ɫ

EDI Week 2024

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Week 2024

March 4th - 8th, 2024

Envisioning Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable FuturesAhead of Tomorrow

Celebrate the ɫ's commitment toward advancing equity, diversity and inclusion by participating inEDI Week2024. The theme for this year's EDI Week is “Envisioning Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable Futures Ahead ofTomorrow.”

Hosted by theOffice of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, EDI Week is an annual week-long series of educational and community engagement events offered by faculties, departments, research institutes, administrative units and member associations across UCalgary's campuses.

Join the UCalgary community in celebratingEDIWeek 2024 by participating in various workshops and lectures on wide-rangingtopics that examine developing EDI plans for Tri-Council funding applications, biases in exam and test design, Black and racializedminority experiences in higher education, Indigenous futurism, diversity in sustainability, STEM moms, the imagination gap, feminine heroes in scripture,inclusive hiring and much more.

Community resources for well-being

A resource listing to provide our diverse UCalgary and local Calgary community with a comprehensive list of resources for well-being and quality of life.

Created and managed by the Campus Mental Health Strategy team, this resource matrix was guided by the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion with feedback and direction from the EDI Network.

UCalgary

Monday


March 4

An Open Conversation: Graduate students reflect on opportunities for change

Hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

A speaker panel geared towards having an open and honest conversation with graduate students with various lived experiencesabouttheir daily realities with graduate education and opportunities for change.We look forward to seeing students, staff, faculty members, and leaders involved in graduate education there!

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Monday, March 4, 2024
12 - 1.30 p.m. MT
In-person
Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking
Collision Space (4th floor, Hunter Student Commons)
460 Campus Lane NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4

Alex Paquette

Alex Paquette, Ph.D. in the Department of Energy, Earth, and Environment, Faculty of Science

Karina Hincapié Martinez, PhD Candidate. School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures

Karina Hincapié Martinez, PhD Candidate. School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures

Jamie Anderson

Jamie Anderson, queer and trans educator, doctoral candidate in the PhD Curriculum and Learning program, Werklund School of Education

Alex Paquette received a B.Sc. in Biology and a M.Sc. in Cell and Systems Biology from the University of Toronto. He is completing his Ph.D. in the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment at the ɫ, where his research encompasses microalgal biotechnology, microbiology, and renewable energy. A lex has held student leadership positions at the University of Toronto Mississauga and the ɫ through his roles on the graduate students’ associations. Alex brings an array of experiences in student affairs through his positions with Residence Services and Schulich School of Engineering and his current role as a Student Engagement Specialist for the WIL for Neurodiverse Students Initiative at the ɫ. He has a keen interest in providing academic support and facilitating professional development and experiential learning opportunities for students. Alex is also passionate about supporting and advocating for postsecondary students with disabilities. His passion stems from his lived experiences navigating postsecondary education as a neurodivergent individual.
My research focuses on the representation of vulnerability and women’s sense of belonging in recent Latin American cinema. I am a fierce advocate of inmigrants communities at the UofC, particularly strengthening these communities’ connection to organized labour. Currently, I am the Vice Chair EDI/International for the Graduate Labour Union of the GSA. I have also been a Project Lead of community engagement initiatives at the Language Research Centre, Institute for the Humanities (CIH) and art spaces, including Esker Foundation and SpanicArts.
Jamie Anderson is a queer and trans educator and doctoral candidate in the PhD Curriculum and Learning program at the Werklund School of Education. They have been a teacher and educational consultant for 12+ years in the K-12 education system and an advocate for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in the health and education sectors. Their research examines the heteronormative constructions of teacher professionalism and seeks to understand the myriad ways that 2SLGBTQIA+ educators resist and queer notions of teacher professionalism in Canadian schools.

Understanding Truth and Reconciliation - CANCELLED

This session is presented by the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre (ACLRC).

Understanding Truth and Reconciliation" explains the basic concepts of Truth and Reconciliation from the arrival of colonial settlers to today's efforts to make amends for human rights injustices against Canada's Indigenous people. The purpose of the video is to educate and inform Canadians about Truth and Reconciliation and explore ways to create a better future for Canada's Indigenous people.

Monday, March 4, 2024
12 - 1 p.m. MT

This event is cancelled due to measures beyond our control. Thank you for understanding.

Cheryle Chagnon Greyeyes Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes is a proud Nehiyaw Esquao (Cree Woman), a member of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, Treaty Six, and Métis. Her ceremonially gifted Cree name translates to “Healing Woman Who Walks Far”, and she has resided in Calgary, Treaty 7, Alberta, since 1993. Cheryle has been an Indigenous activist within Calgary and area for the past two decades, speaking, marching, singing and drumming for women, MMIWG2S/Sisters in Spirit/Justice for Jackie Crazybull, Indigenous Justice, championing the environment and equality, and speaking up for those who cannot. Recognized as a Traditional Knowledge Keeper, Cree Elder and Pipe Carrier, Cheryle provides service sharing Indigenous protocol, Territorial Acknowledgements, Medicine Wheel Teachings, Indigenous cultural teachings and stories, prayers and ceremony (upon request). She is a member of the Storytellers of Canada and Storytelling Alberta as an Indigenous storyteller and performer.
Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes

Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes is a proud Nehiyaw Esquao (Cree Woman), a member of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, Treaty Six, and Métis.


We are not all the same

A Blackfoot social worker’s lived experience with pan-indigenism in social work practice

This session is presented by Kiipitakyoyis, Faculty of Social Work.

Shawn Singer is Blackfoot from the Kanai Nation, BSW, MEd, with a long career in social work on and off reserve. He holds the EDI portfolio as an Indigenous Relations Consultant at the Indigenous Relations Office, City of Calgary. Kiipitakyoyis at the Faculty of Social Work has invited Shawn to speak about pan-indigenism in the practice of social work. The 1.5-hour event will take place at the Kiipitakyoyis Lodge, where Shawn will sit in a circle with 30 social work students and faculty members, share his lived experience with pan-indigenism in social work practice and have a conversation with attendees about the challenges and assumptions made about Indigenous people.

This hybrid event will include a webinar format, allowing students and faculty members from the Faculty of Social Work Edmonton and Lethbridge campuses to participate through a screen assembled at the Kiipitakyoyis Lodge. There will be registration for in-person attendance at the Calgary campus and online attendance at the Edmonton and Lethbridge campuses. Given that many social work graduates will likely work with Indigenous people due to the social problems caused by the legacy of colonization in Indigenous communities, it will be important for students to learn about the diversity of Indigenous people so that they don’t continue pan-indigenism in their social work practice.

This session is open to anyone in the university community.

Monday, March 4, 2024
1 - 2.30 p.m. MT
Hybrid - 3rd floor MacKimmie Tower, UCalgary Campus (Kiipitakyoyis)

Naatoyi’ikinasoyi, also known as Shawn Singer, hails from the Kainai nation within the Blackfoot Confederacy, where he was born and raised. Currently employed as an Indigenous Relations Consultant with the City of Calgary since June 2021, his role encompasses various portfolios such as Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDIB) and Indigenous engagement, among others. In addition to his consultancy duties, he provides guidance on local Indigenous history, language, land, and Blackfoot ontology. Educationally, Naatoyi’ikinasoyi holds a Bachelor of Social Work and a master’s degree in education from the ɫ. With over two decades of experience in social work, his focus has expanded to include educating others about Blackfoot history, language, and relational dynamics, alongside storytelling. He actively facilitates educational opportunities for city employees in these areas. His recent research has delved into the history and cultural significance of Blackfoot 2-Spirit individuals, uncovering historical accounts and specific gender names. Naatoyi’ikinasoyi is enthusiastic about how this traditional knowledge can enhance and promote a more inclusive Blackfoot spiritual practice. Furthermore, he is fluent in the Blackfoot language and engages in artistic pursuits, reflecting his cultural heritage and personal expression.
Shawn Singer

Shawn Singer, Indigenous Relations Consultant, Indigenous Relations Office, City of Calgary


Start Here: Building and Presenting your EDI plan for Tri-Council Funding Applications

This session is co-presented and co-facilitated by Research Services Office staff members from the External Grants Team and the Institutional Programs Division.

Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility are increasingly recognized as central to research excellence. Each of the tri-council funding agencies now requires researchers to present EDI action plans for some – if not all – funding opportunities. Careful consideration of each concept can augment the sophistication of research design, inform elevated practices in mentorship and governance, and contribute to institutional and broader efforts to increase the representation and advancement of members of equity-deserving groups in the research ecosystem. This session is a compact primer, providing researchers from all disciplines and career stages with research and practice-informed tips to approach the design, implementation, and articulation of EDI actions in the context of research funding.

Learning Outcomes

Participants in this session will gain:

  1. An understanding of how EDI is tied to research excellence
  2. Initial and essential learning required to develop an authentic, high-impact EDI plan in their own research program/team
  3. Skills to address EDI-related requirements and avoid common issues in tri-council funding applications.

Monday, March 4, 2024
1.30 - 3 p.m. MT
Virtual

image holder - UCalgary logo

Implicit Bias in Medicine

Presented by the Cumming School of Medicine; Office of Faculty Development and Performance

As members of the CSM community, we should all be aware of implicit biases, especially as they pertain to our context(s) or role(s) here at the school and how it affects our work and learning: how to recognize implicit bias, reflect on your own biases, and identify strategies to mitigate bias.

At the end of this workshop, participants will have learned to:

  1. Describe types of implicit bias and their impact
  2. Identify personal implicit biases
  3. Develop strategies to mitigate implicit biases

Monday, March 4, 2024
1 - 3 p.m. MT
Virtual

Implicit Bias in Medicine

When assessment practices create inequities: Biases embedded in exam and test designs

This session is presented by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

Assessments are a critical component of the students’ learning experience but rarely looked at through a lens of EDI. There is clear research that show that test formats and restrictions impact marginalized and underrepresented student groups resulting in lower academic performance (Tai et al, 2022).

In this workshop, participants will be challenged to consider the ability biases associated with exam and test designs. They will consider how exam designs may negatively impact students based on gender, race, country of origin, mental health, or disability. UDL-inspired exam practices will be presented as well as alternative assessment practices.

Monday, March 4, 2024
2 - 3 p.m. MT
Virtual

Lorelei has extensive experience teaching and working online in higher education settings. Since 2011, Lorelei has worked in adult and online learning with the ɫ and has participated in online courses both as a student, having completed her Master’s online, and as an instructor.

In addition to her online work within the Business and Professional Programs courses, Lorelei works as a learning and instructional design specialist (blended and online learning) with the Taylor Institute at the ɫ.

In this role, she facilitates the development of new online courses and workshops and provides support to instructional staff who are teaching blended and online courses.

Dr. Brenda McDermott completed her PhD in Communication Studies in 2015. She has a passion for improving the student experience, working in student service roles at Carleton University, York University, and ɫ. In particular, these roles involved working in student learning support, specifically writing development.

Currently, she works with Student Accessibility Services, collaborating with faculty members to ensure that exam accommodations requirements are met. When not working and teaching, Brenda likes looking into new educational technology tools, such as Kurzweil or Articulate Storyline.

Lorelei Anselmo, MEd

Lorelei Anselmo, Learning and Instructional Design Specialist, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, TI Learning Technology and Design Team

Dr. Brenda McDermott, PhD

Dr. Brenda McDermott, Senior Manager - Student Access Services, Student and Enrolment Services


LGBTQIA2S and Allies Abroad

This session will be supported by the Q Centre.

Join us for an information session on navigating your queer identity/creating safe spaces as an ally while travelling and studying abroad! This session will take a look at safety and resources abroad, allyship and creating queer-friendly spaces, navigating mental health as a queer person abroad, intersectionality, and UCalgary resources.

Monday, March 4, 2024
3 - 4 p.m. MT
In-person - The location will be updated shortly

Pride Parade in London, UK

Pride Parade in London, UK


NICE Workshop for Faculty & Staff: Creating a Sensory-Friendly Environment

​This is part of the Neurodiversity Immersive Campus Experience (NICE), Student Success Centre. A Quality Money project brought to you by your Students’ Union.

Join Faith, a NICE Student Mentor, who will provide a Neurodivergent student perspective for faculty & staff. This online session is 75 minutes and will provide an overview of what sensory processing means and provide examples of students’ sensory experiences, alongside suggestions for how to create a sensory-friendly environment!

Monday, March 4, 2024
3 - 4.15 p.m. MT
Virtual

NICE Workshop

Out in Business Panel + Pizza

This session is presented by the Business Pride Club (BPC) and the Haskayne School of Business.

The Business Pride Club (BPC), in collaboration with the Haskayne School of Business, is hosting an EDI panel discussion in celebration of EDI week at the ɫ. Join us and our panelists as we discuss topics surrounding navigating your queer (or 2SLGBTQA+) identity in the workplace, how workplaces can implement/improve EDI programs from a 2SLGBTQA+ lens, and the future of EDI in the corporate world!

Pizza will be provided during the event.

March 4th, 2024
4 - 5:30 p.m. MT
In-person - The Forum, 3rd floor Scurfield Hall, ɫ

Out in Business Panel + Pizza
Alison Ngo

Alison Ngo, Senior Strategy Analyst, Accenture in Calgary

Alex Gysen

Alex Gysen, TD’s Regional Manager 2SLGBTQ+ Business Development, Prairie Region

Nina Singh

Nina Singh, Associate ConsultantAssociate Consultant, IBM

Alison Ngo graduated from the Haskayne School of Business with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance in Spring 2020. During her time at Haskayne, Alison was the Director of Finance, Director of Client Relations, and the Co-President of the Haskayne Consulting Club (now UCCA). She was also a JDC West delegate for Team Haskayne in 2018 and competed in various other case competitions during her time at the ɫ. Some of these competitions include the Global Case Competition at Harvard, the National Investment Banking Competition & Conference, the Ted Rogers Ethical Leadership Case Competition, and more.

During her professional career, Alison has held multiple part-time and summer jobs at Deloitte, Tangerine, and Hooligan Consulting Managing Services. She is currently a Senior Strategy Analyst for Accenture in Calgary.

As the Regional Manager of 2SLGBTQ+ Business Development, Alex Gysen plays a pivotal role in serving as a trusted liaison between TD and the 2SLGBTQ+ community. With a profound understanding of the community, Alex focuses on cultivating robust relationships with its members to thoroughly understand their financial needs and objectives.

Working closely with talented colleagues across various business lines, including Personal Banking, Business Banking, and TD Wealth, Alex contributes to delivering superior advice and service to 2SLGBTQ+ clients. Engaging with the broader community regularly, Alex actively supports and volunteers with local grassroots organizations to stay informed about relevant news and developments.

Albertan born-and-raised. he is passionate about hiking on weekends, running ultramarathons, Formula 1, the Calgary Flames, the banking industry, being a good partner to his husband, being an activist in/for the LGBTQ2S+ community, and being a good leader.

Tuesday


March 5

Principled Transdisciplinary Scholarship: Scaffolding EDI into the Future of Research

Presented by the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship.

Learn about the value of EDI principles and practices in transdisciplinary scholarship. Discover how to engage minority experiences and promote inclusive experiences in transdisciplinary scholarship to cooperatively acquire and produce new knowledge and build community relationships. ​

Kick off your morning with UCalgary scholars working with EDI and transdisciplinary scholarship. Dr Pallavi Banerjee (Professor of Sociology), Dr. Yahya El-Lahib (Professor of Social Work), and Dr. Laleh Behjat (NSERC Prairie Chair for WISE) will discuss how to integrate diverse perspectives and foster inclusive environments in transdisciplinary scholarship activities. You will also have the opportunity to participate in an online Q & A session with the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship.

​Topics covered in this webinar include: ​

  • Ways to bring all voices and perspectives to the table
  • How to integrate EDI practices to help build strong community relationships
  • ​ɫ dedication to engaging underrepresented groups, alumni, local organizations, students, and other partners in transdisciplinary scholarship ​

We are excited to have you join us to delve into the essence of EDI practice and its transformative potential in fostering equitable and inclusive relationships in transdisciplinary scholarship.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
9 - 10.30 a.m. MT
Virtual

I am a sociologist of families, gender and immigration, and I work as an Associate Professor of Sociology at the ɫ. My pronouns are she/her in support of all gender-inclusive pronouns. I received my Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago in December of 2012.

Previously, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Sociology Department at Vanderbilt University from spring of 2013 until summer of 2015. My research interests lie at the intersections of sociology of families, immigration, labour, gender, transnationalism and critical feminist theories. I live in Calgary with my partner and our little cat child Chulbul.

Dr. Yahya El-Lahib came to the Faculty of Social Work, ɫ after finishing his PhD at the School of Social Work, McMaster University. As a long time disability activist, Yahya’s research, practice and policy background has centred on working on disability issues at all levels of intervention, from frontline work with individuals and families, to community practice, policy development, and research on a variety of issues including education, employment, poverty, political and civic engagement, as well as the impacts of war. Throughout this involvement, Yahya has been closely affiliated with the disability movement in Lebanon working from a grassroots social justice approach which has allowed him to bring to his current community involvement, teaching and research in Canada a critical transnational dimension to social work.

Dr. Laleh Behjat is the program founder for the Women in Science and Engineering for a Diverse and Sustainable Planet (WISE Planet) program and a professor at the Schulich School of Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering. In 2020,

Dr. Behjat was awarded the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering. She has won multiple awards, including the Women in Engineering and Geoscience Champion Award from APEGA in 2015, the ASTech Leadership Excellence in Science and Technology Promotion Award in 2017, and her appointment as a Canadian Academy of Engineering Fellow in 2023.

Dr. Behjat is a passionate advocate for women in science and engineering and is dedicated to eliminating systemic barriers to their advancement.

Dr. Paliavi Banerjee, Sociologist of Migration, Gender, Families & Intersectionality, Associate Professor of Sociology, ɫ

Dr. Paliavi Banerjee, Sociologist of Migration, Gender, Families & Intersectionality, Associate Professor of Sociology, ɫ

Dr. Yahya El-Lahib

Dr. Yahya El-Lahib, Associate Professor, PhD/MSW Thesis Program Coordinator, Faculty of Social Work

Dr. Laleh Behjat, Professor, Schulich School of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Software Engineering and NSERC Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering

Dr. Laleh Behjat, Professor, Schulich School of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Software Engineering and NSERC Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering


Exploring the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)

This session is presented by the Knowledge Engagement team in the Research Services Office.

Assessments shape research careers, institutional decisions, and academic cultures. How and what we assess makes a difference. is a global initiative to encourage the development and promotion of best practices in the evaluation of researchers and the outputs of scholarly research. The ɫ signed DORA in January 2021, joining thousands of institutions and individuals globally.Major Canadian funders such as NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC, Canadian Foundation for Innovation and Genome Canada have also signed DORA.

This session will introduce the limitations of traditional research assessment practices, DORA’s recommendations on research assessment, and steps the ɫ and others are taking toward more responsible, balanced, and transparent assessment practices.

Speakers:

  • Stephanie Warner (she/her), Manager, Knowledge Engagement
  • Fei Shu (he/him), Consultant, Research Assessment
  • Rachel Ratz Lubashevsky (she/her), Specialist, Research Assessment

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
9.30 - 10.30 a.m. MT
Virtual

Stephanie Warner (she/her), Manager, Knowledge Engagement

Stephanie Warner (she/her), Manager, Knowledge Engagement

Fei Shu (he/him), Consultant, Research Assessment

Fei Shu (he/him), Consultant, Research Assessment

Rachel Ratz Lubashevsky (she/her), Specialist, Research Assessment

Rachel Ratz Lubashevsky (she/her), Specialist, Research Assessment


Equitable Pathways: The 3M Approach to EDIA in Post-Secondary Education

Presented by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

This session explores Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility through a 3-tier—Macro, Meso, and Micro—dynamic and critically oriented framework for higher education. The 3M framework offers concrete actions and resources at each level, building upon a research-informed, situated, relational, and community-oriented approach to EDIA.

Participants will gain insights into developing critical self-reflexivity and community partnerships when engaging in curricular and pedagogical practices, articulating EDIA as an ethically grounded co-intentional endeavour. By exploring the Macro, Meso, and Micro levels of the EDIA Roadmap, participants and educators may embed equitable and inclusive practices and also identify and reduce inequity gaps within their fields and institutional culture.

The session encourages participants to join in the ongoing creative and courageous work of fostering social justice through transformative partnerships in teaching and learning. Learning Outcomes: (1) Gain an understanding of program development from an EDIA lens (2) Explore advancing EDIA using the 3M framework (3) Engage in critical reflection.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
10.30 - 11.45 a.m. MT
Virtual

As an educational development consultant at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, Dr. Fouzia Usman works to advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) initiatives across the ɫ’s teaching and learning communities. She works with individuals and groups on incorporating EDI values and principles, including anti-racist practices, in postsecondary teaching and learning contexts. She also provides support as an academic staff member by facilitating programs related to the Taylor Institute’s Certificates in University Teaching and Learning. These include leading the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Badge for Graduate and Post Doctoral Fellows and the recently launched Anti-Racism in Teaching and Learning Badge for faculty members.

Dr. Usman is one of the primary contacts for inquiries related to EDIA and Anti-racism in teaching and learning, and is excited to collaborate with campus community members to take this work forward. For this reason, she also serves as a co-lead for the EDI in Teaching and Learning Working Group, which is part of the Presidential Taskforce on EDIA.

Dr. Usman is interested in promoting anti-oppression pedagogical practices at the postsecondary level, and her research interests include decentering whiteness in curriculum, anti-oppression pedagogy, equity and inclusivity in teaching and learning, and intercultural competency among faculty members.

Jaime is a third-year Ph.D. student at Werklund, where his passion for critical pedagogy leads him to explore the possibilities of enacting sociopolitical educational hope and radical love as professional development frameworks in teacher-learning communities.

His research endeavours have gravitated around popular education and social inclusion, dialogic pedagogies, transformative and emancipatory education, language teaching, curriculum design, and arts-based learning. Jaime has more than ten years of teaching experience in K-12 schools in Colombia and the U.S.

He is currently involved in various research projects exploring various topics, such as sustainable socioecological governance and transdisciplinary collaborations, SoTL, academic integrity, and youth well-being.

Fouzia M. Usman, PhD (she/her) pronounced: Fa -oo- zee-yah  Educational Development Consultant (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

Dr. Fouzia M. Usman, Educational Development Consultant (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) | Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

Jaime A. Parades is a third-year PhD student at Werklund School of Education

Jaime A. Parades, third-year PhD student | Werklund School of Education


Fostering Systems Change

Black in this City Series – Investigating Black Resilience Through a Transdisciplinary Lens is presented in partnership with the UCalgary Alumni, the Black Alumni Network and presented by Innovate Calgary | Social Innovation Hub, UCalgary.

Join us at the Social Innovation Hub to deep dive into Fostering Systems Change with Irvine Carvery & Liza Arnason. Together, we’ll delve into the journeys of Irvine Carvery, President of the Africville Genealogy Society, and Liza Arnason, CEO of Arnason Consulting.

In partnership with the UCalgary Alumni and the Black Alumni Network, and moderated by Jerome Morgan, Associate Director of the Social Innovation Hub, the discussion will focus on their impactful contributions to systems innovation. Irvine’s role in reclaiming Africville’s land and Liza’s dedication to equity in education and disability promise an enlightening conversation.

Gain insights into community-driven innovation from these distinguished speakers.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
11 - 1.30 p.m. MT
Social Innovation Hub - Unit #290, 3553 31 St NW Calgary, AB T2L 2K7

Irvine has been active in his community for over 50 years fostering social change. He led the AGS to a successful negotiation with the city, resulting in land being returned to the people of Africville. He oversaw the rebuilding of the church in Africville that serves as a museum telling the story of his community. He also serves as Co-Chair of the African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity, an organization dedicated to the economic and social well-being of the African Communities within Halifax Regional Municipality.
Liza Arnason’s academic journey began at the ɫ, later augmented with the cornerstone of her work as an educator, administrator, and community advocate. Her depth of knowledge and expertise is informed by her lived experiences, research and policy initiatives, and work experience over 30 years. Liza draws on critical pedagogy, including Black Feminism, disability justice, and the Critical Black Feminist Disability framework, to inform community-based research and impact policy change. Liza is a social entrepreneur championing equity and inclusion. She unapologetically brings the lived experiences of those intersectional experiences of race, gender, and disability to the “table,” identifying nuances, gaps, and disparities within systems, structures, and research. Through collective leadership and mentorship across Canada, Liz continues to design and advocate for new models and systems that will affect real change. Master of Arts in Sociology and Equity Studies in Education from the University of Toronto at the OISE. Liz is the Owner and Principal of Arnason Consulting, Chair of the UCalgary Black Alumni Network, the founder and Chair of the Ase Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities, and above all, a mom, grandma, and mentor. Liza’s commitment to the principles of “nothing without us” and “for us, by us” has always been central to her work.
Irvine Carvery, President of the Africville Genealogy Society

Irvine Carvery, President, Africville Genealogy Society

Liza Arnason, CEO of Arnason Consulting

Liza Arnason, Principal, Chief Education Arnason Consulting Inc., Sessional Lecturer, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Founder and Chair, ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities

Dr. Rachel Zellars

Presented by The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is excited to announce that on March 5, we will have an EDI Week 2024 keynote presentation featuring Dr. Rachel Zellars, Dr. Shawna Cunningham, and Dr. Malinda S. Smith to commemorate International Women's Day, which is held annually on March 8. This year’sInternational Women’s Day theme is “Inspire Inclusion.”

Helping us to inspire inclusion this year will be four empowering Canadianrenowned women academic leaderswho will explore dimensions of, and challenges to, meaningful inclusion in the public service, organizational structures, and institutional leadership.

  • Blessing offeredby Elder Colleen Sitting Eagle
  • Two Myths: Merit and Black Exceptionalism by Dr. Rachel Zellars, JD, PhD Associate Professor at Saint Mary's University
  • Inclusion in Organizational Structures: An Indigenous Perspective by Dr. Shawna Cunningham, EdD, Acting (Vice Provost (Indigenous Engagement) and Director of the Indigenous Strategy, ɫ
  • EnGendering Equity Beyond Tokenism and Symbolic Inclusion by Dr. Malinda S. Smith, PhD, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), ɫ

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
12 - 1.30 p.m. MT
Virtual

Dr. Shawna Cunningham (she/her)

Dr. Shawna Cunningham (EdD), Métis/Cree, Acting (Vice Provost (Indigenous Engagement) and Director of the Indigenous Strategy

Malinda S. Smith, PhD, LLD (Hon) (She/Her) Vice Provost (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) and Associate Vice-President Research (EDI) Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI)

Dr. Malinda S. Smith, LLD, Vice Provost (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) and Associate Vice-President Research (EDI), Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI)

Elder Colleen Sitting Eagle

Elder Colleen Sitting Eagle

Dr. Rachel Zellars is a distinguished scholar, educator, and social justice advocate whose work at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, has left a profound impact on the fields of law, race, and social justice. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Justice and Community Studies, Dr. Zellars brings a unique blend of academic expertise, community engagement, and activism to her role.

With a deep commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship, Dr. Zellars earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Harvard Law School, where she developed a keen understanding of the legal system and its implications for marginalized communities. She later pursued graduate studies in African American Studies and Education at Harvard University, further refining her scholarly interests in critical race theory, black feminism, and social movements.

Dr. Zellars' teaching portfolio encompasses a diverse range of courses, including Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Thought, Social Justice Praxis, and Law and Society. Through her dynamic and engaging pedagogy, she challenges students to critically examine systems of power and privilege, while also nurturing their capacity for empathy, dialogue, and transformative action.

In addition to her role as an educator, Dr. Zellars is an accomplished researcher whose work interrogates the intersections of race, law, and social inequality. Her scholarship has been published in prestigious academic journals and edited volumes, and she is widely recognized for her contributions to the fields of critical race studies and legal theory.

Beyond the academy, Dr. Zellars is deeply committed to community engagement and activism. She has worked closely with grassroots organizations, legal clinics, and social justice initiatives, leveraging her expertise to advocate for policy reforms and systemic change. Her activism is informed by a deep sense of justice and a belief in the power of collective action to create a more equitable and inclusive society.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to scholarship and social justice advocacy, Dr. Zellars has been honored with numerous awards and accolades, including the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the President's Award for Outstanding Research. She continues to inspire and empower students, colleagues, and community members alike, as she works tirelessly to advance the cause of justice and equity in academia and beyond.

Dr. Shawna Cunningham (EdD), Métis/Cree from Southern Alberta, is the Acting (Vice Provost (Indigenous Engagement) and Director of the Indigenous Strategy focused on implementation. Shawna has been with the ɫ for over 20 years, serving in a previous role as director of the Indigenous student centre (now Writing Symbols Lodge) at the ɫ.

Shawna was one of four co-chairs responsible for the development of the Indigenous Strategy ii’ taa’poh’to’p at ɫ and has worked in the field of Indigenous post-secondary education for thirty years, with expertise in Indigenous student services.

Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and professor of political science.

Dr. Smith holds a PhD in political science from the University of Alberta, an MA, a Master of Development Administration, and a BA magna cum laude in political science and criminal justice from Western Michigan University. She is a co-author ofThe Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities(2017), co-editor ofNuances of Blackness in the Canadian Academy(UofT Press, 2022), editor of three books on Africa, includingSecuring Africa: Post-9/11 Discourses on Terrorism(2010), as well as co-editor ofCritical Concepts: An Introduction to Politics, 6/E under revision with OUP (2022); andStates of Race: Critical Race Feminism for the 21st Century(2010).

Dr. Smith serves on several national bodies, including the SSHRC Council and Executive and Statistics Canada’s Immigration and Ethnocultural Committee.

Dr. Smith is a 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow and the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including Compelling Calgarians (2021), the Susan S. Northcutt Award from the International Studies Association (2020), 100 Accomplished Black Women Honouree (2020), the Rosalind Smith Professional Award (2020), the ISA-Canada Distinguished Scholar Award (2018-19), the HSBC Community Contributor of the Year Award (2016); and the Equity Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (2015).

learn more

Oki Niistowoak Siipiyanatohkomiaaki.
Kitohkanaiksimmatsimmohpowawa.

Elder Colleen Sitting Eagle has worked with young people all their working years in many different but similar aspects. From being a Youth Camp Coordinator, Youth Prevention Juvenile Counsellor, Crime Prevention with Gleichen R.C.M.P. and Blackfoot Tribal Police, Researcher for Siksika Culture and Heritage to being a Language Teacher/Liaison for Siksika Schools.

Colleen learned her Siksika history from her late parents and the honour of working with knowledgeable elders.She was one of the first groups from Siksika to be integrated to start her schooling in Strathmore, AB. She previously attended and continues to take courses from the ɫ.

She is gifted with two beautiful children after losing her son in 2022. She has six grandchildren ranging from 7 to 21 years old.


Indigenous 101: Past, Present, and Indigenous Futurism

This session is presented and facilitated by Keeta Gladue, Manager, Indigenous Research Support Team | Research Services

Join us for a captivating journey into the heart of Indigenous 101: Past, Present, and Indigenous Futurism, an event tailored for adult learners seeking a more profound understanding of Indigenous and Canadian history. Delve into the intricate tapestry of relationships between Indigenous and Canadian peoples, unravel the threads that weave through the land we inhabit, and explore essential considerations when engaging with Indigenous Peoples and communities.

We invite you to re-examine the narratives that shape our perceptions of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Where do these stories originate, and what enduring impact do they have on the way we perceive the world around us Through a dynamic blend of historical context, contemporary challenges, and a visionary gaze into Indigenous Futurism, this event aims to foster a deeper connection with the rich tapestry of Indigenous cultures. Gain insights into the resilience of Indigenous communities, confront the complexities of historical intersections, and envision a future that embraces the diversity and strength inherent in Indigenous worldviews.

Whether you are a student, educator, or community member, this session promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking experience. Join us as we embark on a journey of learning, reflection, and dialogue, fostering a more inclusive and informed perspective on Indigenous-Canadian relations. Together, let's challenge assumptions, honour diverse perspectives, and contribute to the collective understanding of our shared history and future.

If you have ever wanted to learn more about Indigenous history, the relationships between Indigenous and Canadian peoples, more about the land we live on or considerations when working with Indigenous peoples on campus, this presentation is for you!

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
1 - 3 p.m. MT
Virtual

Keeta Gladue, Cree + Métis, serves as the Manager of the Indigenous Research Support Team in Research Services. Her role is to support ethical, community engaged research with Indigenous Peoples and communities at the ɫ. She also collaborates with Senior Leadership to ensure research at UCalgary is in alignment with ​ii' taa'poh'to'p and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. ​ ​

As an Indigenous researcher, her fields of study are post-secondary student mental health and wellness, Truth and Reconciliation in higher education, and Indigenizing academic integrity.

A two-time TEDx speaker, Keeta seeks to spark change and inspire momentum toward a shared future of equitable flourishing and excellence in research.

Keeta Gladue - Cree + Métis, Keeta Gladue serves as the Manager of the Indigenous Research Support Team in Research Services.

Keeta Gladue, Manager, Indigenous Research Support Team | Research Services


GSA Intersectionality Symposium 2024

Presented by the Graduate Students' Association, UCalgary.

The 2024 Intersectionality Symposium is set to showcase three speaker panels aimed at raising awareness about underrepresented groups and bringing attention to less-discussed subjects on our UCalgary campus. Panel topics selected for the second Intersectionality Symposium include Sexual Violence, Mental Health Resources and Accessibility.

Graduate attendees will be eligible to receive an EDI certificate through MyGradSkills. Additionally, all attendees stand a chance to receive door prizes.

Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
1 - 5 p.m. MT
Hybrid - BI (Biological Science Building) 587

Graduate Students' Association

Graduate Students' Association | UCalgary


How to Make Your Invisible Work Matter

This session is presented by the Schulich School of Engineering.

This workshop will define the actions needed for systemic policy change, identify practical tools to advocate for and support more equitable, diverse and inclusive (EDI) policies and provide participants with the opportunity to use these tools in an interactive group setting. Specifically, workshop participants will brainstorm, evaluate, and propose inclusive and equitable practices in organizational systems and culture to acknowledge and value unrecognized leaders and equitably distribute Invisible Work.

This often-unvalued work, which includes tasks such as scheduling meetings, taking meeting notes, onboarding new team members, document organization, and report writing, is critical to an organization’s function and its capacity to develop and retain technical talent. Thus, recognition and more equitable distribution of this Invisible Work is essential to organizational performance and their retention of technical talent, particularly women, who often do a disproportionate amount of this work.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
2 - 3 p.m. MT
ENG 207

Dr. Laleh Behjat is the program founder for the Women in Science and Engineering for a Diverse and Sustainable Planet (WISE Planet) program and a professor at the Schulich School of Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering. In 2020, Dr. Behjat was awarded the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering. She has won multiple awards, including the Women in Engineering and Geoscience Champion Award from APEGA in 2015, the ASTech Leadership Excellence in Science and Technology Promotion Award in 2017, and her appointment as a Canadian Academy of Engineering Fellow in 2023. Dr. Behjat is a passionate advocate for women in science and engineering and is dedicated to eliminating systemic barriers to their advancement.
Stacia McCoy earned her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and her B.S.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University. Her work experience includes projects on drinking water quality, bioremediation of contaminated river sediments, water reuse classification, life cycle assessment of new technologies, and policy recommendations to address socioeconomic, cultural, and educational barriers for women engineers in Africa and the Arab States. She acted as a consultant for the UNESCO Engineering Initiative and currently serves as the Program Developer for the Women in Science and Engineering for a Diverse and Sustainable Planet (WISE Planet) program.
Dr. Laleh Behjat

Dr. Laleh Behjat, Professor, Schulich School of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Software Engineering and NSERC Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering

Dr. Stacia Thompson McCoy

Dr. Stacia Thompson McCoy, Program Designer for Women in Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering


Anti-racism, Entrepreneurship and Climate Change

Dealing with the persistent pollution of systemic racial bias that hampers us on the road to sustainable development

This session is presented by the Haskayne School of Business.

The impact of climate change and the natural disasters and destruction of resources that come with it are well documented. In recent times, societies have begun to appreciate just how much such degradations impact not only valuable ecosystems but the economic livelihood of many nations and cities in the medium and long term. One dimension that is often overlooked is the impact of systemic inequalities, which often lead to exacerbation of the devastation to these groups when the destruction comes. The prejudice that comes with anti-black racism looms large at the foundation of many of the decisions made at personal, institutional and international levels. This discrimination leads to even more marked injustices to racially marginalized groups, and that, when carried forward, has a profound impact on societies overall, which need the contribution and full participation of people of all ethnic groups if the ‘inclusion’ goal of sustainability is to be achieved.

As important in the goal of sustainability and addressing climate change issues is innovation. It is clear that older, more traditional systems of resource extraction and energy production will be inadequate for the types of radical changes needed to reduce carbon emissions to the extent that is needed. In our economic system, entrepreneurship fosters innovation in areas such as renewable energy development.

When racial bias becomes embedded in businesses that are geared towards climate change, it restricts the level of innovation that can be achieved through both technology and organizational structures, as racialized communities become systematically under-represented in the entrepreneurial community.

In this presentation, we look at racial bias at all levels and how it can feed into a system of injustice at the levels of the economy and the environment and explore how addressing these prejudices at all the stages identified can lead to significant and impactful change in all aspects of global sustainability.

Anti-racism is not only a moral imperative but a critical part of our survival as a species.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
2 - 3.30 p.m. MT
In-person - Circle for Dialogue, Mathison Hall (3rd Floor)

Dr David Ince has over 20 years’ experience in renewable energy, climate change, sustainable development, energy policy and strategy and has worked in these areas in Canada, Barbados and the wider Caribbean. He has served as lead consultant on several projects in the Caribbean, including the development of the Barbados National Energy Policy, and a Change Management Program for the energy sector also in that country, as well as an Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) projects designed to facilitate the regulatory and legal frameworks for development of competitive industries within the renewable energy sector. In terms of the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), he has also led consultancy projects in energy sustainability policies and strategies for the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). David holds a PhD with Renewable Energy Specialization from the ɫ and is currently serving there as an Instructor in “Entrepreneurial Thinking” in the MBA Program at Haskayne School of Business and has also been a Senior Research Associate and Instructor in “Environmental Management Tools” in the Sustainable Energy Development (SEDV) Program in the School of Public Policy. More recently, he has been serving as a Director for the Alberta Narcissistic Abuse Survivors Foundation with specific responsibility for issues related to anti-racism.
Dr. David Ince

Dr. David Ince, Instructor - Entrepreneurial Thinking, MBA Program, Haskayne School of Business


Emerging Trends: Pregnancy in Trans-Males

This session is presented by the Faculty of Nursing.

Join Alumni Nursing undergraduate students Brendan Verbeek, Jessie Elliott and Amylea Palmer for this virtual presentation based on undergraduate coursework. Join for an insightful workshop delving into the unique experiences of pregnant transgender males within hospital settings. With a comprehensive overview that spans the historical contexts of LGBTQ2S+ communities in healthcare, we'll explore the evolution of gender-affirming care within the healthcare system.

From past struggles to current challenges and promising developments, this presentation offers a nuanced understanding of the complexities surrounding transgender individuals' healthcare journeys. Gain valuable insights, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and explore pathways toward more inclusive and supportive healthcare practices.

Don't miss this opportunity to broaden your perspective and contribute to creating a more affirming healthcare environment for all.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
4-5 p.m. MT
Virtual

My name is Brendan Verbeek, and I am a UofC Nursing alumni from Westlock, AB. I am currently based out of Foothills Medical Centre, where I work as an RN in the Neonatal ICU.

My name is Jessie Elliott; I attended the ɫ School of Nursing, Degree holder route. I am from Millarville, Alberta, and I have a previous degree in General Science from Mount Royal University. I hope to work in Maternity Health, as I love working with their new babies!

Hi! My name is Amylea Palmer. I graduated from the ɫ’s Nursing program in December 2023. I’m originally from Calgary, AB. I’m currently working as a labour/delivery and postpartum nurse at the Family Maternity Place on the South Health Campus.

Brendan Verbeek

Brendan Verbeek, Nursing alumni

Jessie Elliott

Jessie Elliott, Nursing alumni

Amylea Palmer

Amylea Palmer, Nursing alumni


Diversity in Sustainability

This session is hosted by Diversity in Sustainability, Office of Sustainability

Join us for a thought-provoking event hosted by Diversity in Sustainability, where we explore the vital intersection of equity, diversity, and inclusion within the sector of sustainability. Our mission is to foster a more inclusive and equitable future for the sustainability field, and we will discuss resources to help students and higher education professionals achieve this goal.

Attendees can expect to learn more about our demographics survey, hear takeaways from our Inclusion Blueprint Dialogues sessions centred on youth and higher education, and will have the opportunity to ask questions!

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
4.30 - 6 p.m. MT
Sustainability Hive - MacKimmie Tower, MT 116

She one of the Co-Founders of Diversity in Sustainability and she is also the Sustainability Lead at ARC Resources. Marie leads ARC Resources’ ESG reporting and disclosure efforts and she supports the development and integration of sustainability strategy within the organization.

Marie has been a corporate sustainability practitioner for almost 15 years. She has held sustainability roles at Enbridge, Seven Generations Energy and Canadian Business for Social Responsibility. Prior to working in the energy industry, Marie worked in the non-profit sector. She specialized in youth engagement and empowerment. Marie supported youth in various capacities, most notable she was involved in a youth-led initiative called Youth Reach Out Against Racism.

Marie has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the ɫ and a Master of Science in Responsibility & Business Practice from the Faculty of Management at the University of Bath.

She is the Inclusion Blueprint Dialogues Intern at Diversity in Sustainability. She is in her third year of Global Development Studies with an embedded certificate in Sustainability Studies at the ɫ.

Julieta is passionate about social justice and EDI initiatives, and her enthusiasm for advocating for student interests has led to her role as Co-President for the Global Development Society. Following her undergraduate degree, she plans to pursue a Master in Public Policy.

Marie Jurcevic

Marie Jurcevic, Co-Founder of Diversity in Sustainability and Sustainability Lead at ARC Resources

Julieta Mulangu

Julieta Mulangu, Inclusion Blueprint Dialogues Intern, Diversity in Sustainability | Office of Sustainability

Wednesday


March 6

Black in – Canada’s Economy (Past, Present and Future)

Black in this City Series – Investigating Black Resilience Through a Transdisciplinary Lens is presented in partnership with the UCalgary Alumni, the Black Alumni Network and presented by Innovate Calgary | Social Innovation Hub, UCalgary.

Delving into the rich tapestry of Black history in Canada uncovers a profound legacy of leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, advocates, community organizers, and artists who have left an indelible mark on our nation's economy, society, and communities. All too often, this impact is erased or ignored. Join community leaders Cheryl Foggo and Irvine Carvery as they discuss the many contributions historical and contemporary Black Canadians have made to Canada's founding and economic prosperity from West to East. Also featured are musical guests Miranda Martini and Dallas Hayse-Sparks, descendants of these historic communities. This event is being presented as a part of the Black in this City Series - Investigating Black Resilience Through a Transdisciplinary Lens.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024
9 - 12 p.m. MT
Collision Space- Hunter Hub (4th Floor)

Irvine Carvery, President, Africville Genealogy Society

Irvine Carvery, President, Africville Genealogy Society

Cheryl Foggo

Cheryl Foggo, author, playwright, and filmmaker

Rochelle Lamoureux (she/her) is a Program Specialist at the Haskayne School of Business

Rochelle Lamoureux, Program Specialist, Haskayne School of Business

Irvine has been active in his community for over 50 years fostering social change. He led the AGS to a successful negotiation with the city, resulting in land being returned to the people of Africville. He oversaw the rebuilding of the church in Africville that serves as a museum telling the story of his community. He also serves as Co-Chair of the African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity, an organization dedicated to the economic and social well-being of the African Communities within Halifax Regional Municipality.
Cheryl Foggo of Calgary is an award-winning Canadian storyteller. She embraces various forms of narrative – journalism, books, film, television and theatre – to tell compelling stories of Alberta’s Black pioneers. By shining a light on the Prairies’ rich and diverse Black history, she helps us understand the relevance of this history to our lives, and the significance of contributions by Black people to Canada. Cheryl Dawn Foggo was born in 1956 in Calgary and raised in Bowness. Her father Roy was a mailman and her mother Pauline worked for the Calgary Board of Education as a library assistant. Cheryl is a descendant of the Black Migration of 1910, when approximately 1,500 African Americans fled hatred in the southern United States. Both sets of her maternal great grandparents joined that migration, travelling from Oklahoma to settle near Maidstone, Saskatchewan. The third of six children, Cheryl grew up among a family of storytellers. She loved watching her mom’s siblings tell stories about their early lives in Western Canada. “It was like a show. You’d sit around the living room and one of them would act out all the parts,” she says. Cheryl hoped she would become a storyteller, too.
Rochelle is a Program Specialist at the Haskayne School of Business, where she tries to incorporate EDIA and community building into the heart of everything she does. She is also a part-time graduate student with the Werklund School of Education, focusing on social justice and anti-oppressive education. She is a proud descendant of Maidstone, SK one of the featured historical Black Communities to Western Canada. Rochelle is the recipient of several awards for EDIA and Community Engagement, but her greatest prize is the love of her beautiful family and community.

EDI Moments - Train the Trainer

This program was developed by the Office of Faculty Development and Performance (OFDP), Cumming School of Medicine and co-developed with the Office of Professionalism, Equity, and Diversity Office, Cumming School of Medicine and was planned to achieve scientific integrity, objectivity and balance.

For EDI champions looking to introduce EDI learning to their departments, divisions, and units. This virtual course prepares you to run your own short but longitudinal EDI Moments program for colleagues.

Facilitators will learn to:

  1. Develop foundational literacy for EDI topics.
  2. Describe the components of an EDI Moment.
  3. Lead discussions about EDI among a group of physicians with varying expertise in EDI.
  4. Anticipate and address opposition or conflict related to EDI during discussion.
  5. Identify strategies to mitigate personal trauma or discomfort that arises.

Participants will be asked to develop and undertake a self-directed learning project to develop their foundational literacy in EDI topics. Other asynchronous training pieces will be required to prepare to run the EDI Moments program. We can provide suggested resources, but participants may adapt this list based on their own interests and skills.

Facilitators;

  • Dr. Kannin Osei-Tutu, Senior Associate Dean, Health Equity and Systems Transformation
  • Dr. Shannon Ruzycki, Assistant Professor, Cumming School of Medicine

Wednesday, March 6, 2024
9 - 12 p.m. MT
Virtual

Kannin Osei-Tutu is a hospitalist physician who specializes in acute care inpatient medicine and has spent his professional career on the front lines caring for patients with diseases related to socio-political inequity and marginalization. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor and the Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Systems Transformation at the, Cumming School of Medicine, ɫ at ɫ. Dr. Osei-Tutu is a national leader and an active collaborator on several regional and national research projects that examine wellness, sense of belonging, and equity in clinical medicine. His emerging program of research seeks to reconceptualize compassion in an intentionally inclusive way and develop digital technology (DT) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to promote equity in health outcomes.
Dr. Shannon Ruzyck is an Internal Medicine Specialist at the Foothills Medical Centre and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine. She is the co-chair of the ɫ’s Department of Medicine Gender Equity Task Force. Dr. Ruzycki’s commitment to promoting fairness and equity in medicine is commendable, and her work contributes significantly to creating a more inclusive and compassionate healthcare system
Dr. Kannin Osei-Tutu

Dr. Kannin Osei-Tutu, Senior Associate Dean, Health Equity and Systems Transformation

Dr. Shannon Ruzycki

Dr. Shannon Ruzycki, Assistant Professor, Cumming School of Medicine


Design a Workplace that Works for You

This workshop is a collaboration between the Taylor Institute of Teaching and Learning, Student Wellness & Accessibility Services, and The Centre of Career and Personal Development.

In this workshop, participants will embark on a journey of self-discovery, exploring their unique preferences and sensory needs to craft a workspace that maximizes their potential. Participants will leave with a personalized sensory map, a deeper understanding of neurodiversity, and practical self-advocacy skills. Empowered with this knowledge, you’ll be ready to design a workplace that not only suits your unique strengths but also contributes to a more inclusive and supportive organizational culture.

Join us on this transformative journey as we collectively work towards designing workplaces that work for everyone.

Session Facilitators:
Liliana Gonzalez (she/her) - Career Development Specialist, EDIA,
Centre for Career & Personal Development, Student & Enrolment Services (SES)
Jess Lopez (they/them) - Neurodiversity Support Advisor,
Neurodiversity Support Office (NSO), Student Wellness & Accessibility Services (SWAS)
Victoria Wert (she/her) - Employer Engagement, Work-Integrated Learning & Neurodiversity Initiative, Taylor Institute for Teaching & Learning (TITL)

Wednesday, March 6, 2024
10 - 11.30 a.m. MT
Life Design Hub, MSC 171

Liliana Gonzalez, M.C.

Liliana Gonzalez, M.C., Career Development Specialist, EDIA, Centre for Career & Personal Development, Student & Enrolment Services (SES)

Jess Lopez, Neurodiversity Support Advisor

Jess Lopez, Neurodiversity Support Advisor, Neurodiversity Support Office (NSO), Student Wellness & Accessibility Services (SWAS)

Victoria Wert, Employer Engagement, Work-Integrated Learning & Neurodiversity Initiative, Taylor Institute for Teaching & Learning (TITL)

Victoria Wert, Employer Engagement, Work-Integrated Learning & Neurodiversity Initiative, Taylor Institute for Teaching & Learning (TITL)

Lilliana is a Career Development Specialist, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility at the Centre for Career and Personal Development. She holds a Master of Counselling degree, a BSc in Psychology with a minor in Visual Studies and Art History, and a Human Resource Management Certificate from the ɫ. She also completed a Career Educator Certificate Program through the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers and a Holistic Narrative Career Professional Training through One Life Tools.

Liliana has been working in the career development field for over ten years, and she has worked with thousands of students of all levels and from all degree programs to help them achieve career success. She has also presented at numerous national conferences and has published articles in national and international magazines.

Jess is a compassionate Child & Youth Counsellor of over 15 years with an intersectional, strengths-based, trauma-informed practice. Jess works in Student Wellness as part of the Mental Health team as a Neurodiversity Support Advisor (NSA), and were integral in developing the UCalgary Neurodiversity Support Office and the first Sensory-Friendly Student Lounge on campus. Guided by EDIA and Universal Design principles, Jess provides support, advocacy, & education to help improve academic & personal wellbeing outcomes for neurodivergent students. Jess is proudly neurodivergent & epupillan (Mapuche 2Spirit) and enjoys being a parent of three hilarious teenagers. Jess is grateful to share their knowledge in helping people value different ways of knowing and being.

Victoria works at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning as an Employer Specialist for the Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Initiative for Neurodiverse Students. Victoria has a wealth of experience supporting students in experiential learning, work-integrated learning, and career counselling across various universities in Ontario. She holds an MEd in Higher Education Student Services and Student Development from the University of Toronto and recently completed a graduate certificate in Applied Learning Disabilities Studies from Cambrian College, where her capstone project focused on professional staff training for supporting students in workplace disclosures and accommodations. When she is not working, Victoria can be found walking her dog or trying different tea shops across the city.


Developing EDIA at SSE and EDI Awards Ceremony Stream

Join us for a "Listen and Learn" brainstorming session around EDIA topics at the Schulich School of Engineering, then stay for lunch as we stream the EDI Awards Ceremony!

Awards will be livestreamed from ENG 207, and lunch will be provided.

Schulich School of Engineering

The EDI Awards recognize outstanding achievement in practice, events, applied research, policy, programs, or other activities that foster equitable, sustainable and measurable change, especially for those who traditionally have been under-represented (women, visible/racialized minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ2S+) on campus. The Awards recognize ongoing work or an outstanding accomplishment at a point in time.

Dr. Penny Werthner, interim provost and vice-president (academic), will announce the award recipients during the awards ceremony. The ceremony will be hosted by Dr. Malinda Smith, PhD, Vice-Provost (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and Associate Vice-President Research (EDI). A blessing will be offered from Elder Kerrie Moore.

Dr. Penny Werthner  Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic) ɫ

Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

Dr. Penny Werthner, PhD, became the Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology in 2012 and left the position to become the Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic) in 2022. She is one of Canada’s most distinguished consultants in the field of sport psychology. She has served as a sport psychology consultant for Canada's national and Olympic teams since 1985.She is one of the founding members of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) and has been named one of the Top 20 Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity by CAAWS.

For more than 30 years, she has worked in sport psychology consulting, sport-related management consulting, program management and academic leadership. She came to the ɫ after spending 12 years at the University of Ottawa as Director and Associate Dean of the School of Human Kinetics.

Dr. Werthner has written dozens of peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. She currently serves on the editorial board for the International Sport Coaching Journal as well as a reviewer for the journals of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise and Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. She is also a member of the editorial board for the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching.

She is a founder and past Chair of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association, a member of the International Council for Coach Education, an advisor to the Coaching Association of Canada Women in Coaching Program, and a learning facilitator for the National Coaching Certificate Program.

Dr. Malinda Smith, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and professor of political science

Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and professor of political science.

Dr. Smith holds a PhD in political science from the University of Alberta, an MA, Master of Development Administration, and a BA magna cum laude in political science and criminal justice, from Western Michigan University. She is a co-author ofThe Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities(2017), co-editor of the forthcoming book,Nuances of Blackness in the Canadian Academy(UofT Press, 2022), editor of three books on Africa, includingSecuring Africa: Post-9/11 Discourses on Terrorism(2010), as well as co-editor ofCritical Concepts: An Introduction to Politics, 6/E under revision with OUP (2022); andStates of Race: Critical Race Feminism for the 21st Century(2010).

Dr. Smith serves on several national bodies, including SSHRC Council and Executive, and Statistics Canada’s Immigration and Ethnocultural Committee.

Dr. Smith is a 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow and the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including Compelling Calgarians (2021), the Susan S. Northcutt Award from the International Studies Association (2020), 100 Accomplished Black Women Honouree (2020), the Rosalind Smith Professional Award (2020), the ISA-Canada Distinguished Scholar Award (2018-19), the HSBC Community Contributor of the Year Award (2016); and the Equity Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (2015)

Elder Kerrie Moore

Elder Kerrie Moore (MSW, RSW) Metis/Cree is originally from Saskatchewan, Treaty 6 territory. Kerrie has resided in Calgary, Treaty 7 territory for 47 years. Kerrie is a member of Area 3 Metis Nation of Alberta, Saskatchewan Metis Association as well as Fish Lake Metis Association, Saskatchewan.

Kerrie is in private practice and specializes in inter-generational trauma and grief. She is also a sessional instructor, wellness Elder and advisor with the Faculty of Social Work, ɫ. Kerrie provides consulting and training on Indigenizing Strategies to ministries, education, health, justice and agencies who work with Indigenous peoples and communities.

Kerrie is an accepted knowledge keeper and Elder and sits on several Elder boards including the Elder Advisory Circle for the ɫ and the Calgary Board of Education. She is also an Elder for the Area 3 Metis Nation of Alberta.

Kerrie is a recipient of the Alumna of the Year Award 2008, from the ɫ, Women's Resource Center, and most recently received the 2022 Student’s Union Teaching Excellence Award.

Dr. Tonya Callaghan

Tonya Callaghan is an associate professor at the ɫ’s Werklund School of Education. They taught secondary English for over ten years in Canadian and international schools, in rural and urban settings, and in Catholic and non-Catholic systems. Their second monograph, , was published in 2018 with the University of Toronto Press.

Dr. Callaghan was recognized for their outstanding commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) at the ɫ with the 2020 EDI Award. Dr. Callaghan was also honoured with two UCalgary Curriculum Development Awards for designing and coordinating an undergraduate course titled Diversity in Learning and a Master of Education program titled Advancing Healthy & Socially Just Schools & Communities, both of which actively promote EDI principles.

Their research in the field of EDI explores Catholic resistance to anti-homophobia/transphobia education in both curriculum and educational policy.

The Urgency of Intersectionality for Addressing Systemic Inequities in Higher Learning

Keynote Speaker - Dr. Tonya D. Callaghan, Associate Professor, Werklund School of Education, UCalgary

Presented by The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

In her 2016 TED Talk, The Urgency of Intersectionality, Kimberlé Crenshaw, the African American law professor who coined the term “intersectionality,” observed: "We all know that when there's no name for a problem, you can't see a problem, and when you can't see a problem you pretty much can't solve it.” The problem Crenshaw is talking about here is multiple forms of discrimination based on layers of difference.

In advance of Dr. Crenshaw’s visit to UCalgary on March 18 and 19 this year, it is important to define what it means to take an intersectional approach when supporting the learning needs of students enrolled in contentious courses that actively address equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) issues.

The Werklund School of Education’s undergraduate course, Diversity in Learning, has been held up as an EDI exemplar. I will draw from my experience leading this course to discuss ways we can move towards inclusive and equitable teaching practices. I will conclude by overtly addressing the toll such work can take on those of us who actively teach EDI topics and what allies can do to support us.

Following EDI Awards Ceremony


Culture and Mental Health: A Panel Hosted by International Student Services

This session is presented by International Student Services.

Are you interested in learning more about the relationship between culture and mental health? Join International Student Services and panellists from the UCalgary community for a discussion on the connection between culture, cultural identity, and experiences with mental health. This event will include a live Q&A session with the panellists.

Registrants may pre-submit questions to the panellists using the form in the confirmation email.

Wednesday, March 6. 2024
12 - 1.30 p.m. MT
In-person - Gallery Hall, TFDL

mental health tiles (stock image)

Black in – Life Design and Systems Change

Black in this City Series – Investigating Black Resilience Through a Transdisciplinary Lens is presented in partnership with the UCalgary Alumni, the Black Alumni Network and presented by Innovate Calgary | Social Innovation Hub, UCalgary.

This inspiring workshop, led by Black BComm students Nife Abayomi and Crystal Kisakye (through the mentorship of Haskayne Entrepreneurial thinking instructor Houston Peschl), will explore the popular problem-solving concept of Life Design (using design thinking, career-planning, and psychology) to inspire Black community members to navigate change, transition, and challenges in their life.

Afterward, Jerome Morgan from Innovate Calgary will lead participants through an impactful Systems Change workshop - aiming to ameliorate the challenges and barriers uncovered by the Life Design session.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024
2 - 5 p.m. MT
Collision Space- Hunter Hub (4th Floor)

Nife Abayomi, BComm student

Nife Abayomi, BComm student

Crystal Kisakye, BComm student

Crystal Kisakye, BComm student

Jerome Morgan, Associate Director, Social Innovation Hub, Innovate Calgary

Jerome Morgan, Associate Director, Social Innovation Hub, Innovate Calgary

Houston Peschl

Houston Peschl, Associated Professor (Teaching), Haskayne School of Business, Entrepreneurship and Innovation [ENTI], Haskayne Teaching Fellow

Nife Abayomi is a first-year BComm student at the ɫ,
specializing in Finance. Apart from her academic pursuits, she enjoys
competing in case competitions. Recently, her team won first place in KPMG's regional Ace the Case competition. Additionally, she is an active member of both the UCalgary Blockchain Society and the Women in Business Club.

With interests in research, law, and economics, she intends to pursue a
career in corporate law after completing her BComm. Furthermore, Nife
finds fulfillment in volunteering, particularly working with youth at her local church.

Crystal is a second-year Business Student at the ɫ currently pursuing Finance. Beyond her studies, she actively engages in enriching extracurricular activities. She is a member of the university's cheerleading team, which recently achieved first place at their most recent competition. In addition to her commitment to the cheerleading team, she enjoys participating in case competitions and club activities, including a pivotal role in Enactus, where she analyzes key clients for SureCall. During her role, she crafts comprehensive case studies, contributes to marketing efforts, conducts industry trend research, and returns those insights to the company SureCall.

Driven by an analytical mind, Crystal aspires to pursue a career in investment banking, where she would get a chance to use her skills to advise clients on intricate financial transactions and strategic objectives.

As an Associate Director, Social Innovation Hub, Jerome supports Innovate Calgary’s social innovation portfolio. He champions commercialization and knowledge translation of the numerous research-derived innovations by students, researchers, and entrepreneurs. This includes conducting innovation presentations, capacity building with new business start-ups, and contributing to Innovate Calgary’s EDI goals and strategies. He develops and maintains relationships with key partners and stakeholders across the innovation ecosystem.

Expertise and Background:

  • Certificate, Community Economic Development, Mount Royal University
  • Master of Environmental Studies, Youth Development and Community Health, York University
  • Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Business Communications, Ryerson University
  • Systems Leadership Fellow, Positive Deviants, Wolf Willow Institute
  • Central Zone Health Promotion Facilitator, Alberta Health Services
  • Alberta Steward Representative, Social Innovation Canada

Houston started his entrepreneurial journey in the town of Canmore, Alberta at the age of 13. After running multiple companies and completing his undergraduate degrees at the ɫ, he transitioned to the Director of Operations and Sustainability of DIRTT Environmental Solutions, Houston mentored under serial entrepreneur Mogens Smed. Houston helped scale operations across North America, developed a comprehensive social and environmental sustainability program to demonstrate the benefits of innovative operational process improvement, cultural change, and green procurement strategies to create a competitive advantage. During this time at DIRTT, he also was recognized as Avenue Magazines Top 40 under 40 in 2013.

After leaving DIRTT, Houston co-founded Creating Eudaimonia; a firm dedicated to building capacity to start ups and small companies across Canada. He led multiple Alberta companies to become B Corp Certified, the most rigorous social enterprise certification globally. He is continually involved with B Corp to promote and advance the public policy for Benefit Corporations across North America.

Houston is a full time Instructor at Haskayne School of Business and created an “Entrepreneurial Thinking” course that is a required course for all 800 business undergrads. Out of this course there has been a dozen students who have started companies, through Houston’s mentorship.

His research focus on is on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, specifically developing a new signature pedagogy for business students to be able to be prepared for the uncertain and turbulent future. To date Houston has published multiple articles on sustainability, entrepreneurship, and the 7 skills of Entrepreneurial Thinking.

Houston is also passionate about Open Educational Resources, and has created a free platform called failing forward, that provides all his classroom content through a creative commons licence. In 2019 he won two teaching awards, one through the ɫ’s Sustainability Department and one through the Student Union.


Theatre of the oppressed: An anti-racist participatory session

This session is presented by the Faculty of Nursing.

Theatre of the oppressed: An anti-racist participatory session. Join us to learn about the Theatre of Oppressed (TO), our TO practice in the nursing faculty, and participate in an abridged workshop.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024
2 - 4 p.m. MT
In-person - Nursing Faculty PF2285

Dr. Heather Bensler joined the Faculty of Nursing in August 2017 as a tenure-track assistant professor (teaching) and the Director of Indigenous Initiatives, focusing on faculty and curriculum development. She is the Assistant Dean Academic Partnerships for the Faculty of Nursing. In this role, she is responsible for developing, sustaining, and extending collaborative partnerships with rural and Indigenous academic partners in the undergraduate nursing educational programs profession.
As the Faculty of Nursing's Director of Indigenous Initiatives, Michelle Scott, Anaatsa'poopaki (Pretty Plume Woman) joins UCalgary Nursing after being the director, Indigenous Initiatives at St Mary’s University in Calgary for over eight years. Michelle is a proud L’nu (Mi’kmaw) and Irish/English woman whose ancestral home is Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). She grew up in Tkaronto (Toronto) where she received a BA in Sociology from UToronto and has called Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary) home for the past 23 years. She also completed her MEd at the University of Saskatchewan. Michelle is committed to opening up spaces within the western academy to centre Indigenous voices and Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing - to bring community together to learn alongside each other at the fire of all our relations about the historical and ongoing legacy of colonization in the place we now know as Canada and to provide the space at this fire for people to begin to understand themselves, their world and the future they want to create together, in a good way, on the path of reconciliation.
Dr. Heather Bensler

Dr. Heather Bensler (Joker) Assistant Dean, Academic Partnerships, Faculty of Nursing

Dr. Michelle Scott

Dr. Michelle Scott (Assistant), Director of Indigenous Initiatives, Faculty of Nursing


I am Not Who You Think I Am: Multiple, Hybrid and Racialized Identities of Canadian Muslim Youth

This session is presented by the Faculty of Social Work.

It can be very difficult to be a young Muslim in Canada today. Societal perceptions, inflamed by damaging media portrayals and conflation of religion with sociopolitical events, have cast long shadows over young Muslim’s lives amid a surging tide of Islamophobia.

In this compelling webinar, UCalgary social work professor Dr. Aamir Jamal and two young Canadian Muslims invite you on an enlightening journey into the hearts and minds of young Muslims to explore what it means to be a young Muslim in Canada.

The online presentation and discussion will reflect on the findings from the 2023 nationwide study by Dr. Jamal’s team outlining the intricate dance Canadian Muslim youth face in forging hybrid identities. Anchored by religious and spiritual identity, they seek inclusion and belonging in a world marred by anti-Muslim racism and buffeted by media-fueled stereotypes.

This special presentation elevates the voices of Canadian Muslim youth and provides a beacon of hope rooted in actions that policymakers, practitioners, communities, and, ultimately, all of us can take to support Muslim youth. This presentation acts as a first step to ultimately chart a course toward a more just, equitable and peaceful society.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024
7 p.m. MT
Virtual

Dr. Aamir Jamal is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the ɫ, where he spearheads the International Community Development graduate program as its lead. As the Director of Global Engagement and International Partnerships, Dr. Jamal channels his expertise into fostering international collaboration and innovation in international social work education and practice.

With a Ph.D. in International Social Development and an impressive tenure of over 25 years in the international development sector, Dr. Jamal’s research is both profound and far-reaching. His work critically examines the role of men in gender justice and the prevention of violence against women, with a focus that transcends borders to cover extensive ground in the Global South. Dr. Jamal's scholarly contributions delve into gender justice, violence prevention, and the nuances of Muslim Youth identity, well-being, and positive youth development. His insights are not only academic but are instrumental in shaping policy and guiding the practices of national governments and international agencies alike.

Dr. Aamir Jamal has recently concluded a significant SSHRC-funded four-year research project. This project took a deep dive into the identity construction of Canadian Muslim youth, a timely and pressing subject in the multicultural tapestry of Canada. Through this endeavour, Dr. Jamal facilitated critical engagement with Muslim youth and a spectrum of leaders within Muslim communities nationwide. His commitment to community-engaged scholarship has not only contributed to the academic field but also resonated deeply within the communities he studies, fostering a pluralistic, socially just and peaceful co-existence.

Dr. Jamal’s accomplishments have been celebrated through several prestigious accolades, including the City of Calgary International Achievement Award in 2021, the Arch Award for International Career Achievement in 2022, and the Sustainability Award for Faculty Research in the same year. These honours are a testament to his impactful research and his unwavering dedication to improving lives through social work.

Sarah Abouali is a university student with a BA in English pursuing a BEd in Secondary Education. With a particular passion for working with Muslim girls and women, Sarah has honed her skills through diverse experiences such as leading summer camps, unique youth programs, and educational workshops within her community.

She is interested in understanding the impact that Islamophobia can have on Muslim girls and is committed to empowering youth to live up to their fullest potential.

Abdul Al-Shawwa is a UCalgary graduate student completing his Master in Medical Sciences. Abdul has been involved in research surrounding Canadian Muslim Youth identity formation including the creation of digital stories, knowledge mobilization, and focus group discussions.

He was a 2023 Storytellers competition finalist, sharing the findings of a nationwide study on Muslim youth identity formation. He aims to empower Muslim youth by respectfully providing them with a platform to express their lived experiences authentically.

Dr. Aamir Jamal

Dr. Aamir Jamal, Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work

Sarah Abouali is a university student holding a BA in English and is currently pursuing a BEd in Secondary Educatio

Sarah Abouali, Student, BEd in Secondary Education

Abdul Al-Shawwa is a UCalgary graduate student completing his Masters in Medical Sciences

Abdul Al-Shawwa, Graduate Student, completing his Masters in Medical Sciences

Thursday


March 7

It’s Not Just You: Perfectionism, Imposter Syndrome, and Gaslighting

This session is presented and facilitated by Keeta Gladue, Manager, Indigenous Research Support Team | Research Services

Join us as we dive deep into the intersection of personal struggles and societal challenges. "It's Not Just You: Perfectionism, Imposter Syndrome, and Racial Gaslighting from a BIPOC Perspective," is where we unravel the layers of perfectionism and imposter syndrome, questioning their roots and understanding how they shape our dreams and aspirations, limit our success, and affect us intersectionally. In this crucial conversation, we'll dissect the ways in which challenges like racism and ableism intertwine with perfectionism and imposter syndrome, shaping our paths in unexpected ways.

It's not just a discussion; it's an opportunity to foster understanding, resilience, and solidarity with and within the BIPoC community. We confront these issues head-on, forging connections and insights that will empower you on your journey. Let's talk perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and gaslighting – because your narrative deserves to be heard, and you are not alone.

Thursday, March 7, 2024
10.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. MT
In person (location to be updated soon)

Keeta Gladue, Cree + Métis, serves as the Manager of the Indigenous Research Support Team in Research Services. Her role is to support ethical, community engaged research with Indigenous Peoples and communities at the ɫ. She also collaborates with Senior Leadership to ensure research at UCalgary is in alignment with ​ii' taa'poh'to'p and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. ​ ​

As an Indigenous researcher, her fields of study are post-secondary student mental health and wellness, Truth and Reconciliation in higher education, and Indigenizing academic integrity.

A two-time TEDx speaker, Keeta seeks to spark change and inspire momentum toward a shared future of equitable flourishing and excellence in research.

Keeta Gladue - Cree + Métis, Keeta Gladue serves as the Manager of the Indigenous Research Support Team in Research Services.

Keeta Gladue, Manager, Indigenous Research Support Team | Research Services


Did You Just Say That? Inclusive Language Essentials

Presented by the Precision Equity and Social Justice Office, Cumming School of Medicine

Afraid that you might have unintentionally said the wrong thing?
And then you..Offended someone? Caused harm? Don't know why it matters? Got called out for it? Became afraid to say something wrong again?

If you’ve been in this situation, this workshop is for you! Open to all staff, faculty, and learners.

In this session, we will understand how language shapes our individual and collective experiences, perspectives, and thinking. We will explore the power of words and learn skills that you can use to cultivate an improved sense of inclusion through language.

Learning objectives:

  • Understand how language shapes our thinking, culture, and perspectives
  • Define inclusive language
  • Identify at least three ways to cultivate and demonstrate inclusive language into your interactions

Thursday, March 7, 2024
12 - 1 p.m. MT
Virtual

Did You Just Say That? Inclusive Lanaguage Essentials

Accessible Teaching: Moving Beyond the Universal Design For Learning

This session is presented by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.

This session will invite you to reflect on your perspectives on accessible teaching and how to integrate accessible teaching strategies into your practice. The presenters will draw on their lived experiences as instructors and students, being part of non-dominant groups, which will help enrich the discussion. The audience will serve as a co-constructor of knowledge and will be encouraged to reflect on their understanding of accessible teaching and its connection to their lived experiences.

Through a variety of response tools (word clouds, polling, and open resources), the presenters and participants will utilize a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to construct a more holistic, accessible teaching approach.

Thursday, March 7, 2024
12 - 1.15 p.m. MT
Virtual

Lin Yu

Lin Yu, Learning & Instructional Design Specialist, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, TI Learning Technology and Design Team

Dr. Ganna (Anna) Pletnyova

Dr. Ganna (Anna) Pletnyova, Learning Technologies Specialist, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, TI Learning Technology and Design Team | Adjunct Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts, School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures

Dr. Brenda McDermott, Senior Manager - Student Access Services, Student and Enrolment Services

Dr. Brenda McDermott, Senior Manager - Student Access Services, Student and Enrolment Services

Lin holds a Master’s of Education specializing in education technology. As an instructional designer with four years of experience teaching in higher education, Lin is dedicated to providing faculties and instructors with pedagogical and technological support to foster deep and meaningful learning experiences for students.

She collaborates with instructors to create a more active, effective and engaging course plan through course design workshops and consultations, as well as facilitating online course development to better engage students in online environments.

She is interested inuniversal design, active learning in higher education, the use of digital badges and innovative educational technologies to enhance learning.

Ganna (Anna) Pletnyova obtained her PhD in French Studies from the ɫ. Currently, she wears two hats on campus. She is a Learning Technologies Specialist with the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, participating in innovative program development, creating pedagogical resources, and conducting workshops on teaching with technology. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures, where she has taught over twenty courses and tutorials. Anna has published articles on language ideologies, teaching with technology, and language pedagogy with the application of UDL principles. Her current research interests focus on EDIA and trauma-informed teaching practices.

Dr. Brenda McDermott completed her PhD in Communication Studies in 2015. She has a passion for improving the student experience, working in student service roles at Carleton University, York University, and ɫ. In particular, these roles involved working in student learning support, specifically writing development.

Currently, she works with Student Accessibility Services, collaborating with faculty members to ensure that exam accommodations requirements are met. When not working and teaching, Brenda likes looking into new educational technology tools, such as Kurzweil or Articulate Storyline.


Legal Education and Practice through an EDI Lens

This session is presented by Faculty of Law.

Panelists include:

Cori Ghitter, KC, Deputy Executive Director and Director, Policy and Education, Law Society of Alberta
Cori will discuss the role of the Law Society of Alberta in setting standards for the inclusion of an EDI lens in education and practice. This will include highlighting efforts to gather data on harassment and discrimination in the legal profession as well as a discussion of Law Society of Alberta initiatives to address EDI issues through education and other programs.

Stephanie Chipeur, Azrieli Accelerator Professorship in Law & Disability Policy, Assistant Professor, UCalgary Law
Stephanie will speak about law schools and disability - both the importance of including students with disabilities in law schools across Canada and the importance of disability in the curriculum. If we address the privilege of ableism in legal education, we can make a start at ensuring the legal profession represents the diversity of Canadian society.

Alissar Laham, second-year student, VP, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Society of Law Students
Alissar’s talk will focus on EDI through an intersectional lens, with a strongemphasis on invisible disability, both in law school and in practice. Alissar will discuss the need for destigmatization, respect for the experiences of others, and radical empathy as it will help the law progress and evolve in a way that will thrive in our multicultural society.

A light lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Thursday, March 7, 2024
12 - 2 p.m. MT
In-person - Bennett Jones Lecture Theatre Murray Fraser Hall 3330

Cori is the Deputy Executive Director and Director of Policy and Education at the Law Society of Alberta. In this role, she works closely with the Chief Executive Officer to support the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. She is also responsible for overseeing much of the strategic work of the organization that comes out of the Education and Policy departments.

She has been instrumental in a variety of projects dedicated to lawyer competence in Alberta, including looking at the efficacy of articling as training for new lawyers, developing strategies for ongoing training including changes to the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, and promoting the role of wellness in lawyer competence. She oversaw the recent development of a Professional Development Profile that sets out the competencies Alberta lawyers are expected to demonstrate in their everyday practice.

She is also passionate about advancing the Law Society’s equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. In 2022, she led the launch of an Articling Placement Program to assist articling students experiencing harassment or discrimination with finding new articling positions. She also oversaw the “My Experience” project, which invited lawyers and students to share their stories where racial discrimination or stereotyping impacted their legal career.

Cori was born and raised in Calgary. She received her LLB in 1994 from the ɫ, her LLM in 2000 from the University of British Columbia and her King’s Counsel designation in 2022.

Cori was the recipient of the 2021 Women in Law Leadership (WILL) award for Leadership in the Profession (Broader Roles). Cori also chaired the Board of Directors of Vibrant Communities Calgary and is currently a Director on the Board of the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED). She was previously a member of the Stewardship Group of the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative and has served as a Director on the boards of the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations and the YWCA of Calgary.

Stephanie holds the Azrieli Accelerator Professorship in Law & Disability Policy. She is cross-appointed to the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Policy. Since 2021, Stephanie has worked with the Disability Policy Research Program at the School of Public Policy, which is led by Dr. Jennifer Zwicker.

As a post-doctoral scholar, Stephanie was the first recipient of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Charlie Fischer Fellowship in Advancing Patient and Family-Oriented Research. The Charlie Fischer Fellowship has supported Stephanie’s work on the inequities in childhood disability law and policy in Canada between children disabled by injury versus those born with a disability, especially those with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Stephanie completed her JD at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. She completed her LLM and DCL at McGill University’s Faculty of Law. In 2014, during her graduate studies at McGill, Stephanie was injured in a car accident and became a wheelchair user. As a new member of the disability community, Stephanie brings lived experience to her research on disability law and policy.

Cori Ghitter

Cori Ghitter, KC, Deputy Executive Director and Director, Policy and Education, Law Society of Alberta

Stephanie Chipeur

Stephanie Chipeur, Azrieli Accelerator Professorship in Law & Disability Policy, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law

Alissar Laham

Alissar Laham, second-year student, VP, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Society of Law Students


STEM Moms Project

This session is presented by the Schulich School of Engineering.

In this presentation, participants will learn how the intersectionality of women in STEM and working parents is critical to maintaining a healthy STEM professional pipeline. The STEM Moms Project, a year-long focus group on this novel topic, examined how motherhood contributes to the loss of mid-career women in STEM. This loss has broad implications as research shows that more gender-diverse teams have more high-impact scientific discoveries, and organizations with more women in management and leadership roles yield greater productivity and more successful business performance.

The STEM Moms Project recommends the following actions:

  1. Increased Support Programs Specific for STEM Mothers;
  2. Solutions for Allyship, Advocacy & Action, which include Safe Environment, Leadership, and Mentorship supports, and Workplace Guidelines;
  3. Transformational Changes for Society, including continuous career assessment and work-life integration and increased focus on unrecognized leaders and dual career families.

Establishing Canadian policies that promote the retention of STEM mothers, and, by extension, women in STEM and working parents and advance transformational systemic change to achieve gender equity could significantly increase the impact of Canadian STEM research, innovation and business on a global scale.

Thursday. March 7, 2024
2 - 3 p.m. MT
ENG 207

Julie is a Development Engineer who specializes in oil sands technology commercialization at one of Canada’s largest energy providers. She has spent the past 15 years working in Canada’s Energy sector as an engineer, including several years on site-based roles in northern Alberta. Through this experience, she noted the contrast in the challenges faced by her female vs male peers once they became parents.

Julie has spent an entire year dedicated to understanding the unique challenges and nuances of being a Mother and STEM professional utilizing a focus group approach; and identifying recommendations towards improving the retention of mid-career STEM women.

Julie is a dedicated volunteer within Alberta’s energy ecosystem, working towards Canada’s net zero ambitions.

Stacia McCoy earned her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and her B.S.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University.

Her work experience includes projects on drinking water quality, bioremediation of contaminated river sediments, water reuse classification, life cycle assessment of new technologies, and policy recommendations to address socioeconomic, cultural, and educational barriers for women engineers in Africa and the Arab States. She acted as a consultant for the UNESCO Engineering Initiative and currently serves as the Program Developer for the Women in Science and Engineering for a Diverse and Sustainable Planet (WISE Planet) program.

Julie Hawco, P.Eng - Founder, STEM Moms Project

Julie Hawco, P.Eng - Founder, STEM Moms Project

Dr. Stacia Thompson McCoy, Program Designer for Women in Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Dr. Stacia Thompson McCoy, Program Designer for Women in Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering


Women and Textiles in the Collections of Nickle Galleries

Presented by the Women's Resource Centre and Nickel Galleries.

What can collections tell us about the lives of women? About how they lived? Their priorities and choices? Nickle Galleries has a rich collection of historic carpets and textiles from Asia, specifically West and Central Asia. A careful study of this material suggests how the makers (typically women) exploited local resources to care for families to instill beauty and identity while negotiating change. From war and colonization to the introduction of new markets and technologies, the textiles of Asia can be viewed as ongoing attempts by women to navigate the future.

Nickle Galleries curator Michele Hardy will lead this intimate, behind-the-scenes tour of the textile vault, sharing evocative textiles from the collection. Hardy is a curator, anthropologist and textile specialist who has worked with the collection for almost two decades.

Her current exhibition, Kyrgyz Textiles: Introducing the John L. Sommer Collection, is on view at Nickle Galleries.

Thursday, March 7, 2024
2 - 3 p.m. MT
Nickle Galleries (TFDL 100)

A selection of textiles in the vault, Nickle Galleries. Photo: Michele Hardy

A selection of textiles in the vault, Nickle Galleries. Photo: Michele Hardy


Black in - Planning and Housing

Black in this City Series – Investigating Black Resilience Through a Transdisciplinary Lens is presented in partnership with the UCalgary Alumni, the Black Alumni Network and presented by Innovate Calgary | Social Innovation Hub, UCalgary.

In this exciting panel discussion, moderated by Latosia Campbell-Walters (Owner and Principal Planner at Sparks Planning Group), panelists Cecile Kotyk (sessional instructor and Doctor of Planning student with the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscaping), Dr. Patrina Duhaney (Assistant Professor and co-chair of the Anti-Black Racism Taskforce in the Faculty of Social Work) and Irvine Carvery (community activist, leader and President of the Africville Genealogy Society) will aim to explore how planning policies and practices were used to displace historical Black communities and the impact that has had on Black equity in housing.

This event will investigate the incorporation of an anti-colonial and anti-racist pedagogy into housing security, community planning, architecture, and landscape development.

Thursday, March 7, 2024
5 - 7 p.m. MT
City Design Lab (Downtown SAPL)

Latosia Campbell-Walters (Owner and Principal Planner at Sparks Planning Group

Latosia Campbell-Walters, Owner and Principal Planner, Sparks Planning Group

Cecile Kotyk, sessional instructor and Doctor of Planning student with the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscaping

Cecile Kotyk, Sessional Instructor and Doctor of Planning Student, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscaping

Dr. Patrina Duhaney, Assistant Professor and co-chair of the Anti-Black RAcism Taskforce in the Faculty of Social Work

Dr. Patrina Duhaney, Assistant Professor and Co-Chair, Anti-Black Racism Taskforce, Faculty of Social Work

Irvine Carvery, President, Africville Genealogy Society

Irvine Carvery, President, Africville Genealogy Society

Latosia Campbell-Walters, RPP, MCIP, PMP, Principal & Managing Partner at Sparks Planning Group. With over 20 years of experience in urban planning and project management, Latosia is a dedicated consultant with a passion for community development and stakeholder engagement.

Her expertise spans a wide range of fields, including social/community development, land use planning, policy planning, and community plans. Latosia has successfully led projects encompassing Municipal Development Plans, Area Structure Plans, Area Redevelopment Plans, Outline Plans, Strategic Plans, and Indigenous Community Plans.

As a versatile professional, Latosia brings a wealth of knowledge in stakeholder engagement and project planning, ensuring seamless implementation from concept to completion.

Latosia holds a Master's in Community and Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia. She is a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) in Alberta and a Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP) member. Additionally, her certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) exemplifies her commitment to delivering projects efficiently.

She receives training and holds certification in public participation through the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) and recently completed a certification course in Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA).

Marie (Cecile) Kotyk is an urban planner and housing practitioner with over 15 years of progressive experience across the public and non-profit sectors. She specializes in designing and managing community development projects, resolving issues related to affordable housing and homelessness, and conducting community research to address spatial justice concerns and racial inequities in the built environment. Her passion for social justice and racial equity led her to pursue her doctoral studies in the Doctor of Design program at SAPL.

Patrina Duhaney is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the ɫ. Her research is informed by critical race feminism and focuses on race, crime and criminalization. In particular, she examines Black women’s experiences of intimate partner violence and with the police. Her second research area focuses on racialized people’s experiences in academia. Dr. Duhaney has over 14 years of experience working with various marginalized populations, including women and children exposed to IPV, youth in conflict with the law, children, youth and adults with multiple disabilities and young parents.

Irvine has been active in his community for over 50 years, fostering social change. He led the AGS to a successful negotiation with the city, resulting in land being returned to the people of Africville. He oversaw the rebuilding of the church in Africville that serves as a museum telling the story of his community. He also serves as Co-Chair of the African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity, an organization dedicated to the economic and social well-being of the African Communities within Halifax Regional Municipality.


The Dark Fantastic, Five Years Later: How do we close the imagination gap? - POSTPONED

This session is presented by the Werklund School of Education, Werklund International Lecture, featuringEbony Elizabeth Thomas, PhD.

The Dark Fantasticis an engaging and provocative exploration of race in popular youth and young adult speculative fiction. Grounded in her experiences as YA novelist, fanfiction writer, and scholar of education, Thomas traces the journeys of four black girl protagonists from some of the most popular stories of the early 21st century: Bonnie Bennett from the CW’sThe Vampire Diaries, Rue from Suzanne Collins’sThe Hunger Games, Gwen from the BBC’sMerlin, and Angelina Johnson from J.K. Rowling’sHarry Potter.Analyzing their narratives and audience reactions to them reveals how these characters mirror the violence against minoritized peoples in our own world.

In response, Thomas uncovers and builds upon a tradition of fantasy and radical imagination in Black feminism and Afrofuturism to reveal new possibilities. Through fanfiction and other modes of counter-storytelling, young people all over the world have reinvisioned fantastic worlds that reflect their own experiences, their own lives. In doing so, they have closed the imagination gap, reading and writing themselves into existence -- and changing the entire world so thatthe most powerful people in the world have takennote. The implications for schools, societies, and the future could not be more profound.

Thursday, March 7, 2024
7 - 9 p.m. MT

Due to events beyond our control, this event will be postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Chair of the Joint Program in English and Education and Associate Professor at the University of Michigan’s Marsal Family School of Education. A former Detroit Public Schools teacher and National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, she serves as co-editor ofResearch in the Teaching of English.She is the author ofThe Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games(NYU Press, 2019), which won the World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Children’s Literature Association Book Award, among other accolades. Her most recent books areHarry Potter and the Other: Race, Justice, and Difference in the Wizarding World(University Press of Mississippi, 2022) co-edited with Sarah Park Dahlen, andRestorying Young Adult Literature(NCTE, 2023), co-authored by James Joshua Coleman and Autumn A. Griffin.

Her expertise on race and representation in children’s and young adult literature has been sought after nationally and internationally. She has been interviewed by MSNBC, the BBC, theNew York Times,thePhiladelphia Inquirer,and theChicago Tribune,to name a few.She is a former reviewer forKirkus’children’s book section,and has written book reviews for theLos Angeles Times.She is a past National Book Award for Young People's Literature judge, and served as a board member of the United States Board on Books for Young People from 2020-2022.

In addition to her work on books for young readers, she has published widely on race, discourse, and interaction in classrooms and digital environments. In conjunction with the National Writing Project, Amy Stornaiuolo (Penn GSE), Elyse Eidman-Aadahl (NWP), and Sarah Levine (Stanford), she is a co-principal investigator on a major James S. McDonnell Foundation Teachers as Learners grant, the Digital Discourse Project (DDP), a longitudinal collaborative inquiry into how partnering teacher consultants studied their own discourse practices with data and platforms as they facilitated online discussions during and after the COVID-19 era.She is also conducting empirical, digital, and archival research for her next monograph,The Shadow Book: Reading Slavery, Fugitivity, and Liberation in Children's Books and Media, which will focus on how traumatic historical events such as slavery in the teaching of literature are introduced through children's picturebooks, popular media, and the social Web.

Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Chair of the Joint Program in English and Education and Associate Professor at the University of Michigan’s Marsal Family School of Education

The Dark Fantastic

Thomas, Ebony Elizabeth
, 2019


Remembering Alberta's Sleeping Car Porters

The Canadian History of Sleeping Car Porters has been amplified recently, including as the subject of the Giller-Prize winning novel The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr. Yet the local history of Porters in Calgary and across the prairies, and the links between their unionization efforts and the development of anti-discrimination organizations in Alberta is not widely known. Join us at The GRAND on March 7, 2024 for an evening of memory and music to celebrate Alberta porters within local, national, and international history.

A pre-event reception will take place in The GRAND Lobby at 6:30pm. The evening will feature presentations by Cheryl Foggo, Saje Mathieu, and Suzette Mayr. There will be musical performances by Miranda Martini and Dallas Hayes-Sparks, and a special guest appearance from Judy Williams Graham, a porter descendant.

This event is sponsored by the Calgary District Labour Council, the Canadian Committee on Labour History, Mount Royal University, the ɫ, the Calgary Institute of the Humanities, and The GRAND.

This event is FREE to attend!

Thursday, March 7, 2024
7.30 - 9.30 p.m. MT
THE GRAND.
608 1 St SW, Calgary

Remembering AB Sleeping Car Porters
Suzette Mayr

Suzette Mayr, author

Cheryl Foggo, author, playwright, and filmmaker

Cheryl Foggo, author, playwright, and filmmaker

Saje Mattheu

Dr. Saje Mathieu, Associate Professor of History, University of Minnesota, and Faculty Fellow, Harvard University’s Warren Center for Studies in American History

Suzette Mayr is the author of six novels, including her most recent, The Sleeping Car Porter, longlisted for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award, a finalist for the 2023 Governor General’s Award for Fiction, and winner of the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize, the George Bugnet Award for Fiction, and the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize. The novel was also shortlisted for the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, and the Republic of Consciousness Prize (US and Canada).

Mayr’s other novels have won the ReLit Award and the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize and have been nominated for numerous other awards. Mayr has done interdisciplinary work with the Calgary theatre company Theatre Junction and visual artists Lisa Brawn and Geoff Hunter. She has also published articles in journals such as Horror Studies, Studies in Canadian Literature, and The Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature. She is a former President of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.

Mayr teaches Creative Writing at the ɫ, and is a Killam Laureate. She also plays the clarinet. Poorly, but enthusiastically.

Cheryl Foggo of Calgary is an award-winning Canadian storyteller. She embraces various forms of narrative – journalism, books, film, television and theatre – to tell compelling stories of Alberta’s Black pioneers. By shining a light on the Prairies’ rich and diverse Black history, she helps us understand the relevance of this history to our lives, and the significance of contributions by Black people to Canada.

Cheryl Dawn Foggo was born in 1956 in Calgary and raised in Bowness. Her father, Roy, was a mailman, and her mother, Pauline, worked as a library assistant for the Calgary Board of Education. Cheryl is a descendant of the Black Migration of 1910, when approximately 1,500 African Americans fled hatred in the southern United States. Her maternal great-grandparents joined that migration, travelling from Oklahoma to settle near Maidstone, Saskatchewan. The third of six children, Cheryl grew up among a family of storytellers. She loved watching her mom’s siblings tell stories about their early lives in Western Canada. “It was like a show. You’d sit around the living room, and one of them would act out all the parts,” she says. Cheryl hoped she would become a storyteller, too.

Saje Mathieu is a dedicated educator and historian whose work centers the experiences of African-descended people in the Americas and Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She specializes in the Black Diaspora, war, immigration, race, globalization, social movements, and political resistance. She is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Minnesota, and a Faculty Fellow at Harvard University’s Warren Center for Studies in American History. Prof. Mathieu earned a joint Ph.D. in History and African American Studies from Yale University and specializes in twentieth-century American and African American history with an emphasis on immigration, war, race, globalization, social movements, and political resistance. Her first book, North of the Color Line: Migration and Black Resistance in Canada, 1870-1955, examines the social, cultural, legal, and political impact of African American and West Indian sleeping car porters in Canada. It analyzes black immigrant railway workers’ transnational vision of trade unionism and their political mobilization in Canada during the first half of the twentieth century. Her book, The Glory of Their Deeds: A Global History of Black Soldiers and the Great War Era, examines the experiences of black soldiers and civilians during World War One in Allies and Central Powers nations. The book explores how race shaped the politics of enlistment and engagement in the British, Canadian, African, Caribbean, French, American, and German armies. It also discusses how blacks, whether combatants or intellectual activists, challenged prevailing racialist ideas and practices during the Great War era. In addition, the book investigates how black soldiers and intellectual activists responded to international outbreaks of racialized violence in Europe, Southern Africa, and North America as important moments for galvanizing new transnational models of political resistance that redefined black civil rights globally. Together, black soldiers and radicals beat back an international colour line—whether defined as colonialism, apartheid, or Jim Crow—viewing each regime as inextricably linked in geopolitical terms.

Prof. Mathieu has earned several international awards and is a former fellow at the University of Heidelberg’s Center for American Studies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and at Harvard University’s W. E. B. Du Bois Institute. She is also the recipient of the Arthur ‘Red’ Motley Exemplary Teaching Award.

Friday


March 8

20 Diagnostic Questions to Reveal Hidden Bias

This workshop is presented by the Haskayne School of Business and Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies - Cumming School of Medicine.

The BIAS FREE “Building an Integrative Analytic System for Recognizing and Eliminating in Equities” framework was developed by Mary Anne Burke and Margit Eichler to identify and avoid biases that derive from social hierarchies.

Social inequity and the biases surrounding them can be divided into three distinct sets of problems, namely maintaining an existing hierarchy, failing to examine differences, and using double standards. In this interactive workshop, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the BIAS FREE Framework tool and learn how to apply it to their work and lived reality to reveal hidden biases.

The tables with the 20 diagnostic questions can be found in this .

How the workshop works.

Before the workshop

  1. Please review the 20 questions above and try to come up with examples relevant to your work or life.

During the Workshop

  1. Answer an anonymous Zoom poll for each of the 20 diagnostic questions, asking whether participants could come up with an example for each EDI deserving group.
  2. Using a community-learning format, participants will work together to find an example for each diagnostic question for each EDI deserving groups.

Expected outcomes

  • To become knowledgeable on the utility of the BIAS FREE Framework
    • as an educational tool
    • as an audit tool for any document, audio, work task or policy (etc.)
    • to unmask biases that support social hierarchies.

Friday, March 8, 2024
10 - 11.30 a.m. MT
Virtual

Tsion Beire

Tsion Beire, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Intern, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Dr. Gregor Wolbring Professor - Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Academic Director (Disability and Accessibility) Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at ɫ

Dr. Gregor Wolbring, Professor - Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies and Academic Director (Disability and Accessibility) Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Rochelle Lamoureux, Program Specialist, Haskayne School of Business

Rochelle Lamoureux, Program Specialist, Haskayne School of Business

Tsion is a ɫ student interested in improving the health outcomes of underrepresented groups. With a background in the insurance industry, she has witnessed firsthand the discrimination faced by minority groups in the health industry. She is interested in actively participating in research endeavours that have an impact on shaping policies.

She is actively engaged in her Ethiopian and Eritrean communities, and is dedicated to supporting youth in gaining equal access to technology and programming. Tsion's ultimate goal is to empower underrepresented groups to pursue post-secondary education in STEM-related fields.

Currently serving as the Artist in Residence at the women's center, Tsion employs spoken word and oil painting to assist others in overcoming conflict and adversity. Inspired by Dr. Gregor Wolbring's work on the impact of artificial intelligence and technology on marginalized populations,Tsion is keen on research to address these challenges.

Dr. Gregor Wolbring is a tenured full Professor at the ɫ’s Cumming School of Medicine, Program in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies. He is presently also a member of the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe, Germany and a senior fellow of the Institute for Science, Policy and Society, University of Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Wolbring defines himself as an ability studies, disability studies, sustainability studies and science and technology governance studies scholar. Some of his awards include: Recipient of the ɫ’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award (Faculty and Postdoctoral Scholars category) (2022); Runner up, ɫ Sustainability Award (category Faculty Sustainability Research) (2020); Tanis Doe Award from the Canadian Disability Studies Association (2017); Bachelor of Health Sciences Research Mentor Award in recognition of making undergraduate students succeed in research (2014, 2016, 2018), the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal awarded by the government of Canada in recognition of the benefit of his academic work to the greater community (2013) and the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, National Award (1998) Some of the issues his research group works on include: ability studies (ability, ability expectation and ableism ethics and governance); disability studies; social, ethical, legal, economic, environmental, cultural and governance issues of existing, new and emerging sciences and technologies (S&T) such as quantum technologies, artificial intelligence/machine learning and reasoning, cognitive sciences, neurotechnologies, genetics, robotics, brain computer interfaces, human enhancement. They also explore the impact of S&T on marginalized populations, especially disabled people; sports; human security, global health; health- (technology assessment, law, care and policies); sustainability; conflict studies; peace; ecohealth; climate, water and energy issues; environmental education; environmental activism; emergency and disaster management; burnout; and equity, diversity and inclusion.
Rochelle is a Program Specialist at the Haskayne School of Business, where she tries to incorporate EDIA and community building into the heart of everything she does. She is also a part-time graduate student with the Werklund School of Education, focusing on social justice and anti-oppressive education. She is a proud descendant of Maidstone, SK one of the featured historical Black Communities to Western Canada. Rochelle is the recipient of several awards for EDIA and Community Engagement, but her greatest prize is the love of her beautiful family and community.

De-coding Sacred Texts: Feminine Heroes in Scripture

Presented by the Faith and Spirituality Centre

Ever wondered how women appear in the sacred texts of world religions? Do we see feminine heroes in religions from antiquity? How does gender vary in these ancient texts? Boost your knowledge of different faith traditions at this interactive event.

Feminine Heroes in Scripture will follow the approach to interfaith dialogue. Each faith community represented will pick a short passage from their scripture surrounding the topic of ‘feminine heroes’. Each passage is read out loud for the group. Then participants will get the chance to reflect on the passage, ask any questions that they may have, bring up things that struck them, and discuss the passage as much as they are comfortable with.

Faith Representatives from multiple religious communities in Calgary will be present.

Refreshments will be provided.

Friday, March 8, 2024
12 - 1.30 p.m. MT
MSC 487


Navigating Healthcare for Transgender and Gender Diverse Patients

Presented by the Calgary and hosted by the Cumming School of Medicine, Precision Equity and Social Justice Office.

In this workshop, participants will learn about sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. Participants will discuss what gender-affirming care is and how to support patients who are transgender or gender diverse, including navigating elements of social, legal, and medical transitioning.

Learn to recognize and support gender-affirming practices and gear, while understanding when to refer to specialists. By delving into topics such as the DSM and appropriate referral criteria, participants will leave equipped with the knowledge and sensitivity needed to offer informed care within diverse healthcare settings.

Upon completing this workshop, participants will report increased:

  • Knowledge of sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.
  • Awareness of gender-affirming practices for transgender individuals socially, legally, and medically.
  • Identify gender-affirming practices and gear, and recognize their significance in supporting transitioning individuals.
  • Determine appropriate circumstances for referral to specialists in gender transition healthcare, ensuring timely and effective care.

Friday, March 8, 2024
12.30 - 2 p.m. MT
Virtual

Navigating Healthcare for Transgender and Gender Diverse Patients