ofpolice brutality in the United States and Canada. In July 2016, they helped organize asit-in duringPride Toronto, where protesters came prepared with a list of demands including more representation of minority groups and no uniformed police presence during Pride.[14]
Khan has presented across Canada at a number of institutions, including theUniversity of Toronto andYork University. They have also given talks at many campuses in the United States, includingBryn Mawr College[15] andEmerson College.[16] In 2016, they were joined by Black Lives Matter co-founderOpal Tometi to speak atSmith College's "When and Where I Enter"symposium.[17]
Khan is the recipient of multiple awards, including the 2015Bromley Armstrong Human Rights Award from theToronto & York Region Labour Council,[18] and was named one of "Toronto's Most Influential" byToronto Life in 2016.[19] They have written forThe Root,[20]Al Jazeera,[21] and theHuffington Post.[22]
