Contact:
Scott McLean, SFU Vancouver, 778.782.5151, srmclean@sfu.ca

Am Johal, SFU Woodward’s Cultural Unit, 778.782.8830, amarjotj@sfu.ca

It is only fitting that Jim Green, the former City of Vancouver councillor who passed away in February, will be honoured at Simon Fraser University’s downtown Vancouver campus on Wednesday night. His contributions and commitment to social justice are the focus of this year’s Gandhi Commemorative Lecture.

The award is presented by the Thakore Family Foundation, the India Club of Vancouver, and the J.S. Woodsworth Chair in the Humanities at SFU, and is part of the 22nd annual Gandhi Jayanti Celebration. It recognizes a lifelong commitment to social justice, a commitment that both Mahatma Gandhi and Green shared. 

Green was instrumental in the development of the Woodward’s Complex, the place SFU’ School for the Contemporary Arts now calls home at 149 West Hastings St. While he worked tirelessly as an advocate for Downtown Eastside residents, Green also shared a passion for the arts, regularly bringing the Opera to the DTES.

“Jim was always an advocate for arts and culture, he was always bringing different groups of people together, utilizing art as a means to build connections,” says Am Johal, the community engagement coordinator for the SFU Woodward’s Cultural Unit.

Johal, along with Vancouver city councillor Geoff Meggs and MLA Jenny Kwan will speak on Wednesday night. They’ll discuss Green’s life, his contributions to society and the parallels with Gandhi’s commitment to help those who have the greatest need.

Green also helped shape the programming currently offered by the SFU Woodward’s Cultural Unit. “Jim was involved in the early stages, as we were piloting community education programming right from the very beginning and his ideas continue to inspire,” adds Johal.

What: Gandhi Commemorative Lecture - Honouring Jim Green

When: Wednesday, October 3 – 7 pm

Where: SFU Vancouver, Room 1400, Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St

Cost: Free, with registration.

Simon Fraser University is Canada's top-ranked comprehensive university and one of the top 50 universities in the world under 50 years old. With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey, B.C., SFU engages actively with the community in its research and teaching, delivers almost 150 programs to more than 30,000 students, and has more than 120,000 alumni in 130 countries.

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