Injured Workers’ Consultants Community Legal Clinic was honoured to be one of the 2016 Mayworks Festival Min Sook Lee Award recipients. This past Saturday IWC received the award for involving the arts and culture in our work. The award was presented by Sara Barker, writer, director, set designer, and performer with several theatres (Whole Loaf Theatre, Theatre CounterClockWise) specializing in popular, outdoor theatre form.
In her speech Ms Barker praised IWC for our collaboration with the creativity of artists and injured workers over the years, and “mastery of satire” in our educational and advocacy work. She highlighted the importance of providing a comforting refuge and a cultural home to injured workers for injured workers through peer support, education, theatre and music. She quoted a poem by Bertolt Brecht:
In the dark times
Will there be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing.
About the dark times.”
After accepting the award on behalf of IWC, Orlando Buonastella introduced the Justice Singers, a group of injured workers who are associated with the clinic. The two songs performed were written by injured workers and sang about the dark times, as well as inspiring hope for a brighter future of dignity and respect.