Presenter Bios

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.

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.

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 studying Education at Ontario Tech University, specializing in Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Education pertaining to Women of Colour with Invisible Disabilities. Sheala has worked as an RA researching anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices at Ontario Tech University. Sheala's work analyzes and highlights systemic discrimination and the need for change. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto.

Sanaa Ali-Mohammed is a PhD Candidate in the School of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Director of Programs at The Muslim Fund, which invests in the future of Muslim advocacy in Canada. Informed by her employment experiences in 2018 and 2019 in (white) settler philanthropy, Sanaa's dissertation studies the policy and organizational factors leading Canadian "racial justice" foundations to promote racial inequality in employment. Her broader research interests include coloniality within policy knowledge; critical nonprofit studies; race in the workplace; and access to resources for historically excluded communities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 is currently the Equity and Inclusion Consultant with the Limestone District School Board in Kingston. Andrea continues to participate in a number of different committees to dismantle anti-Black racism, most recently she has been a writer and presenter with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) for the "Addressing Anti-Black Racism" workshop. Andrea was a co-writer for the Anti-Black Racism AQ course at Queen's University where she is currently an instructor for part 1, 2, and the specialist course. Andrea is the Chair for the OSSTF Addressing Anti-Black Racism/Racism Committee and the Chair for the Ontario Federation of Secondary School Athletic Association Equity Committee. For the past 5 years, Andrea has been part of the Ophea Safety and Injury Prevention Advisory Committee and for 8 years she has been an Ophea Ambassador. She is also a Teacher Champion with the Canadian Red Cross delivering presentations on International Humanitarian Law and created lessons on Sexual Gender Based Violence in Armed Conflict.

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.

Haohao Chen (She/They)

Haohao is a second year master's student at OISE studying Social Justice Education. Their undergraduate background was in Philosophy and Environmental Geography at the University of Toronto, and their current research interests focus on queer theory and media analysis, theories of resistance, anti-capitalism, and critical/post-colonial theory, in part influenced by their own experiences of alienation/privilege living in the diaspora. Their thesis examines transgressive possibilities for resistance against hegemony within the genre of 'queer horror'. Outside of academia and their work as a graduate assistant for the Curriculum Inquiry journal at OISE, they are a part-time ESL/English tutor. In their free time, they enjoy watching films, figure skating, discovering new music, dissecting pop culture phenomena, and trying new foods.

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. Suparna Chatterjee is Associate Professor of Global Cultures and Sustainability at Xavier University, USA. She teaches in the Philosophy, Politics, and Public (PPP) honors program as well as in the Sustainability and International Business programs. Her research focuses on poverty, gender, social entrepreneurship (BOP), political economy of globalization, and sustainability. Her publications have appeared in journals like Human Relations, Organization Studies, and Organizations. She recently conducted a study on African students in India.

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.

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.

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. 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, bringing over 15 years of invaluable experience in the field of education. With advanced degrees from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and the University of Ghana, he combines a rich academic foundation with practical insights. Dr. Darko is at the forefront of research and teaching that focuses on inclusive education, innovative curriculum development, and the integration of Indigenous knowledge. His contributions in these areas not only elevate teaching practices but also inspire transformative learning experiences for students. As an accomplished author, his published works challenge conventional perspectives on education, encouraging educators and learners alike to think critically and creatively. Driven by a passion for exploring the intricate connections between sociology, education, and Indigenous systems across the world, Dr. Darko is committed to making a lasting impact in the education sector. Beyond teaching, he is a versatile researcher with diverse interests, including governance, health, religion and spirituality, economics, crime and deviance, environmental sustainability, and rehabilitation within the prison system. His multifaceted expertise positions him as a leading voice in addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time, making his work essential for anyone seeking to understand and improve educational practices globally.

See bio in the Leadership & Committee section.

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 Shkeezhigokwe (White Raven Woman with Turquoise eyes) AKA Zhaaw AKA Amy Desjarlais: Wasauksing First Nation, Ojibway/Bodwewotomi Anishinaabe. Amy is a Reiki practitioner and multidisciplinary artist who currently works at Toronto Metropolitan University in the Office of Indigenous Initiatives as Lead of the Rebirthed Teachings Working Group. A group of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous staff working together to educate about our shared history together. Amy is an Instructor for Anishnawbe Health Toronto's Community Health Worker Training Program. She's an executive board member at the Centre for World Indigenous Studies. She has been a language learner for most of her life, recently starting conversational Anishinaabemowin during COVID with Ninaatigoons Learning. Now in its fifth season, Giinwi Ntam wii-Nishnaabemying is a study group she founded with other Ninaatigoons intermediate learners. Amy is also a member of Spiritwind singers with performances all over Tkaronto as a group and individual hand drummer.

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.

Dr. Sandra Dixon (pronouns she/her) is a Registered Psychologist in Alberta, a Certified Professional Life Coach, and an Associate Professor in the University of Lethbridge's (UofL) Faculty of Education. She also serves as a Research Affiliate with the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy and as an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Scholar. Driven by a passion for social justice, Dr. Dixon's research focuses on culturally responsive counselling practices, cultural identity reconstruction, and ethnocultural diversity issues, including the intersectionality of spirituality, class, race, and gender. Her work aims to support the well-being and empowerment of Black and racialized communities. Dr. Dixon is a recipient of several awards, including the 2026 UofL Black Student Association Academic Excellence Award, Psychologists' Association of Alberta (PAA) Juanita Chambers Excellence in Community Service Award, PAA Excellence in Teaching Psychology Award, UofL EDI Scholar Award, and others, recognizing her contributions to community service, teaching, and research.

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.

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 research explores the intersections of Africana Studies, Black aesthetics, and the politics of visual culture. She is particularly interested in provocative contemporary art and the ways it challenges dominant narratives about Black creators and audiences. Committed to decolonizing art history, her work examines how irony, satire, and self-reflexivity function as aesthetic strategies to reclaim agency and resist ideological co-optation.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mr. Don Howell (He/Him/His)

Don Howell has extensive experience as a Saint Lucian educator and an advocate for educational development. He held several leadership positions, including serving as Principal of Saint Mary's College in Saint Lucia. 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), School of Education, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. Don Howell holds a Bachelor of Education with specialisation in Educational Administration and a Master of Arts in Digital Technologies, Communication and Education. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus specializing in Social Context and Education Policy, and his research provides an evaluation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Policy in Saint Lucia. Other research interests include policy research, development and evaluation, and media and technology in education.

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.

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.

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.

Cristina Jaimungal (CJ) is a PhD candidate (ABD) in the Department of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. She is an educator, author, editor, and independent research consultant from Trinidad and Tobago. Her research explores how language, race, colonialism, and power shape English language education and teacher certification programs globally. Grounded in critical language theory, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and decolonial praxis, Cristina brings a scholar-activist lens to her teaching, writing, research, and facilitation. She is not just an academic, but a cycle breaker and an unstoppable force in the world of global education, drawing on rigorous analysis and lived experience to advance anti-racism and decolonial ways of teaching, learning, and knowing across transnational contexts. Beyond academia, she is also a creator and producer who approaches event production and content strategy as sites of storytelling, empowerment, and community building. When she is not writing, teaching, or organizing, you will likely find her immersed in all things music and events, curating and capturing spaces grounded in collective joy and freedom where people feel seen, free, and connected.

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.

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.

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.

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 (she/her/hers) is a Professor and Coordinator at the School of Early Childhood Education. Ce Cil was a Registered Early Childhood Educator at a Lab School for 10 plus years working with inner-city diverse communities. She has extensive experience with designing, assessing, and rethinking curriculum and pedagogy in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) as well as in Higher Education. Ce Cil has her MA in Education where her research included exploring Trauma-Informed Practice and Educator Well-Being. She is currently a PhD Student at Queen's University where her research study explores uncolonizing ECEC policies and legislation in Ontario. Ce Cil's interests and specialty include Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, and EDI principles.

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.

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.

Kathy C. Lewis (She/Her/Hers)

See bio in the Leadership & Committee section.

Joris Lechêne is a trainer in anti-racism, bias, privilege and decoloniality. Drawing on his lived experience of various marginalised identities at the intersections of race, neurodivergence, class and sexual orientation, he combines his practice of sociology with his lived experience navigating the colonial World to propose analytical frameworks, create workshops, content and strategies tackling the topics of systemic inequalities, 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.

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.

Mesha Maloney (She/They)

Mesha Maloney is a community builder who uses her background in Indigenous Visual Culture and Psychology to create initiatives focused on equity, accessibility, diversity and liberation. For over a decade, Mesha has used her lived experience as a survivor of international human sex-trafficking to provide community outreach and advocacy for Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ2S+ communities and people without housing. She is a strategist who collaborates with various non-profit, municipal, grassroots organizations, and international companies, including the United Nations, York University, and Special Olympics Canada. Her dedication has led her to serve on boards and panels such as the Toronto Police Service: Anti-Racism Advisory Board, Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Board, and Officer Training and Curriculum Development Panel. Additionally, she has served as a Director on an Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Board and has played a key role in developing the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Framework within the Board. Lastly, she is the Executive Director and Co-founder of the Children's Creative Village. A grass-roots organization that promotes a community-centric space where parents/caregivers can bring their children to connect to African and Caribbean culture through visual arts and storytelling while simultaneously engaging with green spaces. Her work is motivated by the bell hooks quote, "Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust."

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.

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.

Z. Mair is an emerging performance artist, dancer, dramaturg, and lifetime student, born and raised in Tkaronto. They helped co-found the performance installation group Boundary Conditions / Performance Assembly (2017) and was a member of [elephants] collective - an experimental theatre group - from 2019 to 2024. As a mixed-Black multiply disabled "woman", Z. continues to mask (N95) to prevent both contracting and transmitting disease - especially as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic goes unaddressed. Accessibility and anti-colonialism (including disease prevention) is an integral part of their (art)work and life. Both a francophone and ASL user, they have chosen to put their language skills towards supporting re-Indigenization and language reclamation. They began learning Anishinaabemowin in 2023 under Ninaatigoons Learning, and have continued as part of Giinwin ntam wii-Nishnaabemying. They currently work for Ninaatigoons Learning on social media.

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.

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.

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.

Kim Hong Nguyen (she/they) is a scholar of Vietnamese descent appointed as Associate Professor of Communication Arts/Gender and Social Justice, at the University of Waterloo. Nguyen's research has appeared in leading cultural studies journals including: Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, Cultural Politics, Howard Journal of Communication, and Communication, Culture, and Critique.

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.

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 a former linguist at the University of Chicago, who began learning Anishinaabemowin while living in Toronto. He started Giinwi Ntam wii-Nishnaabemying with Amy Desjarlais as a place to practice speaking and learning the language outside of the classroom. He currently works in non-profit tech, and when not stuck on a computer enjoys climbing rocks.

I am a settler-scholar currently living and working (mostly) on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Country. My PhD in Global, Urban and Social Studies (Political Theory and Sociology), followed from a BA (Hons) in International Studies. My research interests include critical approaches to the politics of recognition and reconciliation, Indigenous-settler relations, Indigenous policy, nation-building and social movements. I am also active in grass-roots community organising. I am fortunate to have worked with and learned from numerous communities across south-eastern and central Australia, and more recently Indigenous leaders from across Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Pacific. I am currently a Lecturer and Program Course Coordinator at 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sunandha Shanmugaraj (She/Her/Hers)

Sunandha Shanmugaraj is a doctoral student at Ontario Tech University specializing in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in education. With over ten years of experience, she has worked in schools across Canada, Rwanda, the UAE, and Mexico. She holds a Master of Education in Social Justice Education from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Education from Western University, and a Bachelor of Arts in French Studies from York University. Her research examines how mispronunciation, shortening, or renaming of South Asian students' names affects their identity, belonging, and wellbeing in the classroom. Outside of academia, Sunandha enjoys travelling, dancing, and baking.

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.

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.

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.

Andre Stephens (He/Him/His)

Andre Stephens is a prominent and passionate Jamaican, the founder and lead voice behind PDTV News Jamaica. PD TV News is a fast-growing digital news and commentary platform that has become a major space for public discourse, civic engagement, and social justice advocacy in Jamaica. Through his platform, Stephens has positioned himself as the 'people's defender' using independent media to amplify citizens' concerns and challenge political power structures and governance through open dialogue and live public participation. Central to his work, is a commitment to social justice advocacy and public accountability. Through his evocative storytelling skills, he constantly highlights issues affecting everyday Jamaicans: rising costs of living, public sector efficiency and transparency, crime and policing, electoral processes, and general trust in governance. Stephens' broadcasts emphasize audience participation, encourage callers and viewers to question narratives, present evidence, and engage critically with national issues. Beyond commentary, Stephens and PD TV News have also served as a mobilizing platform for community support initiatives including disaster relief efforts particularly during Hurricane Melissa, scholarships, and numerous other donation drives. These initiatives underscore Stephen's positioning not only as a commentator but as a community organizer, using new media for tangible impact. Whether praised for giving voice to marginalized persons, or critiqued for his confrontational style, Andre Stephens remains an undeniable force in Jamaica's new media evolution. His work through PD TV News has reshaped how many Jamaicans engage with politics and governance, less as passive consumers and more as active participants in the national dialogue.

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.

Dr Dom Jackson-Cole, SFHEA (he/they) is currently a Lecturer in Education at the University of Derby, UK. He has worked in UK higher education since 2007 in the fields of widening participation and equality, diversity and inclusion, and combines practitioner, researcher and policymaker experiences. His research interests are in race, racism, whiteness, antiracism and decoloniality in higher education. While at Kingston University he helped the institution become a nationwide leader in closing the racialised degree awarding gap. He was part of the Universities UK's Advisory Board which published a nationwide guidance on preventing and tackling racial harassment on campus. He is a member of the Steering Group of the Decoloniality in UK Higher Education Network (DiHEN).

Dr Lucia Kula is a lecturer in Law and Gender at SOAS, University of London and an international human rights lawyer. Her research adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the interrogation of law, borders, gendered violence, and decolonising legal scholarship. As a former refugee from Angola, she employs (auto)ethnography to centre the lived realities of irregular migrant and refugee women within the African context. Her work has an intersectional focus on women and gender expansive identities and their lived realities. She convenes the LLM Law and Gender programme, and she is part of the Leadership Team in the Feminist Centre for Racial Justice at SOAS. She also consults for other Higher Education institutions in the UK on Race Equity and Decolonising The Academy.

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.

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.

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.

Sabeen Siddiqui is a Master's student at Columbia University's department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies. Her research focuses on literary and spatial testimonies of innovation during conflict in the Middle East. She is committed to utilizing interdisciplinary methods and evidence to reconstruct histories of those on the peripheries of traditional historical 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.