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PROF. GEORGE DEI
HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES & SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION, OISE
U OF T ST. GEORGE
Area of work: Teaching, research and community outreach
Description of work:
Professor George Dei is a Professor in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences & Social Justice Education at OISE, University of Toronto. His contributions to the advancement of anti-racism and anti-discrimination are numerous. He was the first Director of the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies at OISE (1996-2000) and has been a Research Associate at the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration & Settlement for the last fifteen years. Much of Prof. Dei‘s teaching and publications focus on themes of anti-racism, inclusive schooling, Indigenous knowledge and anti-colonial thought. During the course of his research he has covered topics such as “Drop out or Push Out?”, “Exemplary Practices of Inclusive Schooling”, “Learning to Succeed” and “African Indigenous Philosophies and Critical Education”.
Prof. Dei has also taken on an active role in the community. His involvement past and present includes, but is not limited to: serving on the Advisory Boards of AfroGlobal TV; Anansekrom; The Unemployed Professional African Men and Women‘s Association; The National Scholarship Fund (formerly Harry Jerome Scholarship Awards of Canada); First President for the Canadian-Ghanaian Union; and a member of the Black Educators Working Group; and the Uhuru Collective, a diverse group of scholars, community workers and social researchers who undertake anti-racism and oppression work based out of OISE.
Francisco Villegas
Ph.D. Student, Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education, The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
U of T St. George
Area of work: Teaching and community outreach
Description of work:
Francisco Villegas is completing his Ph.D. in the Department of Humanities, Social Science and Social Justice Education at OISE. In his work, he has sought to emphasize issues of equity, race and immigration status and has pushed for a more accessible and inclusive approach to schooling at both U of T and the Toronto District School Board. In classrooms, he challenges students to push their understanding of issues of race and immigration status and to think critically about the world we live in. He demonstrates a commitment to both the philosophical development of anti-racism studies as well as the practice of anti-racism.
For the past six years, Francisco has been a member of a tutoring and mentoring collective for Latina/o high school students that employs anti-racism and Latina/o Critical Race Theory. He also co-founded a research study group for Latina/o graduate students that utilises an anti-racist framework in their work. Moreover, Francisco remains engaged with communities outside of academia and has been a part of a number of transformative initiatives, including, most recently, the Sanctuary City initiative.
PROF. ALISSA TROTZ
CARIBBEAN STUDIES PROGRAM AND WOMEN AND GENDER STUDIES
U OF T ST. GEORGE
Area of work: Teaching, scholarship and structural change
Description of work:
Professor Trotz teaches in the Caribbean Studies Program and Women and Gender Studies at U of T. She regularly engages in anti-racist education in a variety of formats, both within and beyond the classroom. She participates in anti-racist campus-wide and cross-institutional teach-ins and panels on topics that include the ‘Blackface’ incident at U of T, representations of Haiti in the media and advocacy, social justice and Black communities in Canada. She has taught sociology classes to high school students, addressed graduating high school students, and helped to organize U of T educational outreach initiatives.
Prof. Trotz was a founding member of the Black Faculty Group that advised senior administrators on diversity and equity in faculty hiring and academic programming. The Group also organised a university-wide event on “Teaching for our Times: Equity Considerations, Curricular Transformations,” out of which came the proposal to establish a Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies; Prof. Trotz was a member of the Working Group that submitted the successful Academic Initiatives Fund Proposal that led to the Centre‘s establishment in 2005, the first tri-campus undergraduate program at U of T.
RAJENDRANAUTH DOOBAY
STUDENT, EQUITY REPRESENTATIVE
OISE STUDENT UNION
U OF T ST. GEORGE
Area of work: Research and community building
Description of work:
Rajendranauth (Rajen) is the current Equity Representative for OISE‘s Student Union and is deeply committed to and passionate about the elimination of racism. He has worked towards this goal in a variety of academic and professional capacities. Rajen focused his Master‘s thesis on the Law Society and structural racism and was invited to present a paper he wrote on the history of racism within the Ottawa police force at a symposium at St. Paul‘s University.
Rajen has worked as a paralegal on one of the largest human rights cases in South Africa, as a tutor for black males unjustly removed from schools in the UK, as an Assistant Education Coordinator for Aboriginal youth and has worked with Amnesty International. Rajen is also the Chairperson for School Net Guyana (Ottawa Chapter), a program dedicated to building schools and computer labs in Guyana so that all children can have more equitable access to the tools they need for their education.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION GROUP
OCCUPATIONAL SCIENCE AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY DEPARTMENT
U OF T ST. GEORGE
Area of work: Teaching and curricula development
Description of work:
The Occupational Science (OS) and Occupational Therapy (OT) Department at U of T has prioritised the development of an inclusive, anti-racist curriculum and learning environment. To meet this aim the department has developed several innovative curricular sessions such as a cross-cultural orientation workshop for first year students using case-based pedagogy. The session focuses on cross-cultural communication challenges that highlight the need for awareness of how one‘s social-cultural location shapes the therapeutic process. This workshop is followed by the development of student initiated guidelines for cross-cultural, non-racist dialogue that will support students as they learn from one another about cultural differences, assumptions and health belief systems. The ‘Guidelines for Cross Cultural Dialogue‘ are then disseminated to core and clinical faculty as well as students for use across OS and OT courses, class discussions and within student study groups. An anti-oppression workshop is also held with students to encourage them to further reflect on the guidelines they have developed.
*Pictured from left to right: Ruheena Sangrar, Dr. Denise Reid, Dr. Deb Cameron, Jill Stier and Dr. Barry Trentham
*Not pictured: Dr Lynn Cockburn, Anne Fourt, Alim Lalani and Dr Rebecca Renwick
KELLY-MARIE MELVILLE
STUDENT, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS (U OF T CHAPTER)
U OF T ST. GEORGE
Area of work: Community outreach and programming
Description of work:
Kelly-Marie Melville has been a key member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE, U of T Chapter) for the last three years, having served first as Treasurer and then as President. Kelly-Marie is a leader who exemplifies NSBE‘s mission to increase the number of Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. In her time with NSBE she has doubled the chapter enrolment by visiting numerous engineering classes on campus to promote the group‘s activities. Kelly-Marie was part of the team that created the ENGAGE program at U of T, a two week summer camp targeted at Grade 5 to 8 students of African and Caribbean descent that introduces them to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs. Kelly-Marie also volunteers her time coordinating and running experiments that promote higher education to visible minorities as part of the Pathways to Education program in the Greater Toronto Area.
HART HOUSE SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE
U OF T ST. GEORGE
Area of work: Community outreach and organisational change
Description:
The Hart House Social Justice Committee, through their events and partnerships, works to raise awareness and encourage conversations around the topics of equality and anti-racism. This year they organized a workshop entitled ‘Making Inclusion Happen‘ at Hart House‘s International Women‘s Day Conference. The workshop provided a draft for a recommendation to the Hart House Board of Stewards for the creation of a working group focused on identifying and reducing barriers to inclusivity at Hart House.
In an effort to combat racism the Hart House Social Justice Committee also ran a workshop on urban inequality and health issues in Toronto‘s neighbourhoods. Their ‘Community Kitchen‘ event, in partnership with The Mosaic Institute, brought twenty campus and community members together to prepare a meal and to learn about embracing diversity and challenging discrimination. The committee also funded and governed Just Rights Radio, which airs weekly on U of T‘s community radio station, CIUT 89.5 fm. The station has centered several shows around combating racism, such as the program “50 Shades of Brown: Colourism is racism‘s insidious cousin” and “Voices of the young Iranian Diaspora”.
*Pictured from left to right: Igor Shoikhedbrod, Evelyn Smith Romero, Daniel Mau, Maia Johnstone, Abtin Parnia and Audra Cowe
*Not pictured: Celine McGarvey, Bonita Leung, Arielle Di Iulio and Christian Garcia
ASIM ASHRAF
STAFF, OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE
YASEEN ALI
STAFF, SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES
U OF T ST. GEORGE
Area of work: Community outreach and programming
Description of work:
Asim Ashraf works at the Office of Student Life at U of T and Yaseen Ali is an ESL instructor at the School of Continuing Studies at U of T and a M.Ed. student at OISE. Together Asim and Yaseen co-facilitate the monthly Salaam support group for Salaam Canada. The group provides a safe forum for queer-identified Muslims across the Greater Toronto Area to reconcile their associations of sexuality and religion. Asim and Yaseen encourage participants, many of whom are university students, to critically reflect on their identities in relation to the broader queer, Toronto and Canadian communities. They support members of the group to build confidence around lived contradictions as queer Muslims. With many participants facing fear, rejection and violence in their everyday lives, this group works to combat Islamophobia and homophobia, whether internalised or in interactions with others.
JADE NIXON
STUDENT, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, SOCIOLOGY & HISTORY
UTM
Area of work: Community outreach
Description of work:
Jade Nixon, a student at UTM, pioneered the Project Code Noir experiential initiative this year in support of Black History Month. Jade‘s witnessing of the disengagement of Black youth within the post-secondary educational system inspired her, along with others, to take action and find a way to make a difference in their lives. The aim of Project Code Noir is to empower, support and inspire youth of the African Diaspora to envision themselves in a post-secondary environment. The initiative strives to reach out to at-risk students who may not have considered post-secondary education as an option. Each secondary school in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board was invited to send students in Grades 10 or 11 to attend an event at the UTM campus. While at UTM the high-school students had the opportunity to take part in workshops, lectures, campus tours and hear from prominent Black members of the academic community. It is hoped that this event encouraged UTM students to become active community builders who support youth on a long-term basis.
DR. RIMA BERNS-MCGOWN
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORICAL STUDIES
UTM
Area of work: Teaching and programming
Description of work:
Dr. Berns-McGown teaches in the Department of Historical Studies at UTM, where she focuses on the development of socially just, diverse societies. Her classes are taught in a way that encourages students to look at issues from angles they may not be used to, and especially from the perspectives of historically disadvantaged and marginalised groups. Dr. Berns-McGown brings empathy and safety to class discussions, allowing students to comfortably discuss and work through difficult topics that are often neglected in the classroom.
As the President of the Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs, she has been instrumental in opening up a safe space for diverse groups of people to engage with sensitive matters of national and international significance. The institute‘s mission is to increase awareness, understanding, and knowledge of domestic and international issues amongst people in Canada through open and inclusive discussion, without advocacy or partisanship.
Dr. Berns-McGown campaigns passionately for Palestinian rights, which she sees as an important part of the fight against racism. She has also advanced anti-racism dialogue with her study “I am Canadian: Challenging Stereotypes About Young Somali-Canadians,” recently published by IRPP. The study challenges media and wider-society perceptions that the Somali community has failed to integrate to an unusual degree and that this is the fault of the community itself.
PROF. LUISA SCHWARTZMAN
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
UTM
Area of work: Teaching and research
Description of work:
Professor Luisa Schwartzman teaches in the Department of Sociology at UTM. She teaches courses on the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and the Sociology of International Migration, where she attempts to challenge the idea that people are naturally divided into racial, ethnic and national categories and to explore the historical and social factors that have led to these divisions and the inequalities associated with them. Her research focuses on the relationship between ethnic and racial classification and social inequality, from a cross-national perspective. Prof. Schwartzman‘s recent work has focused on how racial categorization processes figure into the process of the reproduction of racial inequality in Brazil, and how these categories are operating in recent policies to address this inequality, such as affirmative action in Brazilian universities. She is currently working on two projects; one is a co-authored project examining how the children of immigrants to Britain classify themselves ethnically in the UK census. The other one investigates how “whiteness” is understood in Brazil.
PROF. VANNINA SZTAINBOK
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
UTSC
Area of work: Teaching and research
Description of work:
Professor Vannina Sztainbok is a lecturer in Sociology at UTSC and specializes in areas of cultural studies, critical race feminist theory, racial and ethnic politics, and dynamics of gender and race. She has written papers on topics such as the fetishization of blackness and the construction of whiteness in Latin America. Her current research focuses on Afro-Latin American women’s struggles for urban space.
Prof. Sztainbok has been a great supporter of various social justice initiatives at UTSC and encourages her students to participate in social justice work. She teaches through an anti-racism lens and emphasizes to her students that racism is not a linear experience as other forms of oppression are always at play. Prof Sztainbok‘s contributions to the community include participating in the annual University of Toronto Black Students’ Association conference for high school students for the past two years. She is a member of Researchers and Scholars of Colour for Equality (RACE); Faculty for Palestine; and was one of the founding members of the Latin American Coalition Against Racism (1999-2005).
PROF. RICK HALPERN
DEAN AND VICE-PRINCIPAL (ACADEMIC)
UTSC
Area of work: Research and mentoring
Description of work:
Professor Halpern is the Dean and Vice-Principal (Academic) at UTSC. Prof. Halpern is a passionate advocate, ally and scholar who demonstrates a commitment to an open and inclusive learning environment on campus. He has a strong track-record of results oriented programs, activities and approaches to celebrating race, anti-racism and diversity. Prof. Halpern is a specialist in modern U.S. history who has written extensively on race and labour. He has published work on slavery and emancipation, black workers and civil rights activism, immigration restriction, and freedom struggles in comparative and international context.
Prof. Halpern‘s background as a historian, his academic and research interests and expertise, as well as his previous academic and senior administrative roles have propelled him to the status of role model and champion mentor. In his anti-oppression framework and approach, he has opened many doors for people who have been traditionally under-represented in higher education and its halls of power.
KAVITA SIEWRATTAN
STUDENT, VP OF STUDENTS AND EQUITY
UTSC
Area of work: Advocacy and community building
Description of work:
As VP of Students and Equity Kavita Siewrattan has had a significant impact on the UTSC community. She continuously seeks to fill the void of programming, services and awareness for those who are disengaged and has successfully advanced the work being done in the field of anti-racism. For orientation she advocated for and facilitated equity training for student leaders and spearheaded the planning of an Aboriginal welcome for first year students. Kavita has broadened the scope of the eXpression Against Oppression (XAO) campaign, increasing the events from a week to an entire month.
In collaboration with the Department of Student Life Kavita helped organise an Idle No More workshop for students, faculty and staff who wanted to know about the Indigenous movement. Kavita has invited Clayton Thomas-Muller to speak and continue this discussion on campus in April.
One of Kavita‘s major contributions to UTSC has been through the renovations of a prayer space in the Student Centre. Working with student clubs of faith, Kavita met a need that was long overdue. Kavita is a person who never hesitates to speak up for those who are silent and without a voice.