Q&A: University Affairs interviews Associate Professor Tanya Sharpe about her Instagram Live series 30@8:30

Writer Melissa Fundira spoke to Associate Professor Tanya Sharpe about what inspired her to start 30@8:30, a weekly Instagram Live series that explores the particular challenges facing vulnerable communities during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Each episode features a dialogue with leading experts in Canada and the US. The series in an initiative of The Centre for Research and Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB), which Sharpe launched at U of T in January.

The Q&A appeared in University Affairs magazine.

When asked how people are responding to the series, Sharpe said:

People are sending me emails saying “I want more,” “Twenty minutes is just not enough,” “This is amazing.” So I think we’re tapping into something. I realized that folks were getting the data every day: Here’s how many people are infected; here’s how many people have died; here’s what you need to do. With 30@8:30, I wanted to have an informed conversation, but one that was a little bit more relaxed, as if you were sitting in my living room and we’re just having coffee.

> Click here to read the full interview.

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• The CRIB’s COVID-19 social media broadcast tackles questions of ‘race, place and class’
• New online series presented by The CRIB explores the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations
• COVID-19 public health measures may exacerbate stigma. Associate Professor Carmen Logie offers possible ways forward
• Associate Professor Rupaleem Bhuyan talks about the roles of xenophobia and social media in shaping the public’s understanding of the global pandemic