Presenter Bios

Hello! My name is Youeal Abera (he/him/his), and I'm a 31-year-old writer and academic. I utilize my platforms within art and academia to advocate for the equity of marginalized identities. With a BA in English and Criminology from Simon Fraser University, I am currently enrolled in McGill University's MA program in English. My graduate research explores the relationship between Black trauma narratives and awards culture. As a writer, my two greatest incentives are to produce literary work that celebrates my Blackness and that presents depictions of Black men as comprehensive, emotionally intelligent beings.

Michelle Ajisebo McElwaine Abimbola is an interdisciplinary scholar researching Indigenous Africana narratives from Earthly and Spirit worlds. She has shared her classroom with students from ages 5 to 95, working toward educational reparations for the colonial project of "school". She co-founded the tuition-free Ifá Heritage Institute of Nigeria in 2008, after successfully applying for UNESCO to proclaim the Ifá Divination System as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. In 2013, the king/progenitor of the Yorùbá people installed her as Asojú Èsìn ati Àsà Yorùbá, Ambassador of Yorùbá Religion and Culture. Ms. Abimbola currently teaches African & African Diaspora Studies at Boston College, where she is in the final stages of her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction.

I am Anishinaabe kwe from Flying Post First Nation Treaty 9 and have been a Professor in the Indigenous Field of Study, Faculty of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University for 19 years. I have spent the last 30 years in decolonizing and anti-racism work within academic settings. My scholarship has centered on Indigenous knowledge is wholistic healing practices, decolonizing and Indigenous re-search methodologies. I am the author of Kaandossiwin How We Come to Know (Fernwood 2011, 2022).

Baraa is a Palestinian scholar currently based in Katarokwi/Kingston. She's a Ph.D. candidate in Cultural Studies. Her current research focuses on themes of social reproduction, home, family, fragmentation, and survival.

Oluwapelumi Adegbenjo is a Gender Studies scholar and practitioner with extensive experience in gender-based violence prevention, community education, and anti-oppressive facilitation. He holds both a master's degree and a PhD in Gender Studies, with research focusing on sexual violence, racialized experiences of women, (LGBTQI+) communities, and gendered harm across Nigeria, South Africa, and Canada. With over five years of professional experience in the gender-based violence sector, Oluwapelumi has worked across diverse cultural and community contexts, supporting survivors, developing educational programs, and engaging men in accountability and violence-prevention work.

Paul Banahene Adjei is a Full Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Professor Mavis Dako-Gyeke is a Full Professor and the Dean of School of Social Sciences of the University of Ghana.

Suad Ahmed is a Ph.D. candidate in the Faculty of Education at York University. Her research focuses on the identity formation of Somali Muslim youth in Toronto. Suad examines the emotional and social effects of migratory experiences, displacement, and cultural loss through a qualitative approach that centres Islamic epistemology. Most recently, Suad served as a Research Fellow and now a Research Coordinator with the Coastal Research, Education, & Advocacy Network (CREAN), where she leads projects on anti-racism in education and the belonging experiences of racialized youth.

Ololade Monisola Ajibowo is a PhD researcher in International Studies at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon, where her work examines the experiences of Nigerian women entrepreneurs navigating migration, identity, and economic inclusion in Portugal. Beyond academia, Ololade is the founder and creative director of Ilekehouse Nigeria Limited, an enterprise dedicated to eco-friendly African textile production and the empowerment of women and out-of-school girls.

Iyanuoluwa Akinrinola (She/Her/Hers)

Iyanuoluwa Akinrinola is an Ontario Certified Teacher, writer, researcher, and social justice advocate. She is a researcher and policy analyst at the Canadian Teachers' Federation, where she developed a pan-Canadian teaching and learning resource as part of the ongoing effort to address anti-Black racism in schools.

Paul is a doctoral candidate and Ontario Graduate Scholarship (International OGS) recipient in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University. His work explores visa stories, the poetics of migration, black humanities and belonging, popular cultures, critical race theory, antiracist pedagogies, and African critical counter-narratives.

Sheala Ali is a master's student in the Frazer Faculty of Education at Ontario Tech University. Her research focuses on the experiences of disabled women of colour in higher education, examining how intersecting forms of oppression shape access, belonging, and academic success.

Sanaa Ali-Mohammed is a PhD Candidate at the School of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her dissertation focuses on racialized employment practices within philanthropic foundations which claim to focus on racial justice. Sanaa currently works as the Director of Grants and Programs for The Muslim Fund.

Sadia Anjum is a second-year PhD student in the Social Justice Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. Her research examines the underrepresentation of racialized women in senior academic leadership. Sadia brings over a decade of experience in Canadian higher education, with a focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and student success.

Dr. Michelle Bailey (She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Michelle H. A. Bailey is a dedicated educator, researcher, and counsellor whose career is defined by a deep commitment to address social disparities in education and encourage healing from trauma. She holds a PhD. from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Her research explores the social experiences of Black Canadian families with particular attention to the impact of trauma on Black communities.

Amilah Baksh, MSW, RSW (she/her) is a Canadian Muslim woman of Indo-Caribbean descent. She has been a social work educator for more than a decade and is currently a PhD candidate at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her SSHRC-funded doctoral research uses critical autoethnography and narrative interviews with Muslim women educators to explore gendered Islamophobia in schools and faculties of social work.

Dr. Jaspreet Bal (She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Jaspreet Bal is a member of the Ontario team for World Sikh Organization. She completed her PhD in Cultural Studies from Queen's University, where she focused on children's rights in Punjab. She is currently the Associate Dean for the School of Child and Family Studies at Centennial College in Toronto.

Yetunde Banjo recently completed her PhD in the department of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Her research interests include professional African immigrant women and the Canadian labour market, anti-racist education, immigration, African Indigenous knowledges, and Black Women's leadership.

Andrea Barrow is an educator with the Limestone District School Board (LDSB), currently working as the Equity and Inclusion Consultant in the secondary panel. Andrea has worked with the Ontario Secondary School Teacher Federation (OSSTF) in the creation and ongoing delivery of the "Addressing Anti-Black Racism" workshops.

Dr. Daniela Bascuñán was a child when she was forced into exile from Chile by the dictatorship in the 1970s. Her perspectives on teaching and research are informed by her status as a displaced and racialized woman of colour. Daniela was an elementary teacher for 25 years and currently teaches at Bishop's University's School of Education.

Fi is a white invader/settler researcher and educator who comes from an education and wellbeing background. She has had the privilege of working alongside First Nations young people in secondary and tertiary contexts. Fi holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Indigenous Studies, and a PhD in Education from the University of Melbourne.

Lois Boody (she/her) is a white settler Canadian-Colombian scholar and a PhD candidate in curriculum and pedagogy at OISE, University of Toronto, with a collaborative specialization in environmental studies. Her research looks at the ways that educators engage Indigenous land education in urban K–12 schools.

Dr. Alana Butler (She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Alana Butler is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University. Her research interests include the academic achievement of low-income students, race and schooling, equity and inclusion, and multicultural education.

Suparna Chatterjee is Associate Professor of Sustainability and Global Cultures, at Xavier University. Her research interests are nationalism, postcolonialism, neoliberalism, gender, race, and social entrepreneurship.

Haohao is a second year master's student at OISE studying Social Justice Education. Her current research interests focus on theories of resistance, anti-capitalism, critical theory, and queer theory. Her thesis examines the transgressive possibilities for resistance against hegemony within the genre of 'queer horror'.

Meral Choudhry is an educator and researcher who is deeply passionate about social justice, equity, and anti-racist education. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto, OISE. Her research looks at the role of Islamophobia in Muslim students' identity formation.

Sayema Chowdhury is a mother, daughter, partner, aunt, life-long learner and advocate for anti-oppressive education, currently in the role of vice-principal at Richmond Green Secondary School with the York Region District School Board.

Frankie Condon (She/Her/Hers)

Frankie Condon is a Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo and Past Chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). Her recent co-edited collection, CounterStories from the Writing Center, is the winner of the International Writing Center Association's 2023 Outstanding Book Award.

Dr. Beverly-Jean M. Daniel is an Associate Professor in the School of Child and Youth Care at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Daniel developed an innovative program, The Bridge, which is the first student support initiative for African, Black, and Caribbean students in any Canadian post-secondary institution.

Isaac Nortey Darko, PhD, is an educator and Sociologist. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Algoma University. His passion is to explore the intersectionalities of sociology, education, and Indigenous systems in North America and Africa.

Laurie Davey-Quantick (She/Her/Hers)

Laurie holds an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts Degree in Canadian and Indigenous Studies, from Trent University. Currently, Laurie is completing a master's degree in the Cultural Studies department at Queen's University. Her research seeks to better understand decision-making and inclusivity practices of small, volunteer based international aid organizations.

Suleyman Demi is an Assistant Professor at School of Social Work of Algoma University. His research interest is multidisciplinary stemming from social and environmental justice, health equity, environmental sustainability and food system analysis.

Waabshkaa Gagajiinh Zhaawshko Shkiinhzhigokwe (White Raven Woman with Turquoise eyes) — Amy is a Reiki practitioner and multidisciplinary artist who currently works at Toronto Metropolitan University in the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. Amy is an Instructor for Anishnawbe Health Toronto's Community Health Worker Training Program.

I'm a first-year PhD student at the London School of Economics researching how Israeli state discourse constructs and legitimises violence against Palestinians. My work explores how these narratives circulate globally through radicalised framings, contributing to broader debates in genocide studies and international political communication.

Dr. Giselle Dias (Niigaanii Zhaawshko Giizhigokwe – Leading Blue Sky Woman) is a Métis scholar, educator, and community organizer from Red River. She is an Associate Professor in the Indigenous Field of Study at Wilfrid Laurier University. With over 30 years of activism in prisoners' rights, transformative justice, and abolition.

Sandra Dixon is an Associate Professor within the Faculty of Education, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and a registered psychologist in Alberta, Canada. Her program of research encompasses culturally adapted counselling practices among immigrants, cultural identity reconstruction, and ethnocultural diversity issues.

Patty Douglas is an Associate Professor, the Inaugural Chair in Student Success and Wellness and Director of the Centre for Community Engagement and Social Change in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University. Her research focuses on elevating the stories of diverse autistic people.

Chloé Dugied (She/her/Hers)

Chloé Dugied is a new educator, researcher and author whose work is grounded in equity, anti-Black racism, and community-engaged practice. Her research focuses on how equity and anti-racism policies are interpreted and enacted by educators within Ontario school contexts.

Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad (He/Him/His)

Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is the author of Decolonizing Educational Assessment: Ontario Elementary Students and the EQAO (2019). Dr. Eizadirad is also the founder and Director of EDIcation Consulting offering equity, diversity, and inclusion training.

Dr. Siham Elkassem is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work, University of Windsor. A community-based, critical race and anti-colonial scholar, her work centers on racialized communities, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian racisms, and transnational solidarity.

Yahya El-Lahib is a long-time disability justice activist from Bedouin Arab background. His research, teaching and practice centers on interrogating colonial power dynamics, relations, and structures as they shape everyday realities of marginalized and oppressed social groups.

Ava-Udeane Ellis holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, where she double-majored in Political Science and Art History. Her academic work lies at the intersection of African and Diaspora Studies, Black aesthetics, and the politics of visual culture.

Shizza Fatima (She/Her/Hers)

Shizza Fatima is a PhD student in Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. Her research explores decolonization and liberatory thought in education, with a focus on South Asia and the Middle East.

Marva is currently an Associate Professor in the faculty of Child Studies and Social Work, at Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta. She is a public speaker, community advocate, trainer, and a researcher around anti-Black racism, critical race and anti-colonial theory.

Dr. Eunice Fonyuy Fondze-Fombele is Associate Professor of African Literature and Cultural Studies in the University of Buea, Cameroon. Her areas of interest are Gender, Ecological, Marginality, Decolonial and Health Humanities Studies.

I am a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at McMaster University. My areas of interest are Race and Ethnicity and the Sociology of Education. In my award-winning dissertation, I will examine the nationwide Black Cohort Hires that began in 2020.

Dr. Sabreena Ghaffar-Siddiqui is a globally recognized multiple award-winning public-speaker, renowned researcher and policy advisor, and a passionate social justice advocate. She is a professor of sociology, criminology, and criminal-psychology at Sheridan College.

Harpreet Ghuman (He/Him/His)

Harpreet Ghuman is an educator in the Toronto District School Board with a strong belief in cross racial solidarity for social change. He is currently serving as a Superintendent of Education in the TDSB.

Desirée Gonzalez (She/Her/Hers)

Desirée Gonzalez is a Social/Community Psychologist and Designer with a Master's Degree in Depth Psychology. She is also certified in Social, Economic, Environmental Design, Trauma-informed Design, and Ecological Landscape Design.

Dr. Kenneth Gyamerah is an Assistant Professor at Ontario Tech University. His research examines anti-colonial and decolonial approaches to education policy and curriculum, with a focus on equity in STEM education, teacher education, and the integration of African Indigenous knowledge systems.

Habibatou (Habibah) Camara is a political researcher and daughter of Malian immigrants whose work examines democratic fragility, security governance, and the unfinished project of decolonization in West and Central Africa. A graduate of UC Berkeley in Political Science and Arabic, she authored the honors thesis Anatomy of a Breakdown: Mali's Democratic Undoing.

Sabi Hinkson (She/Her/Hers)

Sabi Kamilah Hinkson is a third-year PhD student in Education at McGill University. Her work draws on Black feminist thought to examine how Black youth engage in fugitive forms of study beyond institutional logics of STEM education.

Don Howell has extensive experience as a Saint Lucian educator and an advocate for educational development. Presently, Don Howell is an Education Advisor in the Ministry of Education in Saint Lucia and a Research Assistant with the Caribbean Educational Research Centre (CERC).

Aasiya Hussain is a multilingual Racialized Woman with Disabilities, intersectional decolonial geographer, environmental professional, researcher, educator, community catalyst, & founder of Ecohesian. Born & raised in Tkaronto.

I am an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University. I am a critical, multi-disciplinary, and community-engaged scholar, with a focus on researching and disrupting racism, settler colonialism, and gendered state violence with a specific focus on carceral sites such as prisons and policing.

Dr. Sabrina Jafralie (She/Her/Elle)

Growing up in Montréal, Dr. Sabrina Jafralie was shaped by the intertwined legacies of her Afro–Nova Scotian and Indo–Guyanese roots. Now an award winning bilingual educator, activist, and scholar, Dr. Jafralie brings over two decades of experience bridging classrooms and communities.

Associate Professor Mat Jakobi (He/Him/His)

Associate Professor Mat Jakobi is a Gunditjmara academic and the Academic Director for Indigenous Learning and Teaching at the Moondani Toombadool Centre. He leads initiatives to create culturally responsive university environments.

Juthi Jamila is a doctoral student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. Her scholarly work engages with decolonial and anti-colonial thought, drawing on Islamic epistemologies to explore questions of ethics, knowledge, and education.

I am a cis white settler, a lifelong mutual aid member-organizer and a professor at TMU's School of Social Work. My work sits in the confluence of madness and grief and is grounded in approaches that challenge colonialism, supremacy and carcerality.

Kavya Harshitha Jidugu (She/Her/Hers)

Kavya Harshitha Jidugu is a doctoral scholar in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University, Canada, studying education-migration policies and Dalit experiences in Canadian higher education institutions.

Andrea Vásquez Jiménez is the Director and Principal Consultant of Policing-Free Schools (Canada), dedicated to working with communities to advocate for the uprooting of policing and carceral infrastructures in educational spaces.

Vashti Esinam Kamassah (She/Her/Hers)

Vashti Esinam Kamassah is a PhD student in Developmental Psychology and Education at OISE, University of Toronto. She is interested in how marginalized social identities shape people's lives, particularly their relationship with education.

Dr. Aakriti Kapoor (She/Her/Hers)

Aakriti Kapoor is an educator and researcher whose interests lie in issues of anti-colonial education policy, anti-oppression, and solidarity building. She is an experienced researcher and has published on topics of community-based research, neoliberalism, education policy, and anti-colonialism.

Dr. Arlo Kempf (He/Him/His)

Arlo Kempf is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at OISE, University of Toronto. His research interests include anti-racism, anticolonialism and white supremacy in education. He is the Editor in Chief of the journal Curriculum Inquiry.

Maimuna S. Khan is a PhD candidate at the School of Social Work, McMaster University and a sessional instructor at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary. Her PhD dissertation analyzes how legacies of colonialism and imperialism have continued through state care.

Ce Cil Kim has been teaching as a Professor of Early Childhood Education at George Brown College and Centennial College for 10 years. She is currently a PhD student at Queen's University in the Faculty of Education. Her research interests include Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, and Decolonization in the early years.

Dr. Bryn King is an Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Her research examines the epidemiology, service involvement, and outcomes of children, youth, and families who come to the attention of the child protective system in North America.

Kariuki Kirigia is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the School of the Environment and African Studies Centre at the University of Toronto. His research lies at the intersection of climate change, biodiversity conservation, land governance, African indigenous knowledges, and sustainability in Africa.

Trecia Knight (She/Her/Hers)

Trecia Knight is an experienced cybersecurity and technology consultant with over 20 years of experience spanning IT governance, risk management, and digital transformation. She brings a deep commitment to inclusive approaches to technology, exploring how African Indigenous knowledge systems can inform ethical, accountable, and trustworthy AI.

Dr. Verna Knight (She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Verna Knight works as a full-time lecturer at the School of Education, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. She has a passion for education development in the Caribbean.

Adria Kurchina-Tyson is an Assistant Professor in the School of Indigenous Relations at Laurentian University, and PhD candidate in the Department of Gender Studies at Queen's University. Their dissertation, "Decolonizing Kink," elaborates on expressly non-coercive Indigenous modes of relation.

Joris Lechêne is a decolonial storyteller and activist. With over 500k followers, he is particularly active on social media, where he provides social commentary based on his lived experiences as a neurodivergent queer black man. Joris is also a trainer on anti-racism, bias and decoloniality.

Sonia Lewis is a PhD Candidate and research assistant from York University. As a research assistant, Canada Graduate Scholar and PhD candidate she has worked on qualitative and mixed methods projects that focus on Black student engagement.

Kathy C. Lewis (She/Her/Hers)

See bio in the Leadership & Committee section.

Mary Louisa Lum is an English literary scholar and poet with research focus on Romantic and Postmodern discourses of emancipation. Pr Lum teaches in the Department of English and Foreign Languages, University of Douala Cameroon.

Professor Maria Mackay (She/Her/Hers)

Professor Maria Mackay is a Wiradjuri woman, registered nurse and midwife, and Professor of Nursing at Swinburne University of Technology (Australia). Her work sits at the intersection of Indigenous resurgence, cultural safety, and decolonial health education.

Dr. Amal Madibbo

Amal Madibbo is a Professor in the Department of Social Justice Education at OISE, University of Toronto. Her scholarship and community engagement theorize the intersectionality of Black Studies and Francophone Studies. She is the Recipient of the Canadian Sociological Association Outstanding Contribution to Sociology Award 2025.

Z. Mair is an emerging performance artist and student born and raised on Treaty 13 territory (Tkaronto). They helped co-found the performance installation group bc/pa and have been a member of [elephants] collective since 2019.

Georgiana Mathurin (She/Her/Hers)

Georgiana Mathurin is a PhD candidate in the Policy Studies program at the School of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation, Toronto Metropolitan University. Her research examines how Black women with precarious immigration status navigate anti-Black racism, experiences of othering, immigration detention, and deportation.

Abeer Mirza is a PhD candidate in Social Justice Education at OISE, University of Toronto. Her doctoral research examines how anti-Muslim racism exacerbates systemic barriers to justice for Muslim children and youth in Canada. She is the founder of the Muslim Family Hub.

Romana B. Mirza (She/Her/Hers)

Romana B. Mirza, Assistant Professor of Fashion Management and Social Justice at Parsons School of Design, New York City, employs a theoretical lens rooted in intersectionality and cultural hybridity to challenge Islamophobic assumptions surrounding modest dressing.

Qetsia Misenga (She/Her/Hers)

Qetsia Misenga is a third-year undergraduate student at McGill University pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a major in Physiology and a minor in History. Her historical work focuses on African and Black Canadian history.

Emilia C. Zamora Moncayo (She/Her/Hers)

Emilia Zamora is a Ph.D. candidate in Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her research is grounded in decolonial feminist approaches to mental health, examining mental health as intricately connected to community and territory/land.

Zainab is a medical student at Toronto Metropolitan University, having previously completed her master's at Queen's University. Her research interests lie in physical activity, health equity, and health promotion.

V.T. Nayani (She/Her/Hers)

V.T. Nayani is an award-winning artist-scholar. As a storyteller, she works primarily as a director, writer, and performer. She is also a PhD student in the Gender Studies Department at Queen's University.

Nathalie Lozano Neira (She/Her/Hers)

Born in Muisca territory (Colombia), Nathalie Lozano-Neira sought refuge on the lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (Vancouver). She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of British Columbia, centering on grassroots exchanges between Indigenous women's collectives.

Kim Hong Nguyen is a scholar of Vietnamese descent appointed as Associate Professor of Communication Arts/Gender and Social Justice, at the University of Waterloo.

Lindsey is a PhD Candidate in the UBC Institute of Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice researching how Black communities orient themselves in ways that speak to the importance of reclaiming possibility to pursuing liberation.

Randeep is a PhD Candidate in the Collaborative Specialization in Workplace Learning and Social Change in the Department of Social Justice Education. Her qualitative research examines how power relations shape learning and training within Canadian post-secondary institutions.

Dr. Hope Pius Nudzor

Hope Pius Nudzor is a professor of critical education policy and implementation analysis. He is currently the Director of the Institute for Educational Research and Innovation Studies (IERIS) at the University of Education, Winneba.

Ernest Akrofi Obeng is a Ph.D. Candidate in Social Justice Education at OISE, University of Toronto. His research investigates colonial continuities in Ghana's Bachelor of Education curriculum and collaborates with policymakers and educators to develop Afrocentric, land-rooted pedagogies.

Dr. Esther O. Ohito is Associate Professor of English and Literacy Education at Rutgers University–New Brunswick (USA). Her research focuses on racialized and gendered knowledge, critical pedagogies, and decolonial epistemologies.

Christine Apiot Okudi is a gender and education specialist, researcher, and community advocate. Currently pursuing graduate studies in Social Justice Education at OISE, University of Toronto. She is an active member of the Learning Action Alliance for Girls' Agency (LAAGA).

Dr. Yecid Ortega is Colombian Canadian, co-founder of Artem Research Collective and community-based researcher for MUSE Arts Creative Lab. He explores the pluriversality of social, cultural, and linguistic experiences of the most marginalized communities in society.

Dr Sunday Israel Oyebamiji is an academic known for his extensive research in migration studies, with a particular focus on the experiences of marginalized groups. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in International Relations from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Kruti Patel (She/Her/Hers)

See bio in the Leadership & Committee section.

Rohini Patel is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Indigenous Studies Department at McMaster University. She studies histories of science, technology, and empire; postcolonial and feminist science studies; and environmental humanities.

Mike Pham is Vietnamese-American and began learning Anishnaabemowin during Covid times. In his current life, he works for non-profits, building them modern digital tools.

Dave Pollock is a settler-scholar currently living, working and learning on unceded Wurundjeri Woiwurrung and Boon Wurrung/Bunurong lands. He is the Program Course Coordinator at the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity, University of Melbourne.

Natasha Pravaz is an associate professor of anthropology at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research and teaching interrogate systems of oppression through a focus on race, ethnicity & nationalism, and the role of performance & ritual in social justice activism.

Mohamed Rage (He/Him/His)

Mohamed is a graduate student and emerging scholar. His scholarly interests centre on Black educators, educational equity, and the structural conditions that shape teacher retention, leadership, and well-being within Ontario's public education system.

Neil Ramjewan is an Assistant Professor of Critical Studies in Curriculum and Pedagogy at OISE. His research spans curriculum studies, childhood studies, and de- and anti-colonial theory.

Natasha N. Rayman is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Gender Studies at Queen's University. She is a feminist ethnographer, and her research areas include eugenics, health, hauntology, and transnational feminism.

Dr. Rai Reece (She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Rai Reece is an interdisciplinary scholar and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her work examines how carceral logics are relationally organized by racial capitalism and white supremacy.

Maya Revell (She/Her/Hers)

Maya Revell is a 5th year PhD Candidate in Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon. She is also a 2025-2026 NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellow. Her research centers Black ecological relations and knowledge.

Jasmine Rice is an emerging scholar at OISE whose research focuses on Indigenous Language Reclamation and Cultural Identity. Her work is grounded in her experiences learning Kanien'kéha, the ancestral language of her family's community, Kahnawà:ke.

Juliana Rodriguez-Barrera (She/They)

Juliana Rodriguez-Barrera is a community organizer and current MA student in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto. She is based in Colombia (Abya Yala) and has spent her life thinking about ways to build communities centered on place-based knowledges.

Marjorie Rugunda is a PhD student in the Department of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia. Her research explores how institutions within Africa reflect and reproduce entrenched colonial legacies.

Claudette Howell Rutherford is an award-winning educator and a Department Head of Social Science and Humanities for 22 years. She serves on several municipal and provincial steering committees and is Chair of the City of Markham Race Relations Committee. Her research focus is in anti Black racism in education.

Dr Dom Jackson-Cole SFHEA (he/they) is a lecturer in education at the Institute of Education, University of Derby, UK. Dominik's professional interests include closing the racialised awarding gaps, tackling racial harassment on campus and decolonising HE.

Dr Lucia Kula SFHEA is an international human rights lawyer and lecturer in law and gender at the School of Law, SOAS University of London. Her research focuses on an interdisciplinary study of international law, forced migration and gendered violence through an auto-ethnographic lens.

Dr. Vidya Shah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher & Adult Education (LHAE) at OISE. Her research explores anti-racist and decolonial approaches to leadership in schools, communities, and school districts.

Sunandha Shanmugaraj is a Tamil-Canadian educator of over 12 years and current doctoral student at Ontario Tech University. Her work focuses on colonization of names, name changing processes and identity negotiation among Tamil students.

Dr. Manu Sharma is an Associate Professor at the Thompson Rivers University in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, where she teaches foundational courses in the Masters of Education program.

Dr. Comfort Fatimoh Sheidu is a highly distinguished professional with a wealth of knowledge and experience in Peace and Conflict Studies, Gender Studies, Research and Development, Policy Analysis, and International Relations.

Hardeep Shergill (She/Her/Hers)

Hardeep Shergill is an elementary school educator and former Early Reading Coach with the Toronto District School Board. She is also pursuing her Ph.D. at OISE/University of Toronto. Hardeep is the author of two children's picture books.

Dr. Camisha Sibblis is an Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor and Director of the Black Scholars Institute. Her research uses spatial and critical race theories to focus on anti-Black racism, the politics of race, gender, identity, social exclusion and systemic racism.

Palvi Sidana (She/Her/Hers)

Palvi Sidana is a South Asian educator and PhD student at the University of Toronto in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning. Her research focuses on uncovering and recovering colonial histories.

I am a current master's student in the department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University. My research investigates how pre-modern materials complicate modern post-colonial narratives.

Roilui Sin holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy from OISE, University of Toronto. She is also a full-time special education teacher for the Toronto District School Board.

Phillip Smith is a dedicated researcher whose work explores the intersection of Theatre for Development (TfD), community engagement, and climate change adaptation within the Mosuthu community of Durban, South Africa.

V. Pauahi Souza (She/Her/Hers)

V. Pauahi Souza is a proud Kanaka Maoli from the occupied Kingdom of Hawai'i. She is a current PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia. Her PhD focuses on "paradisal imaginaries" as a social determinant of health.

Lee Stevens (She/Her/Hers)

Lee is pursuing a PhD in Social Work at the University of Calgary. Her doctoral research is focused on understanding how the process of determining eligibility for social assistance is organized in Alberta.

Dr. Sandra Styres

Dr. Sandra Styres is of Haudenosaunee/French, English/Welsh descent. She is a former Canada Research Chair and an Associate Professor with the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at OISE. She is co-Chair of the Deepening Knowledge Project and Director of the Indigenous Educational Research Centre.

Sabeena Tariq is a second-year PhD student in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. Her research examines the lived experiences of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism encountered by Muslim women within Canadian higher education institutions.

Christopher Stuart Taylor is the Associate Vice-President of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism (EDI-R) at the University of Waterloo. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of History.

Gayatri Thakor (She/Her/Hers)

Gayatri Thakor is a Ph.D. student in Curriculum and Pedagogy at OISE. Her research interests include anti-racism and anti-colonialism in education, Indigenous education, and Black, Indigenous, and decolonial feminisms.

Tara Thomas (She/Her/Hers)

I am currently pursuing my Master's of Education at Queen's University, focusing on decolonization within the baking and pastry art curriculum in Ontario's post-secondary institutions. Originally from Jamaica, I bring over 10 years of experience as a pastry cook and hospitality educator.

Korina Thomas-Reynolds is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University, specializing in ethnomathematics and Africentric approaches to mathematics education. In 2021, she founded Roots to Routes Academy, Canada's first Africentric high school credit-granting institution.

Alison Thorne is a founding member of the Indigenous Social Justice Association – Melbourne. She is the Melbourne Branch Organiser for the Freedom Socialist Party (FSP) and the Managing Editor of the Freedom Socialist Organiser.

Chrystal Toop is an Anishinaabekwe-euromix matriarch and member of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. As a co-founder of Aunties on the Road Doula Collective and the Indigenous Death Doula Collective Project, Chrystal has successfully trained 1,412 doulas.

Colin Tucker (They/He)

Colin Tucker is a musician, writer, and curator who investigates intersections between music, art, and decoloniality. Through scores, videos, installations, and artist books, they make critical interventions around politics of sensation.

I am a graduate student in the University of British Columbia's Master of Museum Education program. I currently work for the City of Mississauga as the Museum and Education Supervisor.

Dr. Osholene Upiomoh is a scholar, spiritual educator, and cultural heritage consultant whose work bridges African Indigenous knowledge systems with transformative leadership and education. She is the Founder of Culture Wins Global and the Meritah Wisdom Education Centre.

Hezekiah Usman, Ph.D in political science, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria. His research areas include: democracy, governance, conflict, security studies, and international relations.

Verne (Akosua Dorowaa) Hippolyte-Smith (She/Her/Hers)

See bio in the Leadership & Committee section.

Nana Appa Korankye VII, Chief of Ekumfi Abaka. Cluster manager of Nosmay, Member of Board of Trustees at Pan African Centre for Climate Policy. Environmental Education and Lifelong Learning Conference Chair. Mentor at University at Buffalo Centre for Leadership and Organisational Effectiveness.

Dr. Njoki Wane

Njoki Wane, PhD, is a professor at OISE, University of Toronto, and an accomplished educator, author, researcher, and educational leader. She was the Chair of Social Justice Education from 2018-2024. She is the Recipient of the Canadian Sociological Association Outstanding Contribution to Sociology Award 2025.

I am a Peruvian immigrant and doctoral candidate in Social Work at the Université de Montréal. Trained in anthropology, I bring an interdisciplinary perspective that bridges culture, embodiment, and social justice.

Renée Whittaker is a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies whose research examines Black girlhood, self- and community care, and restorative justice. In 2024, she launched Equity Excellence Consulting.

Wanyi Yin (She/Her/Hers)

Wanyi Yin is an artist, educator, and practitioner-researcher based in Toronto. She is currently a first year Doctor of Education student in Social Justice Education at OISE. She is the founder of an independent art studio working closely with children who experience emotional neglect.

Yongzhi (Jim) Huang is a doctoral researcher in Social Justice Education at OISE, University of Toronto. His research examines education as fiscal architecture, tracing how pre-tax public capital and post-tax private capital shape rule-based boundaries of opportunity.

Mohamed Yusuf (He/Him/His)

Mohamed Yusuf is a first-generation, Muslim, Somali scholar and a third-year Ph.D. student at Queen's Faculty of Education. He is a SSHRC CGS-D recipient. Mohamed also recently authored a chapter in an upcoming edited volume titled Black Doctoral Students' Experiences in Academia.

Dr. Anila Zainub completed her Ph.D. from OISE-UT in 2023. Her areas of interest are high-skilled immigration and the effects of race and religion on Muslim integration in Canada.

I am a passionate emerging scholar specialising in Sociology, with an emphasis on gender, community, social change, inclusive and socially conscious education.

Utamika is currently a research project coordinator for the Social Innovation and Research Group (SIRG) and a full-time social work PhD student at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has spent the past twenty years working as a project manager, registered social worker, community consultant and educator.